This morning my son in college Skyped me, telling me that he had a new family-friendly electronic tool for me to write about. I was about five minutes ahead of him, having just downloaded it, which made me feel really good. That’s right, ladies and gents, the free Find My Friends app  is live and ready for download in the iTunes store.
The purpose of this iPod/iPhone/iPad app is to show people where you are and to help you find your friends.
TMI?
Not really. You have control of who sees you and when. Friends are added by invite only, and you can choose whether they add you for a certain period of time or indefinitely. Adding friends is simple. Tap on the icon with the people at the bottom of your screen and an invite message appears.
If you have guests with 3G, you can track them as they travel to your home. This helps you pop dinner in the oven in a timely manner. It can also help if they have traveling difficulties. You will know right where they are so you can offer appropriate help.
I’m curious to see how accurate the tracking is. Will it locate my children if they are in town? We’ll try to figure that out within the next few days, and I’ll get back to this blog with our discoveries. For now, I can look at my screen and know that my son is safely tucked away at his college, and it makes me feel connected to him. That’s always a good thing.
UPDATE: Well, I’d have to say it’s pretty accurate. I “found” my cousin in Boston, and I can tell when my son is in class, in his dorm or out on the town. Very impressive.