However, an app called First Circle has caught my beady little eye by doing something most software programmers don't - it keeps things simple. The crowd at First Circle merely provides a GPS friend tracking service, as a free download from their website. What does it do? It provides you with a satellite-based technology to find out who among the people you choose to include in your 'circle' are within walking distance.
As described by their website, ‘walking distance’ translates to an area of 1.5 km2. What makes it interesting is that it doesn't tell you exactly who is in your area, allowing a degree of anonymity and choice in the matter of 'running into people' or meeting up. Instead it informs you someone among a list of friends that you choose to include is nearby.
In this Facebook age, it's refreshing that someone is providing phone apps that won’t broadcast your every move, thought or purchase. As we become increasingly bound to cyberspace, we are often faced with difficult emotional, and potentially hurtful, choices regarding our acquaintances. Case in point is the “so-and-so wants to be your friend on Facebook” nonsense. If you don't click ‘yes’ the person requesting your friendship knows. An acquaintance could become estranged and you look like an anti-social arse.
Which is where First Circle goes against the tide. It's easy to download, simple in premise and, most importantly, it balances social networking with anonymity. We first of all get to choose who and how many 'friends' we are linked to. As a fairly sociable antisocial creature, it's nice to know that someone within a circle of friends I chose is within visiting range. If I just want to be left alone? I can disable First Circle. If I'd fancy a cup of coffee between appointments with someone in my 'first' or inner circle of friends I've chosen to include, I can saunter over to them; if it's someone I'd like to say ‘hi’ to, I can.
Currently only available for Blackberry and iPhone, it's refreshing to come across an application that gives you simple choices and doesn't pretend to be a smartphone equivalent of a social networking site. Now if only I could get rid of the feeling that I’m the subject of a National Geographic nature documentary, but maybe that’s just par for the course.
www.firstcircleclub.com
