Posts Tagged ‘widgets’

Posted on September 21, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

5 Ways Developers and Partners are using the new TriOut API

Before check.in was release TriOut founder Lawrence Ingraham and I new at some point TriOut would need an API. What we didn’t know is how soon it would be created after the initial launch in February 2010. Then we saw the first beta release of check.in announced and I contacted my friends at Brightkite to see if they were interested in including TriOut for the second beta version and the response was yes. Some may have wondered why include a hyper-local location-based platform in a national check-in web app where the goal is to help solve check-in fatigue but the answer is simple. Why not? One being North Carolina users have check-in fatigue too and it was just the push TriOut needed to go ahead and develop an API (http://api.trioutnc.com). After the go ahead yes, Lawrence developed the TriOut API and announced it along with the release of the TriOut Andriod/iPhone HTML5 web check-in application (http://mobile.trioutnc.com) in June.

Since the launch of the API some developers/partners/friends have made a few web and mobile applications using the TriOut API. Here are a few.

1. Google Chrome TriOut Check-in Extension [download link]

Beta on http://github.com/hyperlink/triout
Develiped by Xiaoxin @hyperlink

2. FT TriOut NC – WordPress Plugin

Developed by Glenn Ansley of Full Throttled Development

3. SPARKcon iPhone & Android native apps

iPhone app made by Sal Conigliaro of Acme, Inc

Android app made by Media Box Studios

4. Custom TriOut Widgets http://trioutnc.com/u/widgets.php

Developed by TriOut

5. Check.In made by Brightkite

Speaking of the TriOut API, we’re using it to develop the next version of our iPhone app along with an upgrade to our web app. Yes, we’re working on an Andriod app built off of the API too but if you’re an Android developer and want to get a head start let us know. A big thanks to everyone creating apps using the TriOut API.

Posted on March 27, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

A location-based road trip to SXSW with TriOut badges, widgets and check-ins.

As some of you know I had the opportunity to attend SXSW Interactive, and participate in a great American Race style road trip/competition sponsored by Chevrolet. So while SXSWi was held in Austin, TX the road trip started for me from Atlanta, GA. For the road trip I traveled 3 other friends @TheRab, @Jakrose, @NikisNotes aka, Team NC. Chevrolet was a sponsor of SXSW and the hashtag we used while traveling was ChevySXSW.

As a location-based app fanboy and partner of a location-based service (TriOut) I was looking forward to not only checking in at various locations at SXSWi, but also checking in at new cities and venues I have never been before.

Prior to the trip I was talking with Lawrence Ingraham (@LawPower) (TriOut founder/developer) about how cool it would be if we had a widget that could display all the check-ins from the road trip and a check-in badge for NC residents who were attending SXSWi. Lawrence said no problem or something like that and thus we have the road to SXSWi check-in map via TriOut below.

Note you can create your own TriOut widget here: http://trioutnc.com/u/widgets.php

I was told by Jay Cuthrell (@qthrul) fellow NC friend who’s awesome that there were over 218 NC residents who attended SXSW. Although I wish all 218 were TriOut users, that just wasn’t the case but we did have 7 TriOut users checked-in at the Austin Convention Center. When they checked-in, they were welcomed to SXSW with the TriOut badge above.

While in Austin for SXSW I added every venue I visited to TriOut such as the Gingerman, the Hilton, Champions Sports Bar + Restaurant, The Belmont and more. One common question I received by doing so was that if TriOut is a NC location-based social network, why check-in at SXSW or add locations from other cites? My response was that even though we require TriOut iPhone users to be in the state of North Carolina to create an account and we emphasize on “Exploring the Triangle”, NC area, TriOut is also about NC residents as well. TriOut users let their friends know where they check-in to and/or where they’re on the way to. They write reviews about locations, post photos to share their experience.
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As a TriOut user this doesn’t apply to only NC locations but any location that he/she visits. Meaning if you’re a current TriOut user, it’s OK to check-in, add photos and reviews to locations outside of NC.

On the return trip back from Austin, TX Team NC took a different route back as you can see via the map. A big thanks to everyone who supported us and/or followed the check-ins, I still have a few more post SXSW articles to write in the upcoming days.

What are your thoughts on the TriOut check-in map and adding check-ins to activity streams?

Note: This was cross posted on the TriOut blog.

Posted on January 20, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

6 Ways to show your location with location based app widgets

As the rush to location based app supremacy continues going from check-in to Twitter seems to be the default way to share your location status. Next up the obvious is to show your location on your blog for readers to stalk you, I mean to track your offline movements. Brightkite, Yelp, Whrrl and Google Latitude provide their own code for creating a location based widgets. Recently fans of two of the popular location based social networks/apps in 2010, Gowalla and Foursquare have created custom widgets allowing you to add your recent check-ins or favorite location to any website. Brightkite doesn’t call their location widget a widget but a wall because it shows all of the users who have visited a location but nevertheless it’s a widget.

Below are 6 Ways for you to show your offline location with location based app widgets.

1. Google Public Location Badge – http://www.google.com/latitude/apps/badge

2. Yelp - http://www.yelp.com/bling

3. Whrrl: http://whrrl.com/widgets (have multiple ways to embed locations/stores)

4. Gowalla via WP-Walla wordpress plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-walla/

5. FourSquare PlaceWidget for WordPress: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/placewidget-for-wordpress/

6. Brightkite – http://brightkite.com/wall

Photo by Factoryjoe

Have you seen other location based widgets and would you add one to your site?