So there has been HUGE activity in the location based, mobile “checkin” world in the past couple of weeks. Foursquare is seeing record numbers of signups, Facebook launched Facebook Places specifically to go head-to-head with Foursquare and, more and more location based sharing services are popping up every day.
With the recent launch of Facebook Places, Foursquare responded by announcing it received a record numbers of new subscriptions on the very day that Facebook Places launched. The response from Facebook; to go out and buy “HotPotato” The Response from Foursquare…. nothing yet but you knowwwwwwwwww…. something’s coming.
So, besides a bunch of logical account integrations, where’s Twitter been in all of this? Will twitter make a play to buy 4SQ? Will Foursquare gobble up some of the smaller location based services? (Here’s a cool website I found with a giant list of different location based social networking websites and mobile apps.)
While I myself am a Foursquare user, and proud Mayor of my agency, and other locations around the Boston area.(Good thing i come to work on the weekends and checkin as the other people in the office are surely trying to “Oust Me” ) I’m certainly excited to see what happens in the next few months. How about a universal “Checkin” for all of my mobile appss? (WHOA!!! I just got a new Foursquare friend request as i am writing this blog post.)
—————————————————————————————————-
A Bit About Foursquare:
Foursquare is a mobile application that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. It is a friend-finder, a social city guide and a game that challenges users to experience new things, and rewards them for doing so. Foursquare lets users “check in” to a place when they’re there, tell friends where they are and track the history of where they’ve been and who they’ve been there with. For more information on how foursquare works, see our searchable FAQ.
A Bit About Facebook Places:
Facebook announced Places on August 18, 2010. It is a feature that lets users “check in” to Facebook using a mobile device to let a user’s friends know where they are at the moment.[46]
A Bit About HotPotato:
Hot Potato makes it easy to share what you’re doing with friends and connect with others who have similar interests. You and your friends can connect around the question, “What are you doing?” First choose a verb — for example, “I’m attending.” Then select the name of the activity — “I’m attending the Superbowl.” Confirm the activity update, and voila, you’re connected to everyone else attending the Superbowl on Hot Potato. Ask questions, sound off, and share your photos and videos.
——————————————————————————————————-
A Few Related Headlines & Stories:
Foursquare Holds Off On Facebook Places Integration
Foursquare Experiences Record Signups After Launch of Facebook Places
Some notes on foursquare and location sharing
Hot Potato: We’ve Moved to Facebook
Who, What, When, and Now…Where
——————————————————————————————————-
