| Just when you thought you couldn’t get excited | | | | Foursquare is now reporting over 600,000 users. |
| about another social networking service, two more | | | | Austin-based Gowalla were just as engaging, signing |
| innovative apps are battling for your location | | | | up tens of thousands of new subscribers, as reported |
| loyalty. Combine the features of Yelp, Twitter, Google | | | | by co-founder Josh Williams. Most geolocation-based |
| Latitude, and social gaming, and you have the hottest | | | | subscribers have signed up using their iPhones, with 88 |
| new social recipe: geolocation-based services. The | | | | percent of Gowalla’s new users and 66 |
| two main players on the scene are Foursquare and | | | | percent of Foursquare new users acquired in this |
| Gowalla, who have both been rapidly growing an | | | | fashion. |
| enthusiastic early adopter user base throughout 2009. | | | | It is not clear who won the battle for subscribers, as |
| In 2010, they are now battling for a spot on your | | | | both companies added a significant numbers to their |
| smartphone. | | | | respective user bases at SXSWi. It is a very clear |
| Foursquare, based in New York City, and Gowalla, | | | | victory, however, for geolocation-based services. |
| based in Austin, were both developed in late 2008, | | | | Foursquare and Gowalla have both benefited from the |
| unbeknownst to each other’s creators. During | | | | popularity of the iPhone and its healthy stable of Apps, |
| their simultaneous launches in early 2009, FourSquare | | | | and continue to grow its user base as other |
| hogged the spotlight, overpowering any fanfare | | | | smartphone users — i.e. Blackberry and Android |
| Gowalla was trying to build. However, since the initial | | | | — jump on board with the social networking |
| Foursquare buzz, Gowalla has emerged as a serious | | | | game. |
| competitor. | | | | Geolocation-based networks are an emerging social |
| The two geolocation-based services again stole the | | | | media that builds and expands your brand to influential |
| show this year at SXSW Interactive (SXSWi) 2010, | | | | audiences. With every check-in, your business gains |
| the annual congregation in Austin, Texas of | | | | instant awareness throughout a user’s growing |
| self-proclaimed technology geeks, video game | | | | social network. If your company is searching for |
| wizards, and gadget nerds. In what was hyped as the | | | | innovative ways to leverage social media, establish |
| geo-wars, Foursquare and Gowalla battled for | | | | branding messages, and build valuable networks in its |
| the lion’s share of subscribers throughout the | | | | niche, MediaFirst, specializing in technology public |
| five days of the tech festival. | | | | relations, can connect you to your audience and launch |
| The folks with Foursquare quite literally took to the | | | | a social media presence for you and your company. |
| streets to win subscribers over, hosting real Four | | | | For more than ten years, MediaFirst has helped power |
| Square games on the sidewalks surrounding the | | | | clients to successful acquisition and exit with invaluable |
| Austin Convention Center. According to the | | | | skill and knowledge throughout the PR and marketing |
| co-founder of Foursquare, Dennis Crowley, the | | | | fields. MediaFirst combines creative and engineering to |
| company signed up approximately 75,000 new | | | | deliver great strategy, positioning, writing, and guidance |
| subscribers during the five day festival, and 100,000 | | | | for technology firms in their respective niches. |
| new users in the 10 days of the entire SXSW festival. | | | | |