2010 is shaping up to be the year we all share our location. The proliferation of location based services (LBS), (also known as tagging, checking in or location-based social media) has finally reached a tipping point. While geo-tagging has been around for years, this year's SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, proved to be the location based service's Quinceañera.
What is Location-Based Social Media?
LBS or Location-based social networking allows people to share their location through GPS, mobile email or text. You can add comments about a restaurant, let friends know you're going to a show downtown or just find out if anyone you know happens to be nearby and wants to meet up for a cup of coffee. Mobile handset and software players like Google, RIM's BlackBerry, Nokia and Apple's iPhone allow consumers to share their location using social media.
Location-based mobile social networking constitutes a vibrant ecosystem living within independently-launched location-based services such as search, friend-finder, people tracking and user-generated content. Each of these features are connected to larger social networking ecosystems and have found new momentum by complementing and reinforcing each other.
Why do people use it?
Many use it as a way to update their news feed with local relevance. The largest emerging trend is when people use it to invite virtual friends to make real human connections. Retailers have found it as a way to distribute relevant and timely offers, content and advertising.
Maps have become the consumer generated version of the yellow pages. For direct marketers, this is quickly becoming the holy grail in social media as you can trigger a relevant offer, ad or piece of content based on a consumer's location. What's makes the experience even more rich is you can tie 1-to-1 principles and social data into the mix which makes our conversations more impactful.
Who are the players in this growing ecosystem:
- Nokia's Ovi Maps recently launched free navigation gives you turn by turn directions and allows you to share and discover "A Good Thing".
- Foursquare has emerged as the location darling. Consider the fact that after only one year, they’ve reached 500,000 active users (Foursquare recently tweeted they added 100,000 users in 10 days).
- Gowalla claims to be the easiest way to share places you go with friends.
- Loopt recently teamed up with Verizon Wireless to enhance its location-based networking capabilities. Loopt's community is built on three basic principles. Connect, Share, and Explore. Connecting with people is easy on Loopt, because it turns your mobile phone into a compass.
- BrightKite is a location-based social network that acts a lot like Twitter. In fact, you can add your friends to the network by entering your handle when you register for the service.
- Plazes thinks it's most important to tie location-based communities to locations. After joining Plazes, users are encouraged to fill out a calendar with things you're planning on doing and mapping it to the place where it's going to happen. (Nokia)
- Citysense is a location-based social network of a different breed. Rather than interacting through the network through a Web portal, Citysense lives as a mobile application on your smart phone.
- GyPSii is a location-based network that allows users to upload photos, videos and other information about what they're up to and then geo locate it.
- Whrrl is similar to another online community, Yelp. Both services offer reviews of restaurants, bars, stores, etc. that are written by the people that actually go to the place and get great service or a cheap deal on new shoes. Whrrl ups the ante, however, by mapping everything onto Google Maps. Enter your location and a map will auto populate will local restaurants.
- MobiLuck believes that location is the heart of your network -- online or off. The European location-based social network is similar to others. Users can locate and update friends with information about what they are up to and where they happen to be. MobiLuck also allows Symbian and Windows mobile smart phone users to chat with their MSN contacts and will soon have capabilities to support Yahoo, Gchat, AOL and Skype message services as well.
- iPling is a relatively new location-based social network developed exclusively for the iPhone.
- Flickr allows you to geotag your Flickr photos and send to geotagged groups directly.
- Whereboutz (TeleNav) is a complete way to share your experiences in real-time and bring your friends into the moment.
- Networks in Motion (NIM) claims to be the most reliable, fast, with customizable navigation and finder products empower more people around the world than any other location-based service (LBS) solutions.
- Buddy Beacon (uLocate) is a located based friend finder which allows you to locate your friends in near proximity.
- MyLoki (Skyhook) determines a website visitor's precise location, Loki can enable instant store finders, hyper-local advertising, more engaging social networking features, and improve overall usability.
- Nanomatic a real-life location based social network using nano-information-technology
- FindMe (Electric Pocket)allows you can use your Windows Mobile Smartphone to tag where you are and share it with your Facebook friends.
- Nokia Chat is more than just messaging. You can share your status and your location, giving you physical presence!
- Geocaching.com is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices.
As you can see this is one of the fastest growing areas in social media. This is who I've been watching. What's your favorite location based service or social network? & Why?
Sources:
