WHAT IS GEOFENCING, ANYWAYS?
Image via Mobile Marketing and Advertising Stand
Like any technical industry, the startup scene has a special vocabulary all its own. Smarter Upstarter’s secret to keeping it all straight? I don’t. Many terms I simply ignore, only taking the time to learn the ones I realize are probably here to stay.
This week, once and for all, I learned about “geofencing”. Geofencing is an invisible, virtual perimeter around an area. That area can be an individual store, a city, or something even larger. Since our phones can now track us via GPS, WiFi, and cell towers, it can use that information to tell us if we’re near a business we like (Foursquare does this). According to Mashable, iOS 6 will take it a step further, allowing you to create your own geofencing around, say, your office. Cross one of your established fences, and your friends get notified. So that’s what the little arrow in the iPhone status bar is doing.
