There are a number of catch phrases that have become popular recently; geotagging, geolocation, GPS and such. But all it really means is, telling you where you are and a given point in time.

Let's break that down.

Take a picture, find a restaurant or look for a friend. These are all activities that happen at a specific location. If you want to find, share or remember that location, sure you could break out a pen and take a note, but that is hardly cutting-edge technology. These days, you create a geotag.

Hot new mobile apps are using geotagging for novel services that are both cool and potentially dangerous. This might be a good time to check the settings on your BlackBerry Messenger, Twitter or Facebook account, to find out if you are already geotagging your posts!

In essence, what geotagging does is add little bits of very specific information (which geeks call meta-data) to a file such as a picture or post. Others can use this information to figure out your exact location, within three metres. GPS (Global Positioning System) makes that possible.

Not sure if you have GPS? Well, if you have a recent-model smartphone, you probably have it built right into your handset. This can be very cool.

Smartphone apps like Google Latitude and FourSquare (in addition to Blackberry Messenger, Twitter and Facebook), take full advantage of the GPS tracking feature on your phone, allowing you to share your specific location with trusted friends and family, or the world.

FourSquare is gaining in popularity in Jamaica. The app allows you to 'check-in' at places you visit. The more often you check in, the more you are recognised. And, as Jamaica evolves, the more likely it is you will be rewarded! Yes, rewarded.

dream sequence

Let's enter a tech dream sequence for a moment. Using the app on your phone, you announce your arrival at a given location such as a book store or bar. You have just promoted that location. You may add a comment, image or tip for your friends, such as'limited parking', or 'sale in progress'. The more often you visit, the more promotion you give your now-favourite hot spot. The location's owner can log in and see that you deserve to be thanked for your efforts with a discount. It's that easy.

Latitude is much less popular. With this app, you can check the movements of your friends in real time on a map. Cue dream sequence: you want to meet your girlfriend for drinks at a new bar, she gave you the address but you are still lost. You can just bring up her location on Latitude, see her location relative to yours, and instantly plot a route to her position. Yes, possessive girlfriends can track their men using the same technology, but you've got to take the good with the bad.

stalker danger

That said, there is an inherent danger to posting your location information for others to access. The possibility of stalkers and other criminals is real. And, just like tweaking your privacy settings on Facebook, you must be smart about how you use geo-tagging to your advantage.

Tech Glitch: Lavern asks "How do I get Kindle on by BB?"

Tech Fix: The Kindle app that allows you to download and read books from the Amazon store is not in the official Blackberry Appworld, for reasons I just don't understand. To get the app, enter the following address in your Blackberry's browser: amazon.com/kindlebb, click download and enjoy a library at your fingertips.

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