![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d6jFQBlfI77mk-cbKil_8GsJ1So39HlCVHR98XLCdzIF30gFi6vjXtSYnPdM8r8ExrKu3z-giAxr5RW8dJ7HU_pFPY2r0Vk-I3dP5x5xxRkp8LrQTcsD-Kfgp-bcryCMbVW1dLkYVjQ/s320/foursquare+__+Starbucks+%28Newton+Corner%29+__+Newton,+MA.jpg)
The mayor of my local Starbucks is @KevinPalmer a social media blogger who I follow on Twitter. He lives just a few blocks away from me. I DM'd him and suggested we meet for coffee (at his Starbucks of course).
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The idea that social media applications like Foursquare and Buzz could connect me to people in my neighborhood is exciting, but also pushes my privacy boundaries. I live in a pretty urban suburb of a big northeastern city. I know a few of my neighbors, but not too many. I don't usually say hello to strangers on the street.
These might be great tools for my community, but they also scare me a bit. For the most part I've gotten over my fear of making virtual connections. I remember when that was pretty terrifying. Now it is just a way of life. Maybe the logical next step is to bring those virtual connections full circle, back to the real world. That is still a little outside of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to give it a try.
What do you think?