Comments on: The Case for Checking In

By: iPhone SDK – A Curse & A Gift for Location Apps | Location Meme

iPhone SDK – A Curse & A Gift for Location Apps | Location Meme — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:58:10 +0000

[...] this space have evolved if Apple’s SDK supported multi-tasking? Well, we certainly have made the case for checking in as a concept that stands on its own merits, and Foursquare and Gowalla and others have made great [...]

By: Lawrence Coburn

Lawrence Coburn — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:36:57 +0000

Bummer

By: Brent Johnson

Brent Johnson — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:05:29 +0000

Got a bit derailed by a bad outcome. I’ll have to fill you in next time I see you.

By: Foursquare verdreifacht seinen Traffic innerhalb von zwei Monaten

Foursquare verdreifacht seinen Traffic innerhalb von zwei Monaten — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:47:19 +0000

[...] Location Meme (deren Logo mir seeeehr bekannt vorkommt) versucht zu beleuchten, was die Faszination des check-ins ausmacht und kommt zu dem Schluss, das die Motivationen sehr unterschiedlich sein können. [...]

By: Lawrence Coburn

Lawrence Coburn — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:02:56 +0000

One obvious one I left out is:

“To Get Free Stuff”

As the space gets more competitive, I expect to see all sorts of incentives for folks to check-in.

By: Lawrence Coburn

Lawrence Coburn — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:19:58 +0000

Garry, I’m with you. It’s coming. Unlike the Scoble quote in the “limited appeal” article, when I explain Foursquare to Normals, they get it. A game out of my social life? Yeah, that makes sense.

I think all the privacy stuff is manageable through tight control over your friend list and privacy settings.

By: Lawrence Coburn

Lawrence Coburn — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:17:24 +0000

Brent, are you working on something?

By: Garry G

Garry G — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:59:55 +0000

Yes, I can already see both sides turning up volume for competing visions. Checking in makes a lot of sense and I am a big fan of the geo web. (Been waiting patiently for mainstream adoption since Google acquired Keyhole many years ago…)
The backlash is based on unchallenged assumptions. The same people (media outlets) who asked ‘why would I want to be social on the web’ prior to 2008 (and are now in it and addicted!) – are now kicking knee out in reaction to the geo web. But in the end, it becomes too valuable to avoid. I just as we became comfortable managing our identities online- so we will as the web enters the world.

I am a fairly new Foursquare users and already finding (feeling) a community up swell in my favorite local places (granted, I’m in Brooklyn)… I am expecting some real time chat threads and back channels will emerge soon enough. (Like when the cafe baristas start talking too loud…) It makes the web even more personal… and relevant to the moment.

By: Brent Johnson

Brent Johnson — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:47:59 +0000

Ah, you make a good case! I’m afraid, however, that no location-based service has yet to figure out how to continuously engage its user base.

For instance, Foursquare has game mechanics, but as a game, it’s simpler than Tic-Tac-Toe. Sure, fun at first, but it’s generally boring and even becomes a chore after a few weeks or months.

And, while Foursquare is a bit better than a service like Brightkite or Loopt as a friend-finding service, it’s still easier and (in a sense) better to text or call. I’m more interested in your idea of self-expression — much more than, say, in knowing where you were two nights ago, or (as is happening more as more of my friends stop checking in to Foursquare) two months ago.

I am down with the idea of a good location-based service. I’m just waiting for one that continually compels me to participate in it.