If you're like us, you're tired of the rise of social networks that take away from your real life. Sure, it's great to have a gazillion friends on MySpace, but really, how many of them have you actually met? Brightkite connects people based on the places they visit in the real world. With Brightkite you can see where your friends are, what they're up to, see what's going on around you, and meet real-world friends.

Most people who have tried the service understand that Brightkite doesn't really track you, it's up to you to decide how often you "check in", and at what accuracy. On top of that, we have pretty comprehensive privacy controls.

How does Brightkite work?

The basic idea is simple. When you're out and about in the real world, you tell Brightkite where you are by checking in at places (you can do this on your phone). Brightkite can then tell you who else is there, who's been there, what's happened there, who is nearby etc. Additionally you can post notes and photos at places that others nearby will see.

Everything you do in Brightkite is accessible on the website. You can choose who gets to see your stuff by adjusting your privacy settings, but by default everybody can (after all, the idea is to meet people).

My location is sensitive, is Brightkite a stalker tool?

Most people who have tried the service understand that Brightkite doesn't really track you, it's up to you to decide how often you "check in", and at what level of accuracy. On top of that, we have pretty comprehensive privacy controls.

How much does Brightkite cost?

Brightkite is a free service. Note: With phone notifications enabled Brightkite sends out SMS Text messages. Please check with your mobile provider to find out if text messages will cost you extra.

How do I contact Brightkite?

You can contact us by emailing support@brightkite.com.

Does Brightkite charge my phone bill?

Brightkite does not charge your phone bill.

Account Questions

How do I edit my Account Settings?

Once you login to Brightkite, you will find the button for your Account Settings on your left hand Navigation. Here you will see the tabs where you can edit your Profile, Password, Notifications, Privacy Settings, and your Sharing Settings for Twitter.

How can I change my profile picture?

Under your Profile tab in Account Settings you will see a Browse button where you can upload a picture from your computer. Just click Save at the bottom of the page to save it to your profile.

What are the different Privacy Settings and how do I change them?

There are two modes on Brightkite: Public and Private.

Public mode will show your exact location at all times for all eyes to see. We recommend that you use discretion with what you post in Public mode, especially if don't want other people seeing sensitive location data.

Private mode allows you to set different levels of accuracy to determine how your location for Checkins and Posts appear to Trusted Friends, Friends, and General Users . You can choose between 3 privacy levels: Hidden, City, and Exact. Hidden will completely hide your post, City will just show you at city level (i.e. Denver, CO), and Exact will show your exact location however you input it into Brightkite.

Under your Privacy tab in Account Settings you can select all of these settings from a drop down menu.

Currently you can only change your Privacy Settings while using the Web Version of Brightkite.

How do I block someone who has been pestering me?

You can block people by going to their user profile and clicking "Block this user".

How do I report someone I feel is acting inappropriately?

There is a "flag as inappropriate" button on the object page of every post. Or you can contact us immediately at support@brightkite.com.

How do I stop the service?

To turn off all mobile notifications but still keep your web account text OFF to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US. To disable your account text STOP to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US. To delete your account text STOP ALL to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US.

You can do this directly from your profile by clicking Account Settings, then Profile. There is a link at the bottom of the page that says "Delete account" and you will have to enter your password in order to delete it.

You can also send us an email to support@brightkite.com with your username and password and we can delete it for you.

Account Notifications

What are notifications?

Notifications are messages you can opt to receive via SMS or email when people or friends checkin nearby, post a note, or message you directly.

Nearby Notifications apply to any member on Brightkite that checks in or posts a note/photo within your designated radius. You can turn all of these off.

Account Notifications apply to any messages or friend requests you receive from other users. You can turn all of these off.

In addition to Nearby and Account notifications, you also have notification options under every friend in your friends list. You can choose to receive notifications any time a friend checks in, posts a note, or posts a photo. If you do not wish to receive any notifications, you must go to your friends list and click the Edit Friendship link in order to disable these notifications.

Where can I change my notification settings?

Under the Notification tab in Account Settings you can modify your Nearby Notifications and your Account Notifications.

If enabled, you can set the radius for Nearby Notifications by choosing from the 4 available options (an even broader selection of options is coming soon). You can also choose to apply these notifications to Everyone or only your Friends and by what method(s) you would like to receive these.

Here you can also select your Account Notification Settings. You can select whether you receive notifications for Direct Messages and Friend Requests/Approvals.

Note: In addition to Nearby and Account notifications, you also have notification options under every friend in your friends list. You can choose to receive notifications any time a friend checks in, posts a note, or posts a photo. If you do not wish to receive any notifications, you must go to your friends list and click the Edit Friendship link in order to disable these notifications.

How can I disable my notifications?

You can set your Nearby Notifications to "Off" to disable this fuction.

You can uncheck all options under Account Notifications to disable this function.

Twitter Sharing

How do I share with Twitter?

To set up Twitter sharing you will need to login and go to Account Settings -> Sharing -> Twitter. There you will see a form to enter your Twitter username and password and select which of your updates you would like to share. Then click SAVE.

How do I customize what gets sent to Twitter?

You can customize what Brightkite says when you check in, post a note, or post a photo by clicking the Customize option next to the corresponding activity.

Why isn't my activity showing up on Twitter?

For sharing purposes Twitter gets treated like "Everyone else" in Brightkite. Therefore, in order for your posts or photos to show up on Twitter, you have to do one of two things:

Post in "Public" mode
Post in "Private" mode with your privacy settings set so that "Everyone else" can see your posts at City or Exact.

If you have your posts or checkins set to "Hidden" and you are in private mode, your posts or checkins will not share to Twitter.

Why does only some of my activity share to Twitter?

There are a couple of factors that can cause this:

We are having trouble connecting with Twitter's API
You are making "about" posts, which intentionally do not share. For activity to share you will have to post to the location where you are currently checked in.

Why are my checkins at city level showing the wrong city?

This is a known bug. If you experience behavior like this please email us at support@brightkite.com with the exact location you're checking in to and the incorrect city that is showing.

My updates used to share, why have they stopped

If your privacy settings have not changed, chances are you have changed your Twitter password recently. This will need to be updated in Brightkite under Account Settings -> Sharing -> Twitter.

Facebook Sharing

How do I share with Facebook?

Under Account Settings -> Sharing you will see a Connect with Facebook button. After clicking that you will be prompted to log in to Facebook and allow the app access to your account.

Important: When posting updates as news feed items, you must manually allow Brightkite to publish short stories. To do this, visit your authorized applications page and click edit settings next to Brightkite. Select the option to allow Brightkite to publish specific story sizes automatically and select short.

Why isn't my activity showing up on Facebook?

Facebook gets treated like "Everyone Else" so if you have any activity hidden for "Everyone Else" it will not share. You will need to be in public mode or in private mode with your privacy set to City level.

Why are only some of my updates showing on my Wall?

Facebook imposes a limit of 10 news feed items per user, per day. Only the first 10 items you post each day will be displayed on Facebook.

Why won't it let me select which photo album to share to?

That option is currently not available. The application will create a "Brightkite Photos" folder automatically when you select to share to a photo album.

Can I customize what gets sent to Facebook like I can with Twitter?

Not yet, but that option is coming soon.

Logging in with Facebook Connect has created a duplicate account for me. How do I sync it with my current Brightkite account?

While you are logged in to your new (duplicate) account you will need to delete it by going to your Account Settings -> Profile. A Delete account button is at the bottom of the page.

Once the duplicate account has been deleted you will need to log in to your original Brightkite account. Follow these steps and then log out of Brightkite.

Then click the Log in using Facebook button and it should log you in to your original account.

Flickr Sharing

How do I share with Flickr?

The option to set up Flickr sharing can be found under Account Settings -> Sharing -> Flickr. You will be prompted to log in to your Yahoo! account, then just follow the steps to complete setup.

Why aren't my photos showing up on Flickr?

Flickr gets treated like "Everyone Else" so if you have your posts hidden for "Everyone Else" it will not share. You will need to be in public mode or in private mode with your privacy set to City level.

Can I customize the title and description that gets sent to Flickr?

Not yet, but that option is coming soon.

Why don't you use the EXIF data from my camera?

Basically because of privacy. If you have your Brightkite account set to city level and you share a photo to Flickr with the EXIF data, people would still be able to see your exact location. We are working on a solution that will allow this data to carry over and still maintain privacy.

How do I remove Flickr sharing from my account?

By clicking on this link.

FireEagle Sharing

How do I share with FireEagle?

To share your location data with FireEagle you will have to set it up under Account Settings -> Sharing -> FireEagle. You will be prompted to log in to your Yahoo! account and then follow the setup steps.

Can I update my Brightkite location using FireEagle?

Currently your updates can only go from Brightkite to FireEagle, but we are working on a way to pull in your data from FireEagle.

Checking In

What is checking in, and how do I do that?

In order to connect you with other people around you, Brightkite needs to know where you are. You can tell Brightkite your current location by checking in.

You can check in here on the site, via text message from your mobile device, or by using one of our downloadable mobile clients (coming soon).

You can download the native iPhone app here.

You can find the iPhone web app at http://i.brightkite.com

You can find the generic mobile version at http://m.brightkite.com

How do I check in via the web?

To check in via our website, enter your current location into the location bar at the top of the page. You can be as accurate as you like, from a specific address to a city name, all the way up to a country name. Once you hit Go, we'll take you to the place page for that location. If the location is correct, click the check in button at the top right of the page. Thats it, you have now checked in.

How do I check in via text message on my mobile phone?

To check in from your mobile phone, enter and verify your mobile number in your account settings, and then send @street address, city, state to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US via text message. For example, @270 East Ln, Burlingame, CA.

If you want to check in at a business but don't know its address, you can search for it by sending @businessname to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US. This will then return matching businesses near where you were checked in last, and you can pick one to check in at. For example, @Starbucks.

To find a business that's far away from where you were last checked in at, it helps to "zero in" by appending the city or zip to the business name. For example:(@Rio,Boulder CO) or (@Rio,80302). See the Text Message Starter Guide for more information.

How do I check in via mobile phone if I am outside the US (via mobile email)?

You can check in via mobile email. See the Mobile Email Guide for instructions.

How do I check in using the iPhone web app?

To check in via the iPhone web app, click the Search & Check in button on your home page. Enter your current location into the "Where" search bar and the business name under "What" if applicable. Once your location is brought up, hit Check in and it will check you into that location.

How do I check in using the mobile site?

To check in via the mobile version, click the Search & Check in button on your home page. Enter your current location into the "Where" search bar and the business name under "What" if applicable. Once your location is brought up, hit Check in and it will check you into that location.

How do I check in using email?

To check in via email, you can use the same commands as checking in via SMS. Send an email to your personal xxxx@bkite.com email address listed under Account Settings, then Mobile and be sure to enter your commands into the Body of the email and not the Subject.

Note: When doing a business search, you must delete the Brightkite numbered response before sending your next response to Brightkite. If you do not delete this extra text, Brightkite will not understand your request and you will not be able to check in.

Can I check out of a location?

Yes. By using the LEAVE command, you can check out of a location. You can also check out via email by sending the LEAVE command in the body of an email to your Brightkite address. Once you do this,you will receive a message saying that you are in "no man's land" and your profile will simply say that you are not checked in.

What do I do if a location I search for isn't found?

As a temporary solution, you can check in using latitude and longitude coordinates. You can do this using the following format:

39.762388, -104.982315

You can also try checking in to a nearby address, street, or intersection and add a custom label to that location.

You can create a Custom Label by typing in your desired location and then using brackets to create your label. For instance, you would type your location in the search bar like this: 1234 Street, City, State [Custom Label]. If this is a place that you frequent, we recommend creating a Placemark so that you can easily checkin in the future.

Why does a location show up on Google Maps, but not on Brightkite?

We only support official listings in Google Maps, if a location is unverified or a user-created placemark it will not show up in our database.

Why isn't Brightkite responding to my emails?

Make sure that your emails are being sent to the correct xxxx@bkite.com email address that is found under Account Settings, then Mobile.

Your commands and notes should be sent in the Body of the email and not the Subject. If they are in the Subject, Brightkite will not recognize the command.

Do you have a signature enabled? This extraneous text can confuse our system and cause it to misunderstand you.

If the problem continues contact Brightkite through Get Satisfaction or support@brightkite.com.

Posting Notes and Photos

How do I post notes and photos using the web?

On your main What's Happening? page you will see buttons to "Post a note" and "Post a photo" in the center of the page under your main tabs.

How do I post notes and photos from my phone?

See the Text Message Starter Guide for instructions.

How do I post notes and photos from my phone if I am outside the US?

See the Mobile Email Guide for instructions.

Can I check in and post a note or photo at the same time?

Currently this is only available in the native iPhone app. On the website/mobile site, SMS, and email you must checkin first and then post a note or photo to that location.

Can I edit my checkins and notes?

Not right now, but this feature is coming soon.

Can I leave comments on people's posts?

Yes! You can leave comments on checkins, posts, and photos by clicking on the comment icon at the bottom of the post.

To leave comments on the iPhone and Mobile versions you just need to click on the specific post and then click the Post a comment button.

How can I tell when people comment on my posts?

If you click your Comments tab, it will list all of the comments that have been left for you.

You can set up your account to receive notifications for your comments by clicking on Account Settings, then Notifications

Placemarking

What is a placemark and how do I use them?

Placemarks are personal bookmarks for the real world. They make it easy to check in at places you frequent such as work or home. For example, if you create a Placemark at your work address and name it "Work", from then on you can check in at your work by texting @work to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US.

On the web you can type Work into the location search bar to go to your work place page. Manage your placemarks by clicking on "Placemarks" in the left hand nav.

How do I create a placemark using my mobile phone?

First check in at the location you would like to Placemark. Next text MARK placemark name to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US. For example, MARK home to 80289 in the US, or +44 7624 805707 outside the US.

How do I create a placemark using the web?

Enter the address of place you would like to Placemark in the location search bar. On the place page for the desired address click the Add to Placemarks button located it the upper right corner.

Custom Place Names

What are custom place names?

Custom place names are labels that you can give locations to give them more meaning. You can label locations as "Home" or "Work" or you can use labels to give names to businesses that do not show up in our search yet.

How do I create a custom name?

You can create custom names on the website and in the native iPhone app by typing the following into the place search: 1234 Street, City, State [Custom Name]

We recommend placemarking the locations you give custom names for easier checkins.

In addition to exact locations, you can create custom names at Street Level: Street, City, State [Name], Intersections: Street & Street, City, State [Name], and Zip Codes: 80205 [Name].

Will other users be able to search places based on my custom names?

No, creating a custom name does not add it to our database.

Can I edit my custom names?

You cannot, but you can create a new custom name for that location.

Native iPhone App

Where can I find the iPhone app

You can download the app here.

What does the "Find Me" button do?

When ON the "Find Me" button will try to locate you using GPS or cell tower triangulation depending on which iPhone you have. If turned OFF the app will not try to locate you and will display your last checkin. You can leave this OFF if you just wish to browse your streams or perform any activity that doesn't involve checking in.

What is Place Snapping?

Place Snapping is a nifty tool we use to give meaningful names to the places that you visit. When you're out and about, instead of locating you at the nearest intersection the app will "snap" to nearby places based on your previous checkins. You can turn this feature ON and OFF by using the center button next to "Find Me".

If you tend to visit a lot of places in the same area, you can make your Place Snapping radius smaller by going to More then Settings and then Place Snapping. This should help the app to snap more accurately in these areas.

What does "Pick a Place" do?

"Pick a Place" will list nearby places based on where the app thinks you are. So if place snapping didn't quite work or you're checking in somewhere for the first time, "Pick a Place" will help you find listings for the places near your location.

What if the app can't find the place I'm looking for? How do I search for a place?

You can search for a place two different ways:

Using the search bar in "Pick a Place" you can search for nearby businesses by just typing in the business name or you can search any place by typing in a full address, city, state, etc.
By tapping More and then Search you can do a place search in the same way you can using "Pick a Place".

Once you have found the place you want, tapping the listing will take you to that place page and from there you can choose to check in, view the placestream, view nearby people, or add to your placemarks.

How do I find other people?

You can search for users by tapping More then Search and you will see the option to search "people". You can search for a person based on their real name or their Brightkite username. When the search results are returned you can tap the listings taking you to that person's profile page where you can view their activity, send them a message, add as a friend, etc.

You can also see the nearby people around you by tapping the "Nearby" button.

Can I still use my placemarks?

Yes, you can access your placemarks by tapping More then Placemarks where they will be ordered by proximity based on where the app thinks you are.

How do I edit my profile information?

You can't do that in the app just yet, but this is coming very very soon. Currently to do this you will have to log in to your account on the main website.

I have "Find Me" turned on, but the app keeps spinning and won't locate me.

There are two things you can try when you experience this:

Restart your iPhone
Go into Settings then General and turn your "Location Services" OFF and then back ON.

If neither of those do the trick, please contact .

The app is showing my full location, will other people be able to see that when I check in?

Even though the app may display your full location when you check in, it will always respect your privacy settings.

Guess My Location

What is 'Guess My Location'?

If you are on a laptop connected to a Wi-Fi network, Brightkite can try to guess your location. Using either the Loki plugin or Mozilla's Geode extension Brightkite can find your location depending on the visible Wi-Fi access points in your area.

How do I set it up in Firefox?

To try out the Geode plugin:

Download and install the latest Mozilla Firefox web browser.
Download and install Geode.
Restart Firefox.
Make sure you are connected via Wi-Fi and visit the Guess My Location page.

How do I set it up in other browsers?

If you're not using Firefox and Geode, then Brightkite will try to guess your location using Loki. To try out this plugin:

Make sure you are connected via Wi-Fi and visit the Guess My Location page.
You will be prompted to install the Loki Plugin. Install the Loki plugin and it will automatically guess your location.

I have everything set up, why isn't it locating me properly?

This feature guesses based on the visible Wi-Fi access points in your area. If these databases do not have a nearby access point listed, then you will see some inaccuracies.

You can add new access points here.

What if I don't have a laptop?

Guess My Location requires a Wi-Fi connection to locate you, so if you have a desktop computer connected via Wi-Fi this feature will still work for you.

Guess My Location keeps crashing, what am I doing wrong?

There are a couple of things you can try if you start experiencing crashes with this feature:

Check to make sure you have the latest version of Java installed.
Disable any add-ons or plugins you have installed to see if they are possibly interfering.

If neither of those do the trick, please email any details and crash logs to support@brightkite.com.

Can I use Guess My Location on my phone?

No, currently this feature only works on a computer.

The Brightkite Wall

What is the Brightkite Wall?

The Brightkite Wall is an interactive display where you can see updates in real time for a place, person, search term, or the entire Brightkite Universe. You can display the Wall on any monitor, projector, or TV and it is perfect for conferences, live events, bars, trade shows, retailers, or just displaying on your desktop.

How do I set it up?

Visit http://brightkite.com/wall and you will see the option to create a Wall for the following:

Placestream
Universe stream
Person stream
Search term

Configure your Wall with your desired place, person, or term.

Select if this is within or outside the US so people will know what number to use for their updates.

Select whether or not you would like to include checkins in your Wall.

Set the radius you would like to use to pull in your updates.

Then click the Create Wall button.

Sign in

Help

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't my activity showing up on Twitter?

How do I check in via mobile phone if I am outside the US (via mobile email)?

What does the "Find Me" button do?

Brightkite help topics