Beginning today, theres a new way to explore and experience Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Weve teamed up with location-based web service Gowalla to make checking-in to your favorite Disney places a lot more magical.
More...
Beginning today, theres a new way to explore and experience Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Weve teamed up with location-based web service Gowalla to make checking-in to your favorite Disney places a lot more magical.
More...
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I'm curious what everyone thinks about this Gowalla / Disney partnership. Do you use an application like Gowalla now, and if so, what do you like about it? If you don't already use Gowalla, or if you're a Foursquare fan, does the Disney partnership make you want to sign up or switch?
And if you have no idea what a Gowalla is (which I'll admit, I didn't until a few months ago), how do you feel about Disney's forays into social and location networking? Are you feeling left out?
AVP
If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.
MousePlanet CEO, writer and photographer. Foster and Adoptive Mom. Owner of MouseShoppe and CharmingShoppe. Long-distance walker. Not in that order. In my spare time, I try to sleep.
I totally stay out of the social networking stuff (MP is enough for me) so it has no impact. I thought they were a juice company, though, when I saw the story.
ETA: Odwalla is the juice company- it's close.
What I like about Gowalla is collecting the stamps and pins that you get from checking in. I'm not really into the "mayor" aspect that seems to be big on foursquare. I also like having a record of places I've visited, and Gowalla is an easy way to do that. I'm excited about the new Disney partnership and can't wait to begin collecting items too. So far the new stamps haven't completely rolled out to my passport, although the custom GCH stamp has appeared.
I'm on twitter and facebook but I definitely stay away from applications that pinpoint exactly where I am and what I am doing. Foursquare, Gowalla, whatever. there are some things I want to control - and there could be a time where friends of friends may see it - or Facebook decides to make a change in policy and then opens the floodgates again. It's happened before- they'll change something and all of a sudden I'll have to go in to redo my security.
This "enticement" of stuff for your info is a nice ploy of not being able to know exactly what's going on with your info. I had insight into how AOL and the credit folks at Experian handle things and while secure - they still "share" with their partners and claim they don't sell. The apps that tell people all things about me are not in my bag of tools.
"[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney
Social Networking is an incredibly dangerous tool. Throw in Disney and the attraction to youngsters is inevitable. With the current predatory environment, I think it is an unnecessary foray into a partnership that can cause far more harm then good.
One cannot really police internet.
EDIT I got this message when I selected the linkThe web site you are about to go to is not part of Disneyparks.com.
The terms of use and privacy policy will differ. By proceeding you agree and understand that Disneyparks.com is not responsible for the site you are about to access or for its contents.
To proceed, click here.
The Sarchasm -
The gorge between my witty comment and you, who doesn't get it.
Caution is certainly warranted, but I think some people can stray into tinfoil hat territory.
Having a career in security, technology, its hardly tin foil hat thinking. And frankly, I resent a statement of that nature, which is grossly unwarranted, from a board Moderator. It could be perceived as a personal attack.
Social Networks are the new hunting grounds for child predation. There are even law enforcement units specifically set up for hunting these predators of this nature (Miami is the most well known).
I suggest you do a little research on how many kids are involved in such activities before using such terminology. You cannot secure the internet. You cannot know with any certainty who is typing on that keyboard. Child predators are not stupid. Many are tech savvy, and know the ins and outs of this environment.
I am sure Disney is taking every precaution they can, but, knowing what I know about system access, security and protection, it probably wont be enough.
The Sarchasm -
The gorge between my witty comment and you, who doesn't get it.
I use Foursquare and even though the little icon/badges for Gowalla look super cute, they are too late. I won't be using Gowalla, especially because the name sounds silly.
Oh, and for people that are worried about people knowing where they are, etc..simply make sure to go through all of the privacy settings on any/all of these types of sites. It's pretty quick and easy to do. I'm still amazed at how people are so careless with the information they share with strangers, etc..
The investigator on a lawyer show (The Good Wife) used foursquare to talk to the Mayor at this nightclub, and I knew what she was doing because of this thread. I felt so hip
I saw a story on the news the other night (but was only partially listening, so I don't have all the details) that warned about how people can track your location by looking at pictures you post online. People are taking pictures with GPS-enabled phones & posting them. A little bit of snooping (which the news report said is very easy) on the part of someone who's looking at the pictures can tell exactly when and where the picture was taken.
The example they mentioned was taking/posting a picture of your brand new 50" fancy-schmancy TV hanging on your living room wall, then mentioning online a few weeks later that you're going out of town. Now someone could examine the photo, find out where you live, and pop in to take your TV when they know you're not going to be home.
Same could easily apply to posting pictures of family members taken at a playground you frequent
I have GPS turned off on my phone. I don't need people I don't know knowing exactly where I am or what I'm up to.
Team Happy Place - Winners Spring 2009 MouseAdventure: Trains, Trams & Monorails
Would rather be looking at the back side of water...
Everything in life is only for now.
Nope - it never ends.
I use both Foursquare and Gowalla. While they are both similar, I've found that Foursquare rewards routine (with its mayorships) while Gowalla rewards discovery (with its trips and pins). I've come to prefer the latter because your history ends up being more of a travelogue than just of record of your daily routine.
I'm excited about Gowalla partnering with Disney, especially since this all came about just in time for my current trip to WDW, for the extra dimension of fun it can add to a trip to the parks. Many of the stamps have extended descriptions that give a little background for each location.
As far as security goes, you are in control of who sees what. You have to allow people to see your activity. It is also possible to publish those check-ins to Facebook and/or Twitter, but that is something that needs to be set up and is not the default. Educating people about responsible use of services like these would be far more helpful than sensationalism and hyperbole. It all comes down to knowing what you are getting into with these services and using them in a way you are comfortable with.
"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar." --Hoban "Wash" Washburne
To add to what Mox said...
If parents do a little extra parenting and explain to their kids how to keep themselves safe using such an app, or telling them that they should not use them at all, then it reduces risk. We tell our daughter to not update her FB status while we are on vacation just so that there is some level of privacy. (I dont update mine either for that matter.)
Like anything else, social networking can be fun and safe to do - but I think parents still need to do their part in insuring their kid's safety.
At the same time, the funny part is that most of the people that I know that use something like FourSquare or other "location" apps are adults.
Disney-Inspired Author and Blogger
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