Check, Please

The following is a subject I haven't paid any mention to, nor even thought about, in quite some time. The subject I speak of it Untappd check-ins and believe it or not, is quite the scandal when said check-ins are automatically posted to social media feeds.

I find (by just observing he feeds of others) that the auto-posting of these things are an annoyance. Not to me personally, but it seems as if they are to the majority of people on social media. It's mostly for this reason that I've decided to refrain from posting mine to my Twitter feed.

That's not news since I haven't posted on to the other side in months, but what might be considered as such is the decision I've made recently to stop it entirely. After all, aren't those that even care about our beer more informed/interested/intrigued by a posting of a photograph? Now, by photograph I don't mean through the Untappd posting. I mean just a straight picture with a witty remark or something.

This brewer has got A LOT better with this

Now, on to the next issue at hand and something that does bug me personally. Even if those of us have found ways to weed out those whose feeds are all Untappd check-ins some of our favorite breweries have caused our plans to blow up in our faces by retweeting those that check-in to their beers and post them to social media. Nobody wins.

A few breweries have improved through being reminded that doing it annoys some of us. Thus, some feeds have been improve to actual interesting feeds with content and not just retweets of who is drinking their beer.

I think we've made it past the stage of dealing with the posted check-ins. Now, it's time for this order of business.

An End That's Nigh

Yes we have plenty of craft beer trends that are out there. We also have such trends in social media. One of the most popular and visible out there is the boatload of Untappd check-ins that get posted to social media accounts on a daily basis.

Something I've noticed over the past few months is that more and more people are filtering them out of their feeds via certain applications that have such a feature. I brought up the point on Twitter late last week, in terms of the end of Untappd check-ins posted to Twitter feeds and got an interesting response from someone.

@burghbeersnob nope, never going to happen, sparks too many awesome beer convos for me to stop.
— Bub(@BubOhioBeer) March 8, 2013

That's actually an interesting take on the issue. If used correctly, (i.e. not posting every single check-in to Twitter without adding thoughts and opinions) posting some check-ins to your feed can encourage good beer discussion with other users.

So, I no longer think the issue is whether or not the death of Untappd check-ins is imminent. It's whether or not more people will filter them out of their timelines and create an even bigger void that your possible beer discussion is reaching.

Monday Rant: An Untappd Problem

I came across a retweet in my Twitter feed just over a week ago (so long ago that I can't seem to locate the tweet to actually embed it). This particular retweet was a bit of a complaint. In essence, this tweet showed a bit of disdain for those of us in the beer community that send connect both our Twitter and Untappd accounts.

For those of you that don't understand this I'll try to explain. Some of us that check-in to our beers via Untappd can also simultaneously send that check-in to Twitter as well. Sometimes we even add our feelings toward said beer in that check-in. So, in some cases it's not just Untappd check-ins, it becomes a little more personable when we post our thoughts, too.

Drinking a Railbender Ale by @eriebrewingco — untp.it/WhAVuX
— Chris (@GoPens75) January 6, 2013

Personally, I find it interesting to bring up Twitter and see what others in the beer community are partaking in.  Seeing multiple Untappd posts in my feed has never struck me as annoying or bothersome. On the other hand, I've become weary of possible posting too many of my check-ins to my own feed. I'm not sure everyone that follows me cares when I drink every single bottle of my Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale. Thus, I try to limit how many of those check-ins make it outside of the Untappd application.

There are many social media pet peeves that people have. I never figured this particular topic would be one of them. At least not on a huge level and it's nowhere near that yet. This is pretty much the only complaint I've come across on Twitter pertaining to Untappd check-ins.

Holy coffee beans. Would go well with a bagel right now. — Drinking a Java Head Stout by @troegsbeer — untp.it/TFPyu7
— Bill K. (@BurghBeerSnob) January 2, 2013

Anyways, I sure hope this isn't the beginning of one of those massive social media movements. Odds are that the author of this tweet I saw doesn't even follow a decent amount of craft beer folk. Maybe this person has figured out how to put down the smart phone and realize that by expanding your Twitter client horizons, you can actually filter out certain texts in your feed.

Monday Rant: To Friend or Not to Friend

The following has been a controversy on social media since American society began wasting hours of valuable time using it. The question is whether or not to add people as friends on a social media network even though you've never met or known them in real life.

Untappd has become it's own version of social media. You can network with other fans of beer and see what your friends are drinking (that's if you have friends that actually take the time to check-in the beers they're consuming. Untappd has also become a simpler way for beer bloggers such as myself to let your Twitter followers know what you're drinking as well as what your thoughts are on said brews.

The only complaint I have about using Untappd is the same thing I've had with any social media application I've associated myself with over the years. That's the people you've never met before trying to add you and others in an attempt to compile tons of friends.

I have a stack of people on Untappd that have requested to be my friend. I've let those requests sit in there for at least two weeks. I'm not totally sure why I refuse to respond. Maybe part of it is the feeling that the entire world doesn't need to know what I'm doing. This is the same reason that I don't post every single check-in to my Twitter feed. It's just a personal preference.

I've pretty much held the same policies when it comes to other social networks such as Facebook. If I don't know you, you're not likely going to get a friend request accepted when it comes to me.

In my early days of Twitter, I'll admit I was obsessed with gaining more and more followers. Now, I barely look at who is following my account.It really doesn't matter to me. Life is far less stressful. It's all about the exchanging of information.