King of the Location Based Mountain- Foursquare vs. Gowalla, Loopt, Yelp, RallyUp, Plyce…
Since their 2009 launches at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), two unique startups-Foursquare, and Gowalla have become the biggest players in the still emerging niche of location based services. While it remains to be seen whether or not the market will support more than one location based service, judging by the number and growth of users, participation by large corporations (Starbucks ), celebrities (Ashton Kutcher ) small businesses (DC’s own Town Tavern ), politicians (Patrick Kennedy, D-AL) and usability across mobile platforms, Foursquare is the leader of the pack. Other competitors include Loopt , Yelp , the more privacy conscious Rally Up , Europe’s Plyce and whatever Facebook decides to do.
For a quick primer on Foursquare in 118 seconds- Checkout this excellent video from HowCast:
As for the long term potential and adaptability of Foursquare as a useful tool for public relations campaigns in business or politics, with Morgan Stanley now predicting that mobile internet will be bigger than desktop internet in 5 years, any business, public relations professional or political candidate who fails to utilize location based services may soon find themselves at a significant competitive disadvantage when it comes to building and maintaining relationships with the tech savvy linchpins among their clients, customers and constituents.
In terms of why Foursquare came to become the leader of the pack, three often overlooked factors have come together in their favor:
I. Branding Matters. One of the most overlooked factors in Foursquare’s success is the name itself.
Considering the success and popularity of anything associated with the 80s and early 90s- Just about every “Millennial” has at least one story of Foursquare glory on the playground. In this regard, Foursquare’s awarding of badges, (think merit badges from Cub Scouts / Girl Scouts) points and mayor-ships were brilliant ideas. As a Millennial myself, I can attest to the fact that by activating these positive associations of childhood playground fun versus ones current ambitions, and desire for future success and recognition among their peers , Foursquare starts off with a significant advantage over Gowalla for the simple reason that it is much easier to understand, explain and most importantly remember what Foursquare is. “Have you tried/ are you on Gowalla?” Is awkward to type, let alone explain in casual conversation.
II. Cross platform availability. Foursquare is available on Blackberry, Palm, Iphone and Android based devices, Gowalla is not.
As 42.1% of smartphone users have a Blackberry, it is astonishing and possibly fatal that Gowalla has not launched a Blackberry application of their own. Although Gowalla does have a Blackberry optimized mobile site, which does load on my Verizon Blackberry Storm2, the interface is choppy and less user friendly than Foursquare’s Blackberry app. Gowalla’s messages boards are also full of users complaining about compatibility with older Blackberry devices. (To their credit, Gowalla does provide an open forum for complains and responds too many of them.)
III. On Creativity, Foursquare wins.
Wouldn’t you like to be the first, or maybe second to check in at the North Pole?
How about reading the Financial Times for Free?
Feeling shy or lost on your first day of school?
Enjoy a free cup of coffee?
If the answer to any or all of these questions is ‘yes’, well there is an app for that.
IV. Loopt, Yelp, Rally Up, Plyce, etc…
In terms of the number of users and overall buzz, Foursquare is in the lead. Of the competition, particularly interesting is Rally Up- which seeks to overcome some of the issues raised by sites such as PleaseRobMe.com by eliminating Twitter integration in favor of connecting you to your ‘real’ friends on Facebook. While Loopt and Yelp are compatible with the Blackberry, Rally Up is not. Plyce has some taken some of the better aspects of Gowalla and added features such as a wall to post pictures and video as well as the ability to chat with your friends inside the app. While these new services are certainly worth watching, in the meantime adding Foursquare to your social media portfolio is an easy and effective way to promote your business and improve public relations.
Social TV Draws Developers’ Attention
Many attempts have been made to blend the electronic “hearth” of most living rooms – the television – with the computer, and Saturday’s release of the iPad may have brought us one step closer to a child-hybrid of these two lifestye home-bases.
With the massive iPad release, developers at every level of the iPhone app hierarchy are vying for ways to capitalize on the new gadget and its market share, with some speculating on how it will change the game for social TV.
MTV networks is working on branded applications that will “capture the social-media chatter around TV and awards shows and apps for video on the go,” according to AdAge.
The apps will also allow users to log on to a forum while watching the same show. MTV is hoping the iPad’s lightweight size and mobility will make it easier to access than a laptop, and allow for more flexibility and visual display than a smart phone.
"People will be more receptive to typing. It’s early, but you’re going to see in the next 12 to 18 months a series of start-ups experimenting in new ways to layer digital on the TV experience," said Somrat Niyosi, CEO at the app developer Bazaar Labs, in his interview with AdAge.
Of course, other attempts at creating a catch-all media center have been in the works for quite awhile. This year, voice and chat giant Skye, which is already edging out the need for LAN line telephones, will launch Skype-enabled televisions, which will allow you to type, talk and video conference right on your TV.
Despite most cable providers and even gaming consoles allowing ways to access the internet (or parts of it), it seems the efforts to ad comprehensive computer and web tools to television is a slow-moving field.
Advances such as the iPad, the TVChatter App for iPhone, and streaming options from major networks and Netflix, indicate the computer world is likely to overthrow its wall-mounted media opponent, unless the two can parent a functional combination that works for all.
Is the iPad a Game Changer?
I like Apple, but I am not a fan boy that immediately buys everything they put out. I waited a year before switching to the iPhone, and have only recently started using a Mac as my primary personal computer. As someone who is relatively cautious in my purchases of new gadgets, I’ve viewed the iPad with a healthy degree of skepticism since it was announced earlier in the year. I have a laptop, a Kindle and an iPhone, so the iPad has always seemed a bit frivolous to me. This is not something I need, and up until now it hasn’t excited me enough where I would take the plunge simply because I want it.
But now I see the reviews in advance of the release tomorrow, and I’m starting to think I really, really want one, and that this devise really could be a game changer. Below are some snippets from the more respected reviewers, to show you why I’m excited.
Walt Mossberg of Wall Steet Journal
My verdict is that, while it has compromises and drawbacks, the iPad can indeed replace a laptop for most data communication, content consumption and even limited content creation, a lot of the time. But it all depends on how you use your computer.
If you’re mainly a Web surfer, note-taker, social-networker and emailer, and a consumer of photos, videos, books, periodicals and music—this could be for you. If you need to create or edit giant spreadsheets or long documents, or you have elaborate systems for organizing email, or need to perform video chats, the iPad isn’t going to cut it as your go-to device.
It is possible that the public will not fall on the iPad, as I did, like lions on an antelope. Perhaps they will find the apps and the iBooks too expensive. Maybe they will wait for more fully featured later models. But for me, my iPad is like a gun lobbyist’s rifle: the only way you will take it from me is to prise it from my cold, dead hands. One melancholy thought occurs as my fingers glide and flow over the surface of this astonishing object: Douglas Adams is not alive to see the closest thing to his Hitchhiker’s Guide that humankind has yet devised.
The iPad is so fast and light, the multitouch screen so bright and responsive, the software so easy to navigate, that it really does qualify as a new category of gadget. Some have suggested that it might make a good goof-proof computer for technophobes, the aged and the young; they’re absolutely right.
And the techies are right about another thing: the iPad is not a laptop. It’s not nearly as good for creating stuff. On the other hand, it’s infinitely more convenient for consuming it — books, music, video, photos, Web, e-mail and so on. For most people, manipulating these digital materials directly by touching them is a completely new experience — and a deeply satisfying one.