Foursquare in Space

I am not an enthusiastic participant in Foursquare. I created an account, used it for a little bit, and then wrote about my experience here. Perhaps I am too cautious to be the right demographic for that type of geotagging application. I just do not feel the need to broadcast my exact location. Nor do I feel comfortable doing so. Facebook Places is the only geotagging application that I have found less intimidating. Maybe that is because I am already hooked on Facebook!

But, I am not writing today to discuss my personal feelings or insecurities about geotagging. I am writing about Foursquare in space!

On October 22, 2010 a NASA astronaut became the first person to check in to Foursquare from outside the Earth's atmosphere. That is a cool use of social media! And a great way to excite and engage people in space exploration and science. The NASA Explorer Badge on Foursquare will soon be available for users to earn. This follows the first tweet from space in May 2009.

NASA is really embracing social media to share with community. In addition to Twitter and Foursquare, NASA has apps for iPhone and iPad and is participating in Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Ustream, and other social media platforms. Great way to engage the community!