In the past year or so, “location-based social networking,” “location-based games” or “location-based services” have come (seemingly) out of nowhere and are quickly stepping into the spotlight, much like Twitter did a couple of years ago. The three big names are Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt. I’ve had brief experiences with all three. A fellow iPhoner told me about Loopt - I tried it out, but I was very uncomfortable with the notion of constantly giving away my location - especially where I live and work (for this reason, I have yet to turn on location for my Twitter feed). After I eased up a bit, I then heard about Foursquare, signed up, downloaded the app, and just couldn’t figure it out. So I thought the whole thing was pointless, a waste of time, just another fad, and didn’t touch anything location-based for about half a year.
However, after reading coverage of this year’s SXSW extravaganza, which was utterly dominated by location-based social media, I was curious enough to give it another shot. This time, I tried Gowalla, a product of Austin, TX-based startup Alamofire. And guess what? I really like it. First of all, it was really easy to figure out - both the iPhone app and the Gowalla website are very user-friendly, and this time around, I got the whole concept behind “checking in” and “badges” (or “pins” in Gowalla) - big, colorful, beautifully designed icons helped lead the way.
Yes, visual design tied directly into usability on this one. And it made a huge difference - it’s what made me stick with Gowalla instead of going back to Foursquare or Loopt. It made the experience warm, personable, enjoyable, and most importantly, intuitive.
So what’s the deal with these things anyway? Here’s the skinny on location-based apps:
- Location-based social networking is a game, basically. You go to real locations throughout your city, and when you arrive, you whip out your phone and “check in” - pull out your GPS-enabled smartphone and let the app know you’re there - and if you want, share this information via Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- By checking into locations, you earn “stamps,” and for certain milestones (ie, certain number of locations visited) you earn “pins” or “badges.” Think of it like stamp collecting.
- You can also do “trips,” which are like scavenger hunts on your smartphone.
- All the while, you can do this with your friends - keep track of their check-ins, trade items, complete trips, vie for the most visits, etc.
So what sets apart apps like Gowalla and their ilk from other social networks (like Facebook or Twitter), or other social games (such as the most-divisive FarmVille)?
The biggest difference is that location-based apps actually encourage you to go out and do stuff. In Gowalla, for instance, in order to check into a location, you need to physically be there. This has several potential benefits:
- It will encourage people to re-discover (or simply discover, as it may be) their cities. People who actively participate in location-based social networking will not only come back to forgotten old haunts, but also find out about new treasures they would not have discovered otherwise.
- This also means that, by encouraging people to go out and participate in the world, versus staying at home in front of a screen all day, location gamers will most certainly benefit form a more positive state of mind, and possibly even health benefits.
- It’s a fun thing to do between friends - only instead of other social games, like FarmVille, you’ll actually be sharing in a tangible, physical activity - one that involves movement. Location-based apps will tie the fun, bond-strengthening social benefits to the aforementioned personal benefits. It can bring people together.
- As people are encouraged to go out more and check out neighborhood shops, eateries and attractions, they will also be supporting local businesses and jobs. Location-based apps have the potential to noticeably boost local economies (and some shops have already jumped on this potential - certain items or achievements on Foursquare and Gowalla can be redeemed for rewards at participating businesses).
- And who’s to say it has to stop locally? With thousands of locations, trips and users growing all over the world, location-based apps can be a fun way to discover what’s good in whichever cities you happen to visit. It can also encourage travel in and of itself (Who will be the first of YOUR friends to collect a badge or pin for every US State?).
- It can reduce News Feed clutter and junk tweets. We all know someone who updates their status or tweets about every restaurant, club or outhouse they go to (I’m guilty of this at times). Now, instead of typing a generic tweet or status update, they can check-in and share not only their location, but any pics or comments about the place, while also encouraging their friends to join in the fun.
These potential benefits are very exciting. However, location-based apps still have a long way to go before reaching the amount of traffic that Facebook boasts - or even Twitter, for that matter. Here are some impediments to location services’ mass adoption:
- The most obvious one involves technology - location-based apps need smartphones in order to be used properly: more specifically, GPS and a 3G connection are essential. There’s a long way to go here... according to Forrester Research, as of January 2010, smartphones only command a 17% market share in the US. These numbers are reflected in overall users for location-based sites, too: Foursquare boasts the most users at over just over 1 million. Impressive, but nothing compared to over 44 million users on Twitter, or more than 400 MILLION on Facebook.
- And even within the smartphone arena, there are obstacles - for instance, a countless amount of smartphones run some version of Android. But coding an app to run on each and every one of these is a daunting task (As an example: Gowalla’s website claims their Android app will run on the Droid, Nexus One and MyTouch. But what if you have a Cliq?).
- Then there are issues with the apps themselves. Gowalla, for instance, suffers from an intermittent bug in which check-ins won’t post to Facebook - this bug seems unique to them, and if left unchecked, could seriously undermine their potential for growth as frustrated users run out of patience. And Foursquare has some serious catching up to do in terms of usability and easing new users into the game.
- There’s the question of which service will emerge victorious... or will it be an even split? What to do in a situation where a third of someone’s friends use Foursquare, another third use Gowalla, and yet another third use Loopt?
- Then there are security implications. In an age where people are already freaking out about the (inevitable) death of privacy, location-based apps will not do much to assuage their fears. In fact, it’s been pointed out how tech/socially-savvy burglars take advantage of social media to find out when homes are vacant. While Facebook and Twitter are their most prominent tools, they will no doubt be making more and more use of services like Foursquare and Gowalla as they edge more and more into the mainstream - though the cops are starting to play this game, too. Of course, just like the on the rest of the web, staying safe on Foursquare/Gowalla is a matter of common sense, and in any case, you can always change their privacy settings - but to the paranoid, they make a very easy target. The mass implementation of location services may well rest on the court of public opinion.
- And then there are people like me, who simply thought these things pointless before really giving them a fair shot. Here, the impetus is on the services themselves to prove these folks otherwise (and to this, I continue to attest to Gowalla’s outstanding efforts), and also on location-app devotees to spread the word and show their friends how fun they can be (hey, kind of like I’m doing now in this blog post... but further than that, demonstrating the app on their next outing, etc).
But don’t take my word for it... come try it out for yourself. Be warned, it’s addicting... but for the first time ever, that might actually be a good thing.
More Info:
You can always follow my exploits, regardless of whether or not you join, here:
http://www.gowalla.com/users/Jaywalker
For more information, and to sign up, click here:
http://www.gowalla.com
Or, you could always try out some competing services:
Foursquare
http://www.foursquare.com
Loopt
http://www.loopt.com
Whrrl
http://www.whrrl.com
Yelp, best known as a social restaurant/business-reviewing site, recently incorporated check-ins into their service:
http://www.yelp.com