This week I got a press release from Gowalla. It went on and on about how much better its feature set was than Foursquare, a point of view backed up by one of my favorite tech writers, Zee, so I gave it a second chance.
Why did they claim it was better?
Because their app forces users to use the GPS in their phone to check in. Foursquare does not, the press release says. That is all true.
If you read that you’d think that Gowalla was going to run away with the prize, right?
But, sorry, it won’t work out that way.
Here’s why. This “feature” is actually an anti-feature.
“What in heck’s name are you talking about Scoble?”
Well, they didn’t do their homework. On the Gillmor Gang last week Kevin Marks of British Telecom nailed it. He told us that people are freaked out by location-based applications.
Every time I show these apps to people they invariably respond with freaked out replies like “I would never use this.” Or, “stalkers would love these.” Or “something nasty is going to happen to someone because of these.”
This is a completely different response than those who I first showed, say, Twitter too. They responded merely with “that’s lame.”
You can get over being lame. You can’t get over your potential users being freaked out.
So, here’s why this is an antifeature for these apps, and probably lots of location apps (let’s talk about how Twitter is handling location troubles later):
1. Both of these apps are location games. You check in. You get virtual points. Your friends know where you are. This freaks people out. But only one app FORCES you to tell people exactly where you are when you check in: Gowalla. This is going to turn off a lot of people, plus it makes checking in a LOT harder. While staying in Sequoia Hospital I was able to check in with Foursquare, but not Gowalla (because my GPS didn’t work inside Sequoia).
2. Most people, when they play location games, want to add some “fuzziness” to their location. For instance, I am at home right now. The closest address to me is the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay (I’m walking distance away from it). On Foursquare I check in there. Which lets me “win” mayorship of the Ritz, plus it lets me add some fuzziness to my actual location. On Gowalla it forces me to check in at my real address, if I want to let my friends know I’m in the neighborhood. My friend Luke, who lives nearby, could use this to know when I’m home and available for going surfing, for instance.
This makes Gowalla considerably less fun, too. One part of a location-based game is presenting people as you’d like others to see you. It’s a lot more interesting to check in at the Ritz every night than my actual home address, which, to tell you the truth, I’d be a little freaked out to report to everyone (and if I’m freaked out, imagine how freaked out the average user is).
3. These two games have two significant challenges and Gowalla’s approach will cripple them in both. The challenges? 1. Get users. 2. Get those users to add locations.
Why are those challenges? Well, if you are a normal user, try to use these systems, and you try it in your home town and no locations are there, you get pissed off and leave. Even I behaved this way, ignoring Foursquare until just recently, despite it being hot at SXSW with lots of my friends. I checked in this afternoon at Rite Aid, a pharmacy in Half Moon Bay. Both systems didn’t have that location. I added it, but adding it in Foursquare had fewer screens. Why? Because of the GPS requirement. And, Foursquare has a LOT more users. Why do I think that is? Partly because it was out earlier, but also partly because it is, well, more fun to play because it doesn’t require exact use of the GPS. The people I’ve shown both systems to tell me they are more likely to join Foursquare. Oh, and I got a nicer reward for adding a new place into Foursquare than Gowalla, which made Foursquare more fun and made it more likely I’ll add the other weird places in my town.
The more I look at it, the more I’m convinced that the strict use of the GPS in Gowalla makes it significantly less likely to gain users than Foursquare will get.
That’s why I call this feature an “antifeature.”
Now, I do admit that there will be disagreement with me. Zee, for instance, thinks that Gowalla is hot because of this feature. I think he’s misjudged it and time will tell who is right.
Oh, as to Twitter, did you see how they added “fuzziness” into the location? They are deleting location information after 15 days.
Twitter is also making the system opt in. User control is very important in getting users over their fears of revealing their location. Most users are freaked out by these features, so user control and fuzziness are the two most dominant and needed features.
What do you think?
Scobleizer 
I enjoy foursquare but would probably never play Gowalla (for one, my 1st gen iphone doesn't have a real GPS and the fake one via cell towers/wifi is really inaccurate)Foursquare has had bugs with adding new locations (it frequently crashes on me when I try to do so) but this fuzziness allows for users to add locations that would never be possible on Gowalla – for example there are Foursquare locations for many of the Muni lines here in SF (I was briefly the mayor of the J-Church line…)As Foursquare adds more businesses via formal relationships (I think they should give businesses a way to view foursquare activity & trends for their business as well as buy the ability to offer special offers based on certain behaviors – i.e. on first check-in, every 5 check-ins, for the mayor etc) I think the fun & utility of using Foursquare will only keep growing. I think the twitter integration has some minor issues (I don't use it but appreciate that my friends do but wish the messages were a bit more clearly from FourSquare)
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Hey Robert, a couple of quick points and a thank you.First, I still stand by the fact that being forced to be at the location to check in is a good thing – because it means businesses and individuals can't 'game' the entire system. Second, what I do hope however is that Gowalla will offer a “privacy” option that hides your location from some or all of your “friends”…or maybe even provide a “delayed” option that only shows the world your location some time after you've been there.Regarding being able to check in from home, I personally would never want people to know when I'm home or not. I'll put money on it that most non-geeks would be in the same boat.Finally, thank you ever so much for naming me one of your favorite tech writers. Considering your tech pedigree, it's a genuine honour.
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I actually like that Gowalla as few users in my home town, Yardley, PA, and where I work in center city, Philadelphia. It's made it a game for just me and my friends. I could care less abouty location being out there. I post my latitude on my site. I like the pioneering nature of the way users create in Gowalla. Foursquare always seemed to have rewards that don't fit my personal lifestyle.Good points made, though.Ed
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Actually, telling my real life friends I'm home is a big deal. Then they know I'm available to go out for drinks, or go surfing, or hang out. That is a HUGE deal that only people who use these systems with lots of friends will discover (you'll get there, just like everyone else discovered the usefulness of Twitter and Facebook after more of their own real friends joined). But, you are right most people will be very resistant to doing that at first. That's why having GPS reality is an anti-feature. By telling people I'm at the Ritz everyone knows I really mean I'm in the neighborhood and home.As to gaming. This IS a game. So, gaming is a plus, I think. Just like gaming Twitter is a plus. :-)Really, there's no real reward to gaming these systems and businesses will soon learn that gaming them is going to mark them as really lame. Here's why: I know who lives in my area and who frequents businesses. I know @hardaway, who is the current mayor of Peets. If some Peets employee is the mayor I'll learn that and think really badly of that business. I will meet the mayors of my favorite places. That's part of the fun of these systems. If you are gaming you will get found out and reviled.
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I think I love the fact that on Foursquare, you can remember to check in to some place as you are driving away from it or while you are approaching it. Not sure true GPS would permit that. And like you, I don't want the exact address of my home known. And tonight I became the Mayor of Gilbert City Hall. Another plus:-) Foursquare is one of those apps that I both love and think is lame simultaneously.
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Yes, that is a real feature of Gowalla and one I think they should focus on in their PR efforts. It's one thing I really hate about Foursquare. Now that Foursquare has funding, though, I bet they add tons more locations by the end of the year. Already I see their system changing to being more friendly to adding places that are outside of the cities in the system.
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Just like Twitter! 🙂 Good point. A lot of times I want to signal to my friends that I'll be someplace like Peets shortly. I want to start a conversation and, if you were there, I want you to see that and wait up for me, or call me and find out if I have time for a talk.
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Why bother gaming a system that's a game itself? Especially such a casual game? It's not like we're gaming for Google juice, or money, or even hits. Remember fun?
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Francine: exactly! That said, I'm going to get mayorship of the local Peets. That's your punishment for moving back to Phoenix! 🙂
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There's another reason why Gowalla's insistence on GPS will cut down on its user base. I just signed up for Foursquare this weekend after your previous post, and after a frustrating experience with Foursquare on Monday afternoon, I figured that I'd surf over to m.gowalla.com and give Gowalla a try. Yes, using my 2006-era first-generation Motorola Q, I surfed to m.gowalla.com. Needless to say, this didn't work…Contrast Gowalla's limitations with the lack of limitations on Foursquare. Foursquare works on my “8 bit rotary phone,” and would even work if I had a not-so-smart phone with SMS capabilities. It's VHS vs. Beta all over again. Beta was superior, but VHS had the larger user base. Guess who won?
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One downer I see with these services is people may find out when you're not home and pay a visit…I think with a balanced privacy system these location based services would be appealing to people. However even with that in place there are still holes that may be exploited.Either way – using GPS on my phone = dead battery really quickly, so I wouldn't even bother with GPS apps. Plus since I use WinMo I automatically qualify for exclusion 😉
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Nicholas, it's not just location-based services that can reveal when you're not home. If I were to start blogging family pictures from Europe next week, I think people would figure out that I wasn't home.
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Shannon, I think you're on to something with your comments on improved formal relations between Foursquare and businesses. Perhaps that can help to correct the location inaccuracies that result from decentralized entry of businesses. I'm just waiting for the business promotions to get out of New York and get into California's Inland Empire. (Then again, some people are waiting for Foursquare to get into Boise and other locations.)
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Ms. Mayor,Perhaps the gaming of Foursquare and similar services will be more rewarding once more businesses enter into promotional deals with Foursquare. If one can use shenanigans to score a free dinner, there are more incentives to do so.
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I'll tell you what turns me off about foursquare, it isn't in my town. You see, that is a huge anti-feature…far bigger than the gps one. A lot less available places to post using foursquare than with Gowalla. 2 tools, one works in your town the other doesn't, which is more attractive? For me? Neither. Why? Gowalla is iphone centric. We don't have 3G here either! We have wine, though so I'll live. Carry on, Robert. 🙂
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If I owned a business I'd say that the Mayor only gets one freebie every year. So, there would be an incentive to let other people win the award.
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Robert, I can’t “argue” (per your twitter reply) about the relative merits of foursquare and gowalla, as I’m not able to play foursquare yet. For all I know, foursquare will be way more fun and valuable than gowalla. I can’t wait to find out.
But in the specific instance you cite, that is, being able to check in to the Ritz (something I will never be able to do for real, BTW!) from your home, and then to go on and claim mayorship, I think that is a strike AGAINST foursquare.
Let’s look at the usage cases for these location-based apps. Your argument primarily addresses your connection with your friends, and the benefit each service provides to those connections. You point out that your friends will know that, when you’re checked in to the Ritz, you’re really at home. You further point out that this “fuzziness” can be exploited to add a level of anonymity to an inherently UN-anonymous endeavor. That’s all well and good, and I’d be hard pressed to disagree.
However, the angle foursquare is pushing (and, it seems, gowalla might be coming around to), is the business-to-consumer angle. And there, your “gaming of the system” is a strike against it. YOU know you’re not really at the Ritz when you check in from your house, and so do your friends. But the guy you stole the mayorship from? He might know too. And he might sour on the game because he lost the bennies of mayorship to a guy that lives down the street from the spot, and never really goes there. How’s that gonna work in NYC with folks checking in to the corner bar every day after dinner?
And the Ritz? What do they get out of partnering with foursquare, if their mayor is going to be a guy that never sets foot in the place? In your comments below, you talk about how businesses will be disinclined to game the system, and you’re right. The customers, on the other hand? Strong incentive to cheat. I follow foursquare on twitter, and a regular theme is how hard they are working on anti-cheating code. Gowalla has that code baked in, in the form of GPS.
As for adding locations, I don’t know that I agree, but again, I can’t say for sure, as I don’t have access to foursquare yet. I CAN say, though, that my neck of the woods has 80-100 gowalla spots already. At least half of those created in the last week. Total foursquare spots? Zero.
Again, I’m in no position to judge the two, as I can only stare at the foursquare screen that tells me I’m not in a supported location. I look forward to trying it out for real, and comparing the two services at that point.
As a postscript, I’ve also thought a lot about how these services can reconcile a need for privacy with the very public nature of the game. In gowalla’s case, I’d like to see them create “private spots” that can only be seen by your friends. That is, the “Matt’s House” spot wouldn’t show up on any searches on the site or the mobile client, and wouldn’t be something the public could check in to. Only my friends could see it, and see when I’m checked in to it.
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Robert, I can’t “argue” (per your twitter reply) about the relative merits of foursquare and gowalla, as I’m not able to play foursquare yet. For all I know, foursquare will be way more fun and valuable than gowalla. I can’t wait to find out.
But in the specific instance you cite, that is, being able to check in to the Ritz (something I will never be able to do for real, BTW!) from your home, and then to go on and claim mayorship, I think that is a strike AGAINST foursquare.
Let’s look at the usage cases for these location-based apps. Your argument primarily addresses your connection with your friends, and the benefit each service provides to those connections. You point out that your friends will know that, when you’re checked in to the Ritz, you’re really at home. You further point out that this “fuzziness” can be exploited to add a level of anonymity to an inherently UN-anonymous endeavor. That’s all well and good, and I’d be hard pressed to disagree.
However, the angle foursquare is pushing (and, it seems, gowalla might be coming around to), is the business-to-consumer angle. And there, your “gaming of the system” is a strike against it. YOU know you’re not really at the Ritz when you check in from your house, and so do your friends. But the guy you stole the mayorship from? He might know too. And he might sour on the game because he lost the bennies of mayorship to a guy that lives down the street from the spot, and never really goes there. How’s that gonna work in NYC with folks checking in to the corner bar every day after dinner?
And the Ritz? What do they get out of partnering with foursquare, if their mayor is going to be a guy that never sets foot in the place? In your comments below, you talk about how businesses will be disinclined to game the system, and you’re right. The customers, on the other hand? Strong incentive to cheat. I follow foursquare on twitter, and a regular theme is how hard they are working on anti-cheating code. Gowalla has that code baked in, in the form of GPS.
As for adding locations, I don’t know that I agree, but again, I can’t say for sure, as I don’t have access to foursquare yet. I CAN say, though, that my neck of the woods has 80-100 gowalla spots already. At least half of those created in the last week. Total foursquare spots? Zero.
Again, I’m in no position to judge the two, as I can only stare at the foursquare screen that tells me I’m not in a supported location. I look forward to trying it out for real, and comparing the two services at that point.
As a postscript, I’ve also thought a lot about how these services can reconcile a need for privacy with the very public nature of the game. In gowalla’s case, I’d like to see them create “private spots” that can only be seen by your friends. That is, the “Matt’s House” spot wouldn’t show up on any searches on the site or the mobile client, and wouldn’t be something the public could check in to. Only my friends could see it, and see when I’m checked in to it.
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If you try visiting my home when I'm not home you might find a few surprises. 🙂
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My town isn't in Foursquare either. I hate that too. But overlook it because that's a problem that will be solved someday anyway. It's smart to roll out slowly and limit growth so that your service isn't down all the time. Now that they have funding to buy more hosting I imagine they'll turn on a lot more cities.
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First of all, I visit the Ritz a LOT. And, I live walking distance away. So, if I wanted to be Mayor I will probably be anyway unless I'm also competing with someone who lives in the community within walking distance (not many geeks live here, and if I found one I think that would be mondo cool).
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Also, there are many prizes, not just Mayor. For instance, if it's your first time checking in, you win an award. I can't win that award again. Plus, for a business, it's good to have someone like me as Mayor. If the game actually did get that important that being Mayor would be a big thrill then you'd be motivated to visit a lot more often in an attempt to kick me out. So far I've checked in eight times at the Ritz. I don't check in every day, only when I want my friends to know I'm in town and open to having a drink (which probably will be at the Ritz anyway) or going surfing.
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I am a Gowalla early adopter and joined for the fun of the game: passport, vaultable items, get there first and found spots. Social relationships have followed and make the game much more fun. However, for me the strong suit of Gowalla is the ability of the app to create a virtual travel passport. Now, that may seem lame, but I do a lot of travelling and this is a fun way to keep track. There are some interesting privacy issues. One might want to consider making a close to home but public spot as a signal that one is available for socialising. Works for me!
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Robert — Thank you for taking the time to give Gowalla a spin. I understand your frustration with our GPS logic. It doesn't always work as well as we would hope when large buildings are involved. We're looking forward to continued improvements.I do have one question for you though, regarding your first point above:Why do you lie to your readers and tell them you could not check in at Sequoia Hospital with Gowalla when this is clearly not true?In fact, you created the Sequoia Hospital spot on our service. Was this a simple oversight, bending the truth or a white lie? Is this blog a game like Foursquare where checkins can be fudged?http://gowalla.com/spots/25856Just play it straight.
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I think the future for Foursquare is NOT businesses offering deals for mayors (since there are just one – or at least not just to mayors) but businesses offering deals that reward repeat customers – ala frequent beverage/sandwich cards – but in a more automated fashion. i.e. a reward when you first get there (an incentive to try stuff) but then rewards on repeat visits – perhaps semi-randomly to avoid gaming – and/or limited to only a single check in per day counting towards the reward (so even if you go back multiple times) but really keeping it simple and make the reward ala a frequent beverage card and it would generally even if be slightly gamable be given to repeat customers – and reward those.and I know from personal experience that you bring a lot of business to the Ritz – inviting people both in small groups (and occasionally very large groups) to get together there…
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Agreed.One of the biggest reasons it's an “anti-feature”? There's no opt-out. Until someone has been stalked by a psychopath? You can't really understand why there are those of us who absolutely hate to use an app that *forces* you to disclose your exact location.Heck, most “normal” people freak out when they see the aerial view from Google Maps (also helpful to stalkers) – forced disclosure = dangerous for personal safety.
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I live in Germany. I was able to get an account for Foursquare but there's no fun in playing it when your city is not in. Assuming the city by city pace I would expect Hamburg, Germany, to be in Foursquare by the end of next year: no fun.I can play with Gowalla right away BECAUSE of the GPS function. As for privacy issues, everybody has to be as enlightened about this as he can…As for both services, just like monopolycitystreets I fear that the most fun is in the “landgrab” and once all places around you are claimed, the glossy point will come off.
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Robert, any chance of you checking out how we at BuddyCloud do it ?Would be interesting to get your view.http://www.buddycloud.com
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woah. Gowalla's playing hard ball! 🙂
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Just wanted to weigh in on this from the foursquare side. In the early days of foursquare testing (pre-SXSW), we restricted checkins based on GPS (like Gowalla). We found this didn't work for two reasons: #1. You'd be surprised how inaccurate the iPhone GPS can be when you first fire up the app. In NYC, its not uncommon for the first “fix” you get to be 5-10 blocks away (and of course the accuracy improves after 5, 10, 15 seconds…) When we were restricting checkins by GPS, we were forcing the user to wait for sometimes up to 20 seconds to get a good enough fix and it just felt like a lousy user experience. (no doubt this gets better in the future, but this is using 2.5 & 3G iPhones). The better alternative was to trust the user to accurately report their location.#2. Users *love* the pre-checkins. (This was a big “feature” within dodgeball too.) Users don't just want to check-in when they arrive at a place, they want to check-in on the walk or the cab ride over. I did this last night in my cab from Times Square -> downtown (and also added a “see you in 10 mins!” shout). We have people that check in as they're leaving work and we have people that check-in when they're on the way home (because they forgot to check-in while they were there). Restricting via GPS would prevent both of these scenarios.I get the whole “cheater” argument – and sure this is a problem on foursquare – but I think there are better ways to fix it. Right now, we have a small number of people in some cities that are clearly gaming the system (checking in too often from places that are physically too far away from one another). We can write rules that prevent people from making these checkins in the first place, but those rules would also penalize the pre-checkin'ers, etc. Instead, we're quietly flagging people we think are “misusing” the service based on frequency and geography. We're basically doing the same thing Gowalla is doing – calculating how far someone if from the place they say they are – but instead of preventing the checkin at all, we just flag it as “mischevious”. Eventually, we'll algorithmically use these flags to figure out who are cheaters are and then start to prevent them from earning rewards, becoming mayors, dominating the leaderboard etc. This is a pretty hard problem to solve (which is we haven't fixed it yet) but we're definitely taking the time to make sure we get it right. The last thing we want to do is call our users “cheaters” when they're not.- @densco-founder, foursquare
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Slight problem with your argument:-Anybody can actually play Gowalla. -Most people cannot play FourSquare because they don't support their city.Gowalla wins.
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I had to go outside to check in at Sequoia Hospital.
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Gowalla is playing hard ball by being incorrect and not getting their facts. Not a good first start.
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How in the heck can you have an “opt-out” when you have to “opt-in” in the first place??*It's a location app*. The thing is explicitly designed to show your location to your friends. That's the whole purpose of it.I mean, saying that you can't opt-out of showing your location is like saying that you can't opt-out of sending your emails to people when you use the Mail app. That's what it's *designed to do*.The “opt-out” is to either a) not use it or b) not have any friends on it. Simple, eh?
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The fact that you can fake Foursquare by telling it you are somewhere other than you are is reason enough for me to not bother playing it. Why bother participating in a competition that anybody can trivially rig against you?The purpose of a geolocation-based game is to, you know, actually GO to that location. I mean, that's the actual fun part, going there. If you don't have to go to the location to play the game, then there's no point to playing the game in the first place. And no business in it's right mind is going to offer any sort of benefits based on a game that can be so trivially and easily “hacked”.FourSquare fail. Gowalla win.
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Having read all the comments and yours, Dennis, I think the fundamental difference in perception is this:- foursquare assumes people's intentions are all good- Gowalla assumes people's intentions are badThe difference is being forced to prove your innocence (Gowalla) or being assumed innocent until proven otherwise (foursquare).
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Wow, what an amazingly abrasive public reply from a company that forces users to prove their innocence (whereas 4S assumes people are generally doing the 'right' things).I think this post alone sums up the difference between Gowalla and foursquare. Not even interested in checking Gowalla out again now. Thanks, Josh.
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You sir, are a douche-bag.
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If I really wanted to I could probably steal the Mayor of the Ritz from Robert, however I wouldn't want to as I think Robert will attract more interesting geeks to the Ritz than I can. Therefore I benefit by getting to meet more interesting people. However, I do think I need to get deeper into foursquare and become Mayor of the Princeton Jetty, then I will have an excuse to not be dropped in on while surfing 🙂
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And with this response, you just assured that myself and all of my friends will stay as far as humanly possible after being initially interested by Robert's posts about the service.Well played.
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Though, I've enjoyed BrightKite, Shizzow, Latitude, and Foursquare for a time, I find I'm not the right demographic to stay with any of them. After a while I freak myself out with the info I'm sharing there, plus, I just don't get out enough.But, to your point about freaking people out. I get the same reaction from everybody in my family. I even invited a bunch of them onto Latitude (many have iPhones, so they're not scared of all things tech) and not one accepted, my own family! :-).So, yes, absolutely a killer (in a bad way) feature to require GPS.
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There are a couple of ways to correct/ask for clarification from a pundit/blogger. I believe you just identified one of the wrong ways. Calling someone a liar on their blog is a really bad idea unless you are sure they are being malicious.
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That's simply not the case. Per Dennis' own comments above, they initially used GPS to certify check ins. They decided not, not based on any “presumption of innocence,” but because of the perceived inconvenience of the GPS method.This has nothing to do with 4SQ assuming the best in its users, and gowalla presuming the worst.
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If the business is a car dealer or computer business, one freebie per year is enough. 🙂
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I don't get the hand-wringing about the GPS as a danger to privacy here. In both the (non-GPS) 4SQ case, and the (GPS) gowalla case, the end result is the same: you're telling your friends exactly where you are at a given time. The only difference is the method used to determine that place.Robert's unusal (and a bit odd) case, where he doesn't actually check in where is, and instead relies on insider knowledge amongst his friends to divine his actual location, isn't really that useful on a large scale (imagine if ALL your 4SQ friends used that method), and I suspect doesn't happen that often.
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I was about to go check out Gowalla, till I saw this post…
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See, this is why I really like Yahoo's FireEagle. I can give it an exact location safe in the knowledge that the apps which pull their location data from FireEagle get only the level of data I am comfortable with sharing with them. So, with Facebook, I share my exact location because I know it's only going to be seen by friends on Facebook.How am I updating FireEagle? Simple: I have an iPhone app on my iPod touch which uses the wi-fi-based location services to figure out where I am. I've got a script on my Linux box which keeps an eye on where I am logging in from (over SSH) and tells FireEagle about them based on the IP address: it's loaded up with all the free wifi spots I use around London. I'm also going to start detecting where I am based on what devices are connected to the local subnet on my network at home – if my laptop or iPod touch are connected, I'm at home. You know what? I'm getting pretty damn precise geolocation even though none of the devices I use have any GPS in them at all.If you are going to build a location-based service, make it so I can check in using any damn method I want to. Because I can come up with more accurate ways to tell you where I am than you can ever imagine. I really want to be able to update my Google Latitude this way: if Google ever open up an API, I'll just write a bridge script to automatically push my FireEagle location into Latitude.
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Get a copy of “Navizon”. It can locate you via Wi-Fi on the iTouch, and send your location directly to Navizon, which can then update FireEagle for you. If you are jailbroken, it can also run in the background and auto-update every 10 minutes. Free, or $10 for extra features.
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Right, but the past decisions are not reflective of the current sentiment. They've adapted and overall foursquare's “alternative was to trust the user”. Did you happen to catch Josh Williams' (Gowalla) response below?
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Over the past few days I've been using Foursquare and checking in. When I was introduced to the idea of location based social networks I was a bit freaked out about the idea. And after reading this I'm a bit freaked out again!Overall, I'm thinking this (like Foursquare) is great if I can keep everything private only to my friends (which I don't know that I can). Sharing locations and places to go and things to do with friends is cool but not the whole world. I think the privacy option is a very important feature.As far as Gowalla's feature/anti-feature … I agree, choosing from nearby locations works out best. No need to record or share my GPS co-ordinates in most situations.
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I play Gowalla, but not FourSquare (I'm not sure I can in the UK), so I'm not about to offer an opinion on which one is best.Gowalla, for me, is just a way of having fun when I travel around. I have no issues with the 'anti-feature' of GPS. I like visiting spots that other people have created, and picking up stamps and items. The social aspect is also a bonus – I've made some good friends through Gowalla that I wouldn't otherwise have met.Gowalla is, after all, an iPhone app that you can try out for free. You might like it, you might not. If you have concerns about it, then don't download it.
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<h2 align=”center”>Costs For Uggs–What It Costs?</h2>–>Are you lusting after a few (or even more) Uggs (UGG Australia) boots and if so, you're in good company, as girls and women of all ages, especially with the simple, slipper-like design of these sheepskin ugg boots, which are relatively easy and very comfortable to wear. And they appear to be affected. Some men are also jumping on the trend and luxury UGGs? Australia, the brand also offers a range of contemporary styles for them.–>Could you mind giving everyone loves from ugg-boots? There are so many types of uggs, ugg bailey button,ugg classic tall, ugg classic short, ugg classic cardy. How to choose your favorite? Or do you really want to one uggs regardless its style? Despite their design is awkward and slipper-lile, Uggs is one of the few stations that are of general interest, have argued that cross generational lines.–>Young people, students and young mothers and the Middle Ages, the original Black Ultra Tall UGG Boots, seem pulled the fleecy-lined boots that are manufactured in Australia, with the best materials. Are you sure that your feet warm in winter without socks, and cool in summer so that is more versatile too? If no, hurry up to take one ugg boots on goodugg uk sale ! That's why we see people wear them in schools, supermarkets, on the slopes and even in the most popular beaches in the United States and abroad. Many surfers also use uggs to keep their feet warm.–>What do you really care about? Is its price or quality, or you just following the general trend? You know what are you thinking in your heart!
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Please. Stop. Comparing. Wave. To. Twitter. Or. Facebook.Thank. You.
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If just 10% are super excited about very precise location then it's ok. Can't design a product for everyone. You've said something similar yourself.
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Ouch, I am with everyone and this comment was a “self-goal” as they say in soccer.Robert was clearly offering constructive comments, not starting any flame wars. Is being childish prerequisite to developing augmented reality games? I hope not…
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<h2 align=”center”>Don't Do For Ugg Boots UK</h2>–>If you own a pair of Ugg boots, ugg classic short, be sure to take proper care of them and clean them regularly. With the proper care and cleaning, Uggs can last several years or even a lifetime.You love sheepskin footwear and ugg classic because they are comfortable and fashionable. How to keep them looking great? The following are a few tips to help you to know what you don't do for your natural beauty and functionality uggs.–>Tip one, don't store your cardy boots ugg in a light place. Because they can bleach in extreme sunlight.–>Tip two, ugg boots should not be worn in extremely moist or muddy conditions as moisture can cause problems.–>Tip three, don't clean the exterior of? your uggs knightsbridge with a hard brush or cloth at first time dirty. –>Tip four, trying not to saturate the sheepskin footwear with water, especially warm or hot water. And don't clean them in a washing machine or dryer, this will cause problems with shrinkage and can adversely change the sheepskin.–>Tip five, if need, except specially detergent for sheepskin product, just like classic ugg mini, don't use any wool detergent. Also don't use high concentration cleaning solution.–>Some suggestions for you to protect your natural beauty and functionality uggs long periods of time. And also hoping to help you solving your hesitation, spending little time to know more information about ugg boots.–>All rights reserved, reprint, please specify source comes from http://www.goodugg.co.uk —bailey button,ugg knightsbridge boots,cardy boots,ugg tall classic
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