I don’t check in at McDonald’s

I don't check in here

I admit it, I’m a fan of the location-based social network called Foursquare.  OK, I was probably a fan at my 100th check-in, and I’m at 504 now.  It’s a silly little game, but also a fun way to share local venues such as restaurants, bars and businesses.  It’s also, many will tell you, yet another step towards “Planet Transparency” where we all share every step, thought and transaction.

Except for one thing:  We still get to choose where we check-in.

I have been known to check in at Panera.  Or Five Guys.  Or the gym where I work out.  Sometimes all on the same day.  Sometimes I run the check-in to Twitter, sometimes to Facebook, and sometimes not at all.  I check in at work, at other businesses, at home.  Hell, I even check in to my favorite running trail.

But I have never checked in at McDonald’s.

That’s not to say I don’t occasionally partake in a Quarter Pounder.  Sadly, I do.  Much much less than I used to, but with a schedule that puts me on the road quite a bit, it is merely a goal to eliminate this stuff from my diet at this point.

Why don’t I check in there?

I don’t check in because I’m embarrassed to.  Eating this brand of fast food is like sneaking into the adult movie section of a video store (as anecdotally passed along to me by a friend… yeah, that’s it!).  It’s something you do under the cover of darkness and hope no one sees you.  It’s not the kind of thing that makes you interesting or helpful or wordly.

As we learn about people through social media, let’s dispel any notion that this is true transparency.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who publishes a set of digital bread crumbs that do not tell the entire story.  Those of us who engage in social media are telling our story, but we are – by and large – telling the one we want to tell as we see it.

Flickr photo by wfyurasko

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