Posts Tagged ‘location based apps’

Posted on August 24, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

#GEOChat Starts today on Twitter at 2:00 P.M. EST, Discussing all things location

Topical Twitter hashtags conversations started a few years ago with #journchat by @prsarahevans. Now we have #b2bchat, #aptchat, #smchat, #blogchat and more. Today I’m pleased to announced #GEOchat starting today at 2:00 P.M. EST on Twitter. #GEOChat will cover all things location/geo related offline and online. The discussion will cover your favorite location-based applications such as Foursquare, whrrl, brightkite, Gowalla, TriOut, Facebook Places, MyTown and more. Other topics we’re going to cover will be privacy, API application mashups, offline marketing of location-based campaigns, and how does the entire GEO spaces affect businesses today.

To participate in #GEOChat setup your Twitter search for the hashtag #GEOChat at 2:00 P.M. EST and I’ll start the conversations off with about three questions and depending on your answers the chat will last for 30 minutes. If the conversation last longer, we’ll continue to 3:00 P.M. EST. In the future there will be guest host from other location-based platforms and marketing agencies leading in the location-based marketing space.

Kicking off #GEOChat here are a few of the questions we’re going to ask during #GEOChat:

1. If you’re a longtime user of other location-based apps are you now using Facebook Places as your primary LBS?

2. What is your number one concern about privacy using location-based apps?

3. What will drive the success of location-based services in the future? Gaming or group buying or coupons and why?

4. Outside of Facebook Places what new location-based service has impressed you? Ex. ShopKick, BarCode Hero, Hotlist, Picplz?

5. What features not in your favorite location-based service you would like to see implemented?

If you have suggestions/questions/topics for #GEOChat please let me know in the comments and I’ll tweet you at 2:00 P.M. for #GEOChat

Posted on August 8, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

Top 10 Twitter list to follow for updates on geo / location-based apps

As we all know @Twitter is a great way to read news/information when it happens first. For startups and other tech companies having a Twitter account is almost one of those mandatory must have for marketing and securing your digital footprint online. With Twitter list which are now almost one year old, you can group companies/industries twitter accounts together making it easy to read tweets from your competitors or from companies you want to track.

If you’re in the location space and looking for Twitter list to keep up with the growing list of location-based apps here are the Top 10 geo location Twitter list to follow.

1. http://twitter.com/ericleebow/geo-location-services by @ericleebow
2. http://twitter.com/Scobleizer/geolocation by @Scobleizer
3. http://twitter.com/lawrencecoburn/geolocation by @lawrencecoburn
4. http://twitter.com/jeffcarroll/location-checkin by @jeffcarroll
5. http://twitter.com/jasonbirch/geo by @jasonbirch
6. http://twitter.com/GeoEntelechy/geo by @GeoEntelechy
7. http://twitter.com/tlists/gis-geolocation by @tlists
8. http://wefollow.com/twitter/location by @wefollow
9. http://wefollow.com/twitter/geo by @wefollow
10. http://mashable.com/twitterlists/tech-science/gis-geolocation by @Mashable

Although it’s not a Twitter list you can follow the @mr_lbs Twitter account. I’m not sure who manages it but it will tweet/retweet various location-based news from around the web.

Do you follow a geo/location twitter list that not listed? If so, let me know in the comments.

Posted on August 3, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

What you really need to know about privacy and checking in using location-based apps

Location-based services are the “hot” topic on the social web with platforms such as @TriOut, @Foursquare, @Loopt, @Gowalla, @Yelp, @Whrrl and more. Millions of users are checking in, sharing their location, posting reviews and uploading photos in real-time. Recently I’ve read a few articles about foursquare stalkers and how others are quitting location-based apps all together due to local wanna be’s social stalking, and still others are quitting location-based apps because they are receiving little or no value from checking in. Regardless, if you’re just learning about location-based apps and/or are cautious about checking in, privacy should be your number one concern as a user.

How TriOut manages privacy
Sadly, not enough location based apps/services focus on privacy and many are launched to get as many users as possible without first educating their community about how to use their platform without worring about being stalked, robbed, etc. With TriOut privacy is our number one focus. By default a new TriOut user’s privacy setting is opt-in, meaning your account is set to private by default. You have the options to add your Twitter or your Facebook account and of course if you tweet or post a message to your Facebook profile then you are choosing to share your profile with your social graph, but inside of TriOut, your profile is still set to private. We also made it where even if your profile is private, you can still take advantage of check-in specials and/or rewards. Also, with our location-based analytics dashboard, your profile stays private and businesses do not have access to your profile. To sum it up, if you’re a private TriOut user it means that your profile and check-ins are not public but if you add friends then your friends are able to see your checks-ins, therefore we suggest you only friend people who you know and trust to see your check-ins.

What you need to know about checking in using other location-based apps
As for the rest of the location-based platforms each one is a little different but they all have similar features when it comes to checking in and privacy. Here are the basics.

• Once you download/use a location-based app and start checking in, you are agreeing to their terms of services, privacy settings and how they use your location data.
• Some services offer you the ability to have private individual check-ins “off the grid” (like Foursquare) or all of your profile can be set to private allowing only your trusted friends to see your check-ins.
• When you check-in, you’re giving location-based services and businesses the ability to see any of your social profile information along with data, time, etc. of your check-ins.
• Be very selective when adding friends. You may want to only add family members, co-workers or trusted friends. If you have a stalker ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, ex-husband/wife or hated enemy you may want to have a private profile or choose an alias. Also, it’s ok to check-in when you’re leaving a location.
• Checking in means some location-based platforms may provide your data to advertisers/brands through partnerships.
• Remember checking in is a choice not a requirement. The last thing I want to read or hear about is someone getting stalked or robbed as a result of using any location-based service.

Location-Based Services vs Geo enabled tweets
Many would say that checking in is a higher security concern than sending a tweet or a Facebook status update. That is true but if you enable the “Add a location to your tweets” it may not give the exact location of where you are but it can let your twitter followers and others know you’re not at home or near a certain location. We’re starting to see more mobile and web apps that aggregate conversations via nearby tweets using Twitter’s API but, having Twitter protecting your privacy in terms of location is as simple as turning on or off your location in your profile settings.

Browsers can check-in and share your location too.
Safari 5, Google Chrome, Firefox and other updated browsers all are geo enabled and can detect your location by IP addresses. Your IP address may not give your exact location but you need to be aware of how websites and HTML5 apps are asking for your location. This can be easily turned controlled in your browser settings.

Education is first
No matter what location-based platform you use, please use them with caution. There’s a reason why the social web and entrepreneurs are excited about the location industry, from connecting users to brands, customers to businesses and providing loyalty programs, there are tons of opportunities for everyone. But educating users about the risks, the pros and cons, should be location-based services number one focus. I can’t speak for the rest of the 60 plus location-based apps but as for TriOut, that’s our goal, educate our users about privacy first, provide value second, build a great platform for business and customers and have fun while doing it.

Photo via flickr by Michael Francis McCarthy

Posted on July 28, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

6 Reasons why you should check-in with location-based services such as TriOut, Foursquare, Brightkite, Whrrl, Gowalla, Scvngr, PlacePop, Yelp and more!

Yesterday afternoon I was on a geo / location-based twitter rant due to various market research reports and blog post about the value of location-based services and the adoption of them. I’m not saying the research was inaccurate but I think the main message that was being delivered to marketers about the current state of location-based services could have been delivered better. If you have no clue what I’m talking about read the following post:

Study: Foursquare, LBS Apps Have Narrow Audience, Prime For Early Adopter Marketers

Foursquare for Marketing: Location Based Apps Unknown by 84% Surveyed – Forrester

The Case for Early Adoption: Why Forrester is Wrong About Marketers and Location-Based Services

Forrester: Why Most Marketers Should Forgo Foursquare

Regardless after my little twitter rant, my good friend @djwaldow posted a tweet saying “What if I told you I’ve never used ‘em. Convince me in 140 chars?”. So I went I posted two tweets, a little over 140 characters to convince him to join at least one location-based service. Here’s my response: 6 Reasons why you should check-in using location-based services:

1. Checking in is an additional relationship channel. Everyone loves social media/networks especially Facebook because it builds relationship and connects people right? By checking in your friends can easily see your frequent places and can join you and/or have the opportunity to perictipte in in

2. Location endorsement: When you check into a location and broadcast via twitter or facebook it’s like an endorsement saying I’m here and you recommend the location. What happens in terms of customer engagement/your experience can be easily shared making the location space another valuable social channel not only for businesses but for marketers as well.

3. Exploration when Traveling: Yelp is probably one of the best at finding new places and reading reviews from your social graph or the local community. Then I would say foursquare but if you’re in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area use TriOut. Checking into locations while traveling is not only a great way to meet new friends but you can easily see the most popular recommended locations from the community.

4. Mobile social story telling: My friend @schneidermike calls this the “post check-in experience” (PCE). With location-based apps such TriOut, PegShot, Whrrl, Birghtkite & Gowalla you can add additional social content outside of a text based message like a tweet. By uploading pictures or videos after checking in your friends can see more of what you’re experiencing at a location.

5. Tracking/Stalking: If you’re comfortable with random people showing up just to say hello or joining you for coffee, feel free to check-in everywhere. Also depending on your family or work, you can check-in and use it as a way of confirming that you’re where you’re suppose to be.

6. Customer rewards: This by far is one of the most popular reasons many are joining location-base services and why not? You’re already visiting a location, why not check-in and be rewarded for it. It could be 5 to 10% off your purchase or a free drink or a coupon or cash with apps like @WeReward. But the problem right now is that many businesses have yet to offer a customer loyalty location promotions and the growing geek herds are getting impatient. Give the location-based space some time and you’ll have more customer loyalty check-in promotions that you can use.

Do you use TriOut, Foursquare, Brightkite, Whrrl, Gowalla, Scvngr, PlacePop or other location-based services to check-in? If so why or why not?

Do you think this is enough to convince @djwaldow to join a location-based service?

Posted on July 2, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

The unofficial check-in guidelines for using location-based services

Location-based services continue to be the hot topic of the marketing and tech space. New location-based apps are launching weekly and existing location based apps are growing their user base faster than you can check-in into to @starbucks. But with everyone checking into to what everyone is called the next big thing I think it’s time for some unofficial guidelines for checking in using a few of the popular location based services.

Below are a few guidelines for using  location-based services.

Adding locations:

• Add real locations only
• Add as much information about the location as possible (address, phone, web, tags)
• You can add events/virtual locations if they have been approved by the organizer
• Don’t add fake mobile locations (someone’s boots, paints or computers)
• It’s ok to add a location that’s or check into a location that’s close to your home and check in there instead of your home.

When to check-in

• Walking or driving to a location if it’s in visible eye sight
• When you’re leaving location
• While at a location
• Don’t share too many check-ins with your other social networks or they will unfollow/friend you.

Places you should think twice about checking into:

• Banks
• Courts
• Jail
• Strip clubs
• Bathrooms
• Police Stations
• Day care centers
• Schools
• Your Home

Check-ins that shouldn’t count

• Walking by stores in the mall or at outside venues
• Driving by locations
• Parking lot check-ins where you don’t actually go into the location but you see it.

Adding Photos to locations:

• No porn photos using location-based apps
• Food photos are ok 95% of the time
• Post photos that can show where you’re at or what you’re doing

Leaving Reviews and tips:

• Leave honest reviews and tips about your experience
• Don’t spam by promoting another businesses in a review or tip
• Don’t insult people or leave private information in tips.

Adding Friends:

• Decide how you’re going to use location-based apps first
• Optional: Accept every friend request
• Optional: Block everyone except family members
• Optional: Only accept friend request form people who you know and trust

Choosing a Location-based service

• Pick one that works great with your mobile device
• Pick one that your local community uses
• Try them all at least once
• Pick one that rewards you for using the service.

Check-in Specials:

• Take advantage of as many check-in specials as possible before everyone else does
• Don’t over brag that you received a free cup of coffee for checking in or you’re on top of the leader-board or received a few badges. (most of your friends don’t care)
• It’s ok to let your social graph know that you received a check-in special

No stalking…. PERIOD!

Also see @Whrrl’s community guidelines

for digg: ab994cd58c0940429bd1b8cc2d4ecc74

Did I leave anything out? What are some rules/guildes you would like to see people implement using location-based services?