Heartland

now this is interesting... highlights the downside of a very modern phenomena, i think

http://mashable.com/2010/02/17/pleaserobme/

A new website called PleaseRobMe.com does nothing more than aggregate publicly shared check-ins, but its name and purpose attempt to shed more light on the dangerous side effects of location-sharing.

...

The point is driven home with the site-wide terminology, which caters to hypothetical would-be burglars. Check-ins are referenced as "recent empty homes" and "new opportunities" and the name of the site alone is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

...

"The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it leaves one place you’re definitely not… home.

So here we are; on one end we’re leaving lights on when we’re going on a holiday, and on the other we’re telling everybody on the Internet we’re not home.

It gets even worse if you have 'friends' who want to colonize your house. That means they have to enter your address, to tell everyone where they are. Your address.. on the Internet.. Now you know what to do when people reach for their phone as soon as they enter your home. That’s right, slap them across the face."

A logical conclusion - time was we didn't tell people exactly where we lived, or what we were up to all the time. We would tell the neighbours when we went on holiday, but we were careful not to tell the entire planet that we weren't home. My dad never filled in the Home Address section on luggage labels for this very reason.

On the other hand, if it means that these tw@s ("Twat - one who tweats" (attrib. D. Cameron)) will stop clogging up the tubes with "I'm at Starbucks in the Time Warner Centre with my BFF Ritchie, just ordered my 3rd triple chai half-caff no-fat extra sprinkles with 2 splenda of the day! Go me!" then I'm all for it.

There was a news piece recently about how coppers in (Cumbria?) were checking houses for unlocked doors and windows, and then going inside to wait for the homeowner to return to lecture them on home security. Maybe we can combine their efforts with this website? Alternatively, pass the details on to the Big Issue Foundation to let them know that there are empty houses that can be used for a higher purpose.