This document summarizes Tim Nekritz's presentation on location-based social media and geosocial applications. It discusses how these applications allow users to interact with their physical environment and other users through their smartphones. The document then evaluates several popular geosocial platforms like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook Places. It also discusses the potential for higher education institutions to utilize these applications. Examples are provided of how some universities have created mobile apps and games to engage students on campus through location-based services.

1. Tim Nekritz
Director of Web Communication
SUNY Oswego

2. “By mapping the world,
we have mapped ourselves.”
— James Burke
The Day The Universe
Changed, 1985

3.  Mobile services tied to your smartphone that
allow you to interact with your physical
environment and other users.
 The fastest-evolving area of social media.*
* So fast, this presentation evolves on a weekly basis

4. Location-based services have
enormous potential to connect
people to places, places to
people, and people to people
in places.
-- Tim Jones,
North Carolina State University

5.  Fast-growing yet fragmented market.
 Increased adoption among consumers.
 Potential value-added for higher ed.

6. Basic geosocial platforms
 Foursquare
 Gowalla
 SCVNGR
 Facebook Places
 Loopt/Loopt Star
Advanced/augmented reality
 Yelp
 Layar
Photo sharing: Instagram, Color
Custom mobile apps?

7.  Usefulness
 Usability
 User interactivity
 Sharability
 Sustainability
BONUS: Critical mass

8.  I’m here
 About me
 Leave tips/recommendations
 Gaming (mayor)
 Specials

9. Are we moving beyond check-ins?

11.  Biggest community
 Gaming aspect (mayor, badges)
 Specials available
 Interactivity of tips
 Easy creation
 *College partnership program

12.  Can be slow, buggy (I’m not at Tractor Supply)
 Spammy sharability backlash
 The points don’t matter
* In fairness, some of these are common to many geosocial
applications

14. [They did … within hours]

16.  Easy startup
 Super sharable
 Trip/tour creation
 Passport function

17.  Modest user base
 Navigation issues
 Poor data hygiene

22. Good news, bad news
 Good news:
Lots of clicks
 Bad news:
Not much interaction
 Navigability/engagement lacking

24. Traveling Gowalla show?

26.  Easy creation of … everything
 Tips/clues/scavenger hunt
 Points system
 Multifaceted possibilities
 Can incorporate multimedia

27.  Still low user base
 Gaming data loss
 Data hygiene/duplicates

29.  21 tasks
 Meet folks, see offices, get facts
 Randomized (preferably)
 Google Maps based
 Set up quickly (could have done more)
 Orientation paid for contract (for expedience)
 Not yet made sustainable

31. Why two apps?

32. Loopt Star:
 Can add actual digital
rewards
 Cool satellite view/pins
interface
Loopt:
 Events: Searches for
happenings around you

33.  Clunky interfaces
 Can you fit the users in
a phone booth?
 Did I mention there
were two separate
apps?

34.  Incentivized
attending
Commencement
Week activities
 Reward: MP3 of fight
songs, college
performers
 Goal of sustainable
platform
http://blog.loopt.com/tag/stanford/

37.  Huge Facebook user base
 Appeals to casuals (not another app)
 Reasonable functionality
 Anyone can create venues

38.  Anyone can create venue
 Many users = many duplicates
 Poor data hygiene
 No value-added
 Facebook hates your brand

40. The University
of Kentucky
seems to like it

43.  Alas, poor Whrrl …
 Built great system
 Low user base
 Bought, cannibalized
by Groupon

47.  Monocle = augmented reality
 Reviews/ratings
 Sharability
 Interactivity

48.  Limited monocle availability
 Phonebook-oriented
 Lack of mobile functionality
 Underadopted

52. Pros:
 App store within an app
 Brings together Twitter, Gowalla, more
 Links time, space
Cons:
 Ever-changing user interface
 Poor usability
 Limited user base

53. App store
within an
applicatio
n

55. Instagram Color

56. Pros:
 Rich experience
 Not limited by platform
 Build own user base (marketability)
Cons:
 Cost
 Complexity
 Updating?

57.  Chancellor’s interactive tour
 WolfWalk
 NC State on Campus

58. NC State Chancellor’s Statewide Tour

59. WolfWalk: NC State Historic Tour

60.  Integrates sources including Facebook Places,
Foursquare, Gowalla
 Share videos, photos, comments
 Rewards/promotions to users
 Greater connectivity
It also aggregates friends lists from the idea that it’s
more important to find and connect with your
friends than it is to know what service they use to
check in.
-- Tim Jones, NC State

63. Increased location-based marketing via
 Email
 Tips
 “People like you …”

67.  Be present
 Know if your users are present
 Goals, then tools
 Students can be your social media secret
weapons … get them involved
 Moves pretty fast

68. Contacts:
nekritz@oswego.edu
http://www.twitter.com/TimNekritz
http://insidetimshead.wordpress.com
http://www.slideshare.net/TimNekritz