i've tried plazes, google latitude, nokia friendview, brightkite etc. but never quite got into any of them. i think the critical mass hasn't been reached yet, where majority of your social circle - near where you live - is using the same service and updating and checking it constantly.
the only one i use consistently (though not daily or even weekly) is Dopplr. i have a good number of contacts on there and even though i haven't actually met up with someone whose travel plans coincided with mine, it's interesting to see where my friends have been / are going. (on a broader scale, not just to the supermarket in the neighbourhood :P)
Ironically I stopped using Dopplr when it got acquired by Nokia. The acquisition made me realise that I was just adding data to a system without get any real value back.
The main thing I've learned from FourSquare is that too many companies become overly obsessed with "dots on a map" rather than making something which is fun or useful. I almost never use FourSquare's maps because most of the utility (at the moment) is in the high-score table and collecting badges. Once that becomes boring they're going to have to find a way to make it useful.
Many of the mo-so-co apps claim they'll become useful once lots of people are using them but that seems the wrong way around. First the app is useful then lots of people start using it.
Dopplr's integration with other services works for me. I also like its email reminders. Foursquare is just a game for me, although I've been in pubs with people who walked in the door with their iPhones glowingly recommending the venue.
5 comments so far
Nowadays the only one of these apps that I use regularly (more than 3 times a week) is FourSquare and even that's starting to get a little boring.
2 weeks, 1 day ago by adewale
i've tried plazes, google latitude, nokia friendview, brightkite etc. but never quite got into any of them. i think the critical mass hasn't been reached yet, where majority of your social circle - near where you live - is using the same service and updating and checking it constantly.
the only one i use consistently (though not daily or even weekly) is Dopplr. i have a good number of contacts on there and even though i haven't actually met up with someone whose travel plans coincided with mine, it's interesting to see where my friends have been / are going. (on a broader scale, not just to the supermarket in the neighbourhood :P)
2 weeks, 1 day ago by cybette
Ironically I stopped using Dopplr when it got acquired by Nokia. The acquisition made me realise that I was just adding data to a system without get any real value back.
The main thing I've learned from FourSquare is that too many companies become overly obsessed with "dots on a map" rather than making something which is fun or useful. I almost never use FourSquare's maps because most of the utility (at the moment) is in the high-score table and collecting badges. Once that becomes boring they're going to have to find a way to make it useful.
Many of the mo-so-co apps claim they'll become useful once lots of people are using them but that seems the wrong way around. First the app is useful then lots of people start using it.
2 weeks ago by adewale
Dopplr's integration with other services works for me. I also like its email reminders. Foursquare is just a game for me, although I've been in pubs with people who walked in the door with their iPhones glowingly recommending the venue.
2 weeks ago by topgold
yeah foursquare seems more of a game to me than anything else, even if it can be useful at some level. besides, it's not available for my city :P
2 weeks ago by cybette