“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.

Foursquare: Monetizing without Getting Too Creepy – WIRED’S Ryan Tate writes about how Foursquare is becoming more and more like The Minority Report with customized recommendations to users based on where they are, whether they’ve checked-in or not. The recommendations do not take the form of ads just yet, but eventually, they will.

A Future in Question for MOOCs – The New York Times’ Tamar Lewin revisits MOOCs (massive open online courses), a very hyped trend with the potential to disrupt education, as we know it, with free access to higher education for the masses. Unfortunately, they haven’t lived up to the hype and the promise for more access to education as they have low completion rates. Now, the question is if this is just part of the process for greater adoption or if MOOCs are already dying out?

When Social Networks Become One – In AdAge, Tim Dunn shares the observation that social networks are becoming more and more similar. Instead of diverging, they’re converging with very similar feature sets. For brands, this adds the challenge of creating unique experiences across social networks. For social networks, it means going after the same ad dollars.

Creating a Safe, Fun Place for Kids Online – NPR profiles Italy Eshet and his quest to create a social network for kids that is both fun and safe.