I Check-in For Serendipity

Earlier today Bob Knorpp tweeted out a question asking why people check in.

I couldn’t quite fit my answer into 140 characters, so I figured I’d share it here.

I’m a big fan of location based services and have been using Foursquare and Gowalla since I first discovered them. I have an open friending policy on the first and a much more restrictive “I’d have a surprise beer with this person” approach on the later.

When I’m on the road (something I am quite a bit), I like to check in to let my friends and family know where I am. It allows them to follow along with the trip and I love getting tips using these services when I visit new cities.

But, the main reason I check in is for those serendipitous moments that sometimes occur.

For instance earlier this week I had a layover in Charlotte and a friend of mine saw me check-in. He was two gates down from mine so we got a chance to sit down and catch up which we had not done in over a year. If I hadn’t checked-in, we would have missed each other.

Some people go for mayorships and others do it to inflate their own self worth.

Me? I’m happy checking in with the hopes of crossing paths with someone and sharing a little bit of serendipity.