Location-Based Cola Wars: Pepsi, Coke, Foursquare and SCVNGR (ReadWriteWeb)

Even though many location-based social networks continue to struggle to find mainstream adoption, more and more big brands are hopping on the bandwagon now and are experimenting with how to best use these services for their purposes. Disney and Gowalla announced a partnership yesterday and Foursquare announced a deal with Pepsi and Safeway's Vons stores earlier this morning. Not to be left...

Source : ReadWriteWeb

Explore : Read Write Web, Social Network, Technology, Web 2

Post originale: http://wik.io/info/US/229962314

Check-in to Win: Downtown LA SCVNGR Hunt (LAist)

Screens from DCBID's Downtown LA SCVNGR Gift Hunt app taken by Callie Miller for LAist If all those late night Wurstküche Foursquare shout-outs and Staples Center Gowalla check-ins are beginning to feel passé, Downtown LA just got check-in worthy again. Downtown's Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) has launched a holiday scavenger hunt that highlights eight downtown locations. At...

Source : LAist

Explore : Cities and Towns, Los Angeles, Social Network, States, US

Post originale: http://wik.io/info/US/227612834

SCVNGR Goes Global and Becomes the First Service to Use Google's Places API

SCVNGR is a location-based service with apps for the iPhone and Android that wants to add a "game layer on top of the world." Starting today, the company is getting closer to this goal, as it is going international and expanding to about 80 new countries. Until today, SCVNGR was only available in the U.S.

SCVNGR is also switching away from its own proprietary location database. Thanks to its close relationship with Google (SCVNGR is, in part, funded by Google Ventures), the service is the first site to leverage the new Google Places API.

Sponsor

As the company's founder and "Chief Ninja" Seth Priebatsch told us yesterday, switching to the Google Places API allowed SCVNGR to quickly scale globally, as it can now rely on Google's extensive location database to power its service. SCVNGR users will now also be able to create challenges and treks - the central gaming elements on the service - at all of these locations. As we noted when Google first announced it, the Places API "could do for check-ins what Google Maps did for maps." As Priebatsch told us, the fact that Google gave his company access to this comprehensive global database with millions of locations made switching to it a no-brainer.

While SCVNGR plans to launch localized versions of its apps in the future, the interface is currently only available in English. Users can create challenges using their own languages, however.

The service, which launched just 20 weeks ago, currently has about half a million users, though it's not clear how many of these are active users. Priebatsch also told us that the company has managed to double the number of enterprise clients since its official launch to over 1000. SCVNGR clearly has a lot of momentum going for it right now and it will be interesting to see how the service develops now that it is going global.

Discuss

Post originale: http://jkdodd.soup.io/post/85464714/SCVNGR-Goes-Global-and-Becomes-the-First

What is the key feature missing in geolocation apps such as Foursquare, Gowalla, SCVNGR, PlacePoP etc?

Answer added in topic Mobile Location Applications.

Muhammad Huzaifa, Web designer and Visionary Entrepreneur .

The main key feature missing from these apps are

1. You only check-in, what happens after check-in?
2. Foursquare can provide discount/deal/coupon upon check in instead of badges or maybe both
3. Same apps can be used in SALE AND MARKETING field, there are companies which rely on employees who visit customer at their home or office. A forusquare type app can be used to track those employees and to measure there performance. This type of app can be provided as a SAAS.

See question on Quora


Post originale: http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-key-feature-missing-in-geolocation-apps-such-as-Foursquare-Gowalla-SCVNGR-PlacePoP-etc

Is it Too Late for Foursquare Competitors? SCVNGR Hopes Not, Launches New Apps

SCVNGR, one of the up-and-coming startups in the "check-in" application category has been on a roll lately. It has almost 500,000 users, is on track for reaching one million users by year-end, has integrated with Facebook Places, has launched a self-serve platform and has established partnerships with 1,000 businesses including Warner Bros., Sony, NatGeo, ZipCar, Journeys, Hot Topic, NE Patriots, Boston Celtics, NY Times, Boston Globe, and several universities. There are also 12,000 locations offering rewards to the app's users.

Today, SCVNGR is launching updated versions of its mobile applications for iPhone and Android, in hopes of enticing even more users to sign up.

Sponsor

SCVNGR 3.5

The new release, SCVNGR 3.5, is much more social. Users can now comment on their friends' check-ins and activity or even just dole out a "plus one" (+1), common Web shorthand for "I agree."

Another new feature is the "social map," which, like it sounds, maps your friends' check-ins on a map. The activity streams feature has also been updated, aggregating check-ins, pictures, badges, challenges and rewards into the stream together.

Finally, the updated version of SVNGR is better highlighting where you can find real-world rewards, one of the primary reasons users download and play apps like these. In the Places section, for example, businesses offering rewards display "REWARD" next to their entry. And a "Rewards Nearby" feature within the "Rewards" section will help you scout out deals. Meanwhile, the "My Rewards" feature lets you track your progress on achieving various rewards, which are given out after a certain number of points are reached.

But Can Anyone Beat Foursquare?

SCVNGR, a Google-backed venture, launched in May of this year under the direction of Seth Priebatsch, its 21-year-old CEO. Priebatsch created his first startup at the age of 12, and later launched SCVNGR as a college freshman. He's now on "leave-of-absence" from Princeton, managing a team of nearly two dozen at SCVNGR, a company whose most popular demographic is 17-31 year olds. As Foursquare is now doing with its university program and college-themed badges, SCVNGR is heavily involved in college outreach, working with 20 universities, offering ways to entice users to explore their campus.

Of course, SCVNGR still trails behind location-based startup Foursquare in terms of user base. As of yesterday, Foursquare just hit the 4-million user mark, which prompted blogger Om Malik to note that reaching a million users for a service is the hardest. "Once you get those, the rest is gravy," he said. But SCVNGR may soon join the million user club, if its growth trend continues - it's signing up about 5,000 users per day right now. However, compared to Foursquare's 20,000 users per day, it's still going to lag far behind.

Whether or not SCVNGR, or any check-in service for that matter, can catch up with Foursquare's lead at this point is debatable. Have you played SCVNGR? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Discuss

Post originale: http://jkdodd.soup.io/post/83383396/Is-it-Too-Late-for-Foursquare-Competitors