Classifying the Latest Class of LBS Apps
In a recent podcast my colleagues Joe Francica argued that the killer LBS app was the one that did everything for him - tracked weather, deals, friends - everything he might need to know based on his location. Sorry, Joe, but after SXSW the future is looking further and further away from that vision. The only underlying connection for the new crop of apps is that some tap into Foursquare or Facebook Places (or other generic platforms) via their APIs. Otherwise, they are very much "single task" focused. How then to categorize them to help tease out some pattern? I gave it a try, based on apps mentioned in The Guardian's The 20 mobile apps riding the new wave of location innovation, many of which launched at/around SXSW held last week in Austin.
Special Connections
Situationist - come up with an odd activity, find local folks to help execute it
Unsocial (poor name choice) - tied to LinkedIn - helps you find local work-related contacts (and maybe a job?)
RedRover - tool for parents to set up playdates for the kids
payasUgym - find local gyms; pay for a one day pass (I really like this one - but it's only in London now.)
ShortStack - app for fans of that Australian band
Flowd - check-in type service for many bands (see above; do you want a single purpose or multi-purpose band app?)
StreetSpark - find local dates spontaneously (not sure about how using a service makes that spontaneous...)
Local Group Chat
LocalMind - local Q and A for those checked in via one of the generic services
Ask Around - same as above, really, but not linked to other services
Yobongo - local chat, but without Q & A
Social Responsibility
Love Clean London - report graffiti, etc. to authorities (in the same family as SeeClickFix and others in the gov 2.0 arena)
Get Local Info
Broadcastr - leave audio messages linked to locations
View - get local info from Facebook Places, Foursquare
Lonely Planet walking tours - just what you'd expect
Not Sure Where it Fits
Ditto - share what you are going to do to get input from friends, connected to Facebook
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Takeaways on LBS
I then went looking for some LBS takeaways from the event. None, sadly, had anything to do with business models or monetization.
David Berkowitz writing at
Ad Age writes of the death of the social check-in. By that he means that a check-in itself is not enough.
The purely social check-in concept has proven so far to be a novelty. It has to be something else -- a deal, a personalized tip, a game, or perhaps all of the above. Finding your friends in its own right hasn't been enough, and if it not enough for SXSW attendees, that marks the death of the idea.
He's quite correct, as the apps I noted above indicate. Jed Williams of
The Kelsey Group says pretty much the same thing, but cites Gowalla founder Josh Williams. Jed Williams also points to the value of neighborhoods and something that is still missing, something beyond hooking up neighbors.
...NabeWise CEO Ann Baldinucci says is missing is the one that “sits above property listings and addresses to tell you what a community or neighborhood is all about.” That is the context wrapper that is largely absent.
Like many others, I'm still trying to figure out the value of SXSW in general and for geo in particular. I listened to all the Buzz Out Loud
coverage and I'm not sure they know its value either.
