I was sitting at my computer last night, fighting severe eye strain to type just one more email, when my phone beeped.
“You have just been ousted as the Mayor of YMCA – South Coast.”
Just a friendly note from Foursquare alerting me that someone named ‘Kathi L’ is apparently getting to the gym more often than I am these days. And to add insult to injury, there are three smiling faces on my screen right under the banner ‘3 people are here.’ That’s right, they are working out right now, probably happily sweating through a Zumba or Body Pump class.
Have you ever tried to diet? Someone usually suggests that you start keeping a ‘food diary.’ You write down everything you eat during the day, so that you can look back and see what good dietary choices you are making, and what bad-for-you food you are eating too darn much of. It’s a way of holding yourself accountable so that you make better choices. Well, that’s what Foursquare does for me. It’s a record of where I’m hanging out the most. And a reminder of where I haven’t ‘checked in’ in weeks.
You know where I am still the Mayor? Katie Wagner Social Media. And the corporate offices of two my clients. (That’s right, I beat out all those people who actually go there for their full-time jobs.) I used to hold the Mayorship at the dance studio. And that cute wine bar down the street. But life got busy, and those ‘optional’ stops were the first to be eliminated. Judging by the lack of new check-ins, mobile uploads and witty status updates, my life is pretty boring these days.
I remember when I won the YMCA mayorship. I came out of yoga class to find a Tweet waiting from ‘Chris H.’, the guy I ousted.
“Congrats on your mayorship. Enjoy your workout.”
I appreciated his graciousness, so I tweeted back.
“Maybe this honor will help me be more regular with my gym time,” I typed.
“I quit using Foursquare,” he wrote back. “It was WAY too much pressure.”
And maybe it is. I used to think my work-related Mayorships showed hard work and dedication. Perhaps all they really indicate is that I could use a little more wine and Zumba in my life.
For more social media insights, find us on Facebook!
