How is foursquare different? Well, the biggest difference you will find in foursquare that you cant find on any other similar app is that the more you go to a certain place the higher "ranking" or "points" you get. This can lead to potential discounts or other types of rewards.
I have to admit when I heard about the app at first I thought it sounded great but after I experienced it a little I think it fell short of the competition. In my opinion, I think Loopt is much better. You basically get the same thing you get from foursquare but the content is much much better.
Loopt is different because it is more exclusive, meaning only your friends and people you accept see your location and recomendations. In foursquare you rely solely on the recomendations of friends or members, however in Loopt, you also get recomendations from well renowned rating guides like Zagat for restaurants and suggestions of important events happening nearby. It even gives you pictures of the menus of the places which I thought was really good. Loopt goes even further, allowing you to meet strangers like some sort of dating platform with Loopt mix.
Another similar app is Gowalla. This one I did not like that much and in this case I do have to say that foursquare is better. I think this location social businesses war will come down to a matchup of foursquare vs. loopt. It kind of reminds me of the facebook vs myspace battle. It the end Facebook had more class and well myspace is not what it once was. Im thinking loopt will do the same to 4 square.
In conclusion, I am a consumer who prefers quality content and service rather than a questionable or posible discount at a certain place.
Find out for yourself which you like best.
Go to the website and tell me which you find better...
FYI in Foursquare you also can get recommendations from Zagat. They signed a partnership last year. http://foursquare.com/zagat
ReplyDeleteJose Ramón, I'd try to expand a little bit more on the business model issue: is not just opinion and like/not like what I'm asking you to provide, try to take a more "business analysis" approach. Finding references, articles, etc. and linking to them could be a good idea too :-)
ReplyDeleteRamon, Ramon, Ramoooonnnnn! What am I going to do with you!
ReplyDeleteDid i receive your 4Square friend request?
No
How many times have you played the game (checked in)?
Probably 2 or 3
So, again, you are REVIEWING something (what not was asked for ;-) without having it experienced yet!
You do mention other very interesting apps like Loopt and Gowalla, what really makes me clear, that you know about this stuff or at least, researched a little.
Loopt, compared to 4square, is a permanent location service (i thought you had concerns about privacy!). Foursquare introduced the "check in", as well as the "tips nearby", something Loopt has now adopted.
Loopt may have more users now (2-3 million, agains 1 million for foursquare), but this are different apps! Even the CEO of loopt is happy not to be included in this "Foursquare vs Gowalla" fight.
http://www.mediabistro.com/webnewser/sxswi_2010/loopt_ceo_were_happy_not_to_be_in_foursquare_versus_gowalla_battle_155226.asp
I do not use loopt because the iPhone app doesn't allow permanent location (yet). I guess I will wait until the next iPhone software 4.0.
Foursquare strengths is the game-like stuff it has. Try to experience it before reviewing pit lease =) I was also skeptic at the beginning but again, trying it out makes the difference.
I strongly recommend you to read my blog =) , if you had done this, you had known that Zagat does joined Foursquare and you would have had also some insights about the business model of foursquare! =)
Saludos!!
Guerson
=)
"Foursquare is a very cool application, and unlike other location-aware apps, it adds a competitive element to the interaction, as it rewards you for checking in whenever you arrive at a new location. This solves a major problem that has held back a lot of similar apps like Loopt or Brightkite in the past: users simply didn't have enough of an incentive to open up the app and check in every time they arrived somewhere new. With Foursquare, checking in, however, becomes the thing to do."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/foursquare.php