Google Latitude, it’s cool technology, I have nothing to dispute there. It’s the technology and capability my teenage self dreamt of. Today I got an invitation to share my location with someone I know (someone who I do count as a friend, not the lobotomised definition that Facebook, Livejournal et al have given us). However I have to ask myself the question. Why would I want to share my location, it’s amazing that my phone can work out where I am within a very small margin of error, translate that into global co-ordinates, send it back up into Google who track and log the information and present that information on a map for people to view.
What is the benefit to me, what is the benefit to the person I know?
I can think of a few specific cases where I’m trying to meet up with someone but the need for the databases of my position and the like just aren’t needed. So for the moment I won’t be sharing my location, if you need to know where I am, ask me then and there. If you need to know where I’m going to be, ask me.