But what is the ultimate purpose of these apps? Location alone is specific information, but there's not much to be done with it in most cases. Some argue that it's not about the check-in itself, but about the perks, reviews, and gaming associated with it. The article says that "checking in" and geo-location tagging should come secondary to the extras and needs to provide a specific advantage to the user and their followers/friends.
The author believes that checking in will never have mass-appeal (some see it as a chore) and therefore the apps must have some other advantage in order to gain a following. The author believes that Foursquare users (along with Loopt, Brightkite, etc.) face "check-in fatigue" if the applications aren't redesigned with a new focus- beyond just checking in.
Full article here: http://tinyurl.com/25jy2hu
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2 comments:
This is a very good point and speaks to a general issue of social media - what happens when the buzz for a new tool such as Foursquare dies down? What's next? Would make for an interesting brainstorm in class.
Do we really think it's going to die down? I think Fourquare and applications like it have completely changed the way people interact with each other-- and businesses track their customers. I think it's going to get stronger over time; every place is going to be accessible and there's going to be more incentive to go places in order to see who else is there. I know that while I'm not an avid Foursquare user, I love it just the same and always recommend it to my friends. I believe that our generation, since we're growing up on this kind of social media, is only going to evolve with it.
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