MaestroJ - digital strategy & new media

If you’re someone who tries to keep abreast of technology and new media developments; calling something the “latest” seems like a moot point even as you write it. In fact, this blog post comes months after the two mobile applications I’m writing about have already launched. In any case, the “latest” social networking phenomenon is mobile, location-based social gaming. These applications track your location via GPS on your mobile and lets you notify your friends, sharing reviews and tips through your networks. The two most popular at the moment are Foursquare and Gowalla.

The basic premise of each game is similar. You “check-in” to a specific location and notify friends and networks. It allows you to socialise where you are at any given time, encouraging you to “explore your city” and “discover new things” with friends. There are different incentives for different actions performed; such as earning points, earning game-specific titles, and collecting and sharing objects.

 A quick glance at some statistics reveal that Foursquare is slightly ahead in terms of number of iphone downloads: Foursquare is #27 in the Social Networking Category, while Gowalla is #85 (data as at 25th Jan from Top App Charts). Both games are pretty fun. I’m not going to turn this post into an analysis of the sociological implications of these games, there are other articles for that. I’m a little tired of the circular argument between online social media as a new frontier in community development versus the argument that it’s actually making us more anti-social.

Instead, as a recent user of both, I’ve listed down some things that I like and don’t like and encourage you to check them out for yourself:

FOURSQUARE 

Like

• You get to be Mayor of any location! Possibly the coolest incentive to check-in.
• Badges are fun too; although a better understanding of how to earn some of the badges would be nice
• It requires more from the user; it’s up to users to tag venues instead of pre-set categories. It has a “Shout” feature, which is a short messaging facility you can use to accompany a check-in. I find that it’s more “open-ended” than Gowalla and therefore encourages more usage and exploration.
• “Off-grid” check-in; want to check-in to a location to earn some points but don’t want to let people know where you are for whatever reason? No problem, there’s option for that.
• “To dos” allow you to “review” a particular venue. Tips, tricks, good and bad experiences are all at the mercy of the discerning four-square user. This gives enormous power to users as any tip made is instantly communicated to their friends once that friend checks in to the same venue. Bad service beware!

Foursquare badges

Dislike

• Google maps API integration is still a bit buggy; many venues are a few streets off even with the correct address and cross streets set.
• Duplication - there’s no facility to ensure that there’s only one of each specific venue. People can add the same location more than once.
• Foursquare doesn’t validate your location for check-in. You can be way out West but still check in to a location far east.

GOWALLA

Like

• It looks very sexy. It’s clear that a lot of design work has gone into the application. There are many, varied and well-realised icons for different types of venues, spots and for the random items to pick up.
• You have to actually be in a “spot” to check-in to it; or at least be very close-by. Gowalla only allows check-ins for real GPS-tracked locations. It makes all those check-ins a bit more credible and prevents over-zealous users from cheating just to get a title.
• “Featured spots”. It’s all fun and games in the beginning but at some point location owners will want to take charge of their own venues; or at least find some way of leveraging the audience to help market themselves. Gowalla’s “Featured spots” is a great opportunity to do this. Having a explicit “featured” area is a great way of promoting a company/business in an official capacity in a way that doesn’t have to interfere with the game’s mechanic, or isolate users who have spent a lot of effort being a “mayor” or a “founder” or a “creator” only to be kicked-out because the business wants their location profile.    

Gowalla "spots"

Dislike

• For some reason Gowalla seems to take a while to load. I’ve checked with friends with other providers and they found the same thing. It could be because Gowalla’s beautifully designed interface and icons have higher file sizes? I’m really not sure, but for an on-the-go mobile app, it could mean the difference between being bothered to check-in and use it or not.
• You can’t seem to add suburbs. To add a venue it has to have a specific street address. One of the fun, and no doubt a competitive driver of Foursquare is that you can be the mayor of your own suburb.
• “Trips” haven’t been extended to Australian locations yet; so this feature is practically useless here.
• I still don’t really understand the concept of “items”. So you pick them up and then drop them somewhere else, or exchange what you have for others that’s in the venue. You do that to become a “founder” of a venue apparently…but why again? There is a big potential for brands and products to leverage this “item” facility. However, I’m just not convinced about their usability yet.
• Correct me if I’m wrong but there doesn’t seem to be a “off-grid” check-in option on Gowalla. That is, if you want to check-in to a location but don’t necessarilly want to let people know about it; Foursquare gives you an option that doesn’t show your check-in on your friends’ feed. Gowalla doesn’t have this.