GetGlue: An improvement for check-in social media

Step aside Foursquare! Move over Gowalla! The check-in model has reached an evolutionary benchmark. Whether you love location-based check-in games or hate them, I bet you’ll love this one. GetGlue, is a service that helps users find new movies, music, books and even wine. Similar to Foursquare, users can obtain points and stickers (badges) upon check-ins to specific activities. Of course every check-in can be shared to Facebook and Twitter.

Activity-based check-ins

In comparison to the location-based Foursquare, GetGlue is activity-based. A user could check-in on GetGlue when they are watching True Blood or Boardwalk Empire.

Likewise, a user could let friends know that they are playing video games, listening to a song or even thinking about a topic like “National Football League.”

Trending: Tell me what to do

But how about when you aren’t doing anything and you’re looking for something to do. The mobile version of GetGlue comes equipt with a “Trending” button which tells the user what TV show, wine or thought topic is trending.

In each category, users who have checked-in can leave 140 character messages or decide between the “Agree,” “Useful” or “Funny” button - similar to Facebook’s Like button.

Featured Likes

When was the last time you relentlessly rented a box set or watched a TV series OnDemand? Or when was the last time you bought a CD that you just can’t stop listening to (I’ve had the latest Arcade Fire album stuck in my head since the first week of August)?

Well, now when you’re obsessed with something like an album, you can “feature” the item on your GetGlue profile to highlight your obsession to friends. Simply go to the item’s profile page (double-click the item’s avatar), navigate to the right side-navigation and under “Spread the word,” select “Feature on Profile.”

The item will appear on your Get Glue profile in a featured-item box.

Extra Features

- GetGlue is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

- The company is releasing special stickers related to HBO shows and PBS Fall Documentaries.

Foursquare cuts out cheaters, honest users alike

When Foursquare finally decided to crackdown on cheaters last week, they had the best intentions. The social network will no longer allow users to check-in to venues if the user is not in the "immediate vicinity" of the venue according to the company's blog. The problem is, and this became more and more evident last week, that most users have created venues outside of the "immediate vicinity" of the actual venue location.

Though this is another frustrating issue (among many) the mobile social network has suffered over the past few months, Foursquare is working to fix its misplaced venue locations according to the blog post.

"If there are certain places that are consistently giving you a problem, tell us about them and we’ll make sure to look into it: http://4sq.com/4sqGeoWoes," Team Foursquare said in the blog post.

What Foursquare has gotten wrong...over and over again

I love Foursquare, I think it really is the next "big thing." Just 13 days ago Mashable reported that the location-based social network grew by almost 100,000 users in 10 days equaling a total of nearly 725,000 users. That's a real landmark in Foursquare's up and coming success. But as the network continues to grow, Foursquare has got to start handing over some control to the users.

1. Build a Badge

There are some strange badges in Foursquare. The Douche Bag badge for instance, is only obtainable when checking-in to a venue that has been tagged "douche bag." Come on, we can do better than that.

Have users pay for the opportunity to create a badge. Let them choose from a list of icons and color selections. Or let users with over 15-20 mayor awards create a badge. It's frustrating to see the New York Times has enough power to make a badge but that the user with 20 some mayor awards has enough power to do diddle.

2. Business Fan Pages...for the little guy!

Brand giants like Zagat and The New York Times have business profile pages listing recommended local restaurants and venues for Foursquare users to visit. When I first saw The New York Times page I immediately wanted to make one for Montgomery Media but I soon found out that these pages are restricted to specific users. Most likely paid users.

This is all well and good for Zagat and Metro but come on! This kind of thing is dividing the Foursquare from its users by allowing corporations to make an impact on the game rather than the users themselves. What about the little guy?

3. Like, Unlike...Comment?

Foursquare has yet to release an update (or even a plan) that would allow users to talk with one another or event make a comment on other users' check-ins. Today, if you want to comment on someones check-in you have to leave Foursquare and go to Facebook and that's assuming your friend has synced his or her Foursquare account to Facebook. This should be the bread-and-butter of the network, instead the feature doesn't exist.

Foursquare Now on the Maps

Just a few days after announcing its check-ins would now appear in Bing maps, Foursquare has made a second announcement; check-ins are now on Google maps too. Along with Gowalla and Brightkite, two similar location based mobile social networking games, Foursquare is visible in Google maps via a browser accessible application called Checkin Mania.

What's to see?

Anyone using Checkin Mania will see venues Foursquare users have added in the game, plus tips and visitor information like who the mayor of that venue is and who else is there. Overall, this is a pretty cool idea. It's a very futuristic way of looking at Bing and Google maps where users can look for reviews or opinions rather than locations only.

Note: When I accessed Checkin Mania for the first time, I was able to see almost every venue tagged in Foursquare but after a reloaded, I wasn't able to see the games information. In fact, Gowalla was the only network I could see in the app after the first reload. Is anyone else having this problem?

What is Cause World? Foursquare with a purpose

Foursquare users might get a kick out of this app. Cause World, similar to Foursquare, is a location based social networking game that has users "check-in" to stores, restaurants and work places while earning points and badges along the way.

So what's different about Cause World? Well, in Foursquare users earn points and compare scores on a weekly scoreboard (resets every Sunday at 11:59 p.m.) for really no purpose other than to triumph over friends. In Cause World, when you earn points, which are called karma, you put that karma to work for a good cause.

Yesterday morning, I spent five karmas to help "prevent child

abuse." That afternoon I spent 10 karmas to "provide relief for Haiti" and that night I spent another 10 karmas to "provide relief for Chile," earning the "Chile Supporter Badge" in the process.

According to the app, Cause World users have offset more than 1.3 million pounds of carbon. Al Gore must love this game!

Connecting the Great Divide:

Users can also connect to all kinds of social networks and mobile apps through Cause World including Facebook, My Town and Shazam. When users connect to these networks through Cause World, they earn a generous amount of karmas which, in my opinion, should be spent immediately.

For more on Cause World check out (or check-in) the Cause World Blog.

What is the One Forty Blog about?

Welcome to the 140Characters blog. Being that this is my first post I would like to provide readers with a few ideas of what one can expect to find here.

1. This blog revolves around Social Networks-

I've never claimed to be a social networking specialist. In fact, I may be just like you. I'm a heavy user of social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Buzz. But we should keep in mind that blogs, YouTube and even Google Wave are also forms of social networks and those will be covered here too. This blog will ultimately revolve around Social Networks.

2. This is a place to learn about Social Networks and how they can be used-

Any business, organization or individual that has yet to grasp the power of social networking is far behind today's standards of technology, marketing and promotion. However, if you are a reader who doesn't necessarily understand social networks both new and old, hang in there. This is the place to learn about them!

3. I have no life...outside of Tweet Deck...

It's true and it may be true for many of us. Talking about your social life in 2010 is far different than what one would call a social life in 2000. While this blog will also be a place to read up on my (physical) social ventures, and how they lead back to social networks, expect a few posts on what Foursquare badge I've just won and who has retweeted me.

Just to kick things off, I've posted a few items from my previous blog "Renewing the Voice" which runs out of MontgomeryNews.com. So adjust your lumbar support, stay a while...and welcome to the One-Forty Characters Blog.

Overshare, under-square

I guess Monday wasn't the best day to push Foursquare's mobile app to the limits but I did happen to stumble upon some interesting finds.

SquarePik, an iPhone app that allows Foursquare players to add photos and videos to their check-ins is a great way for local businesses to use social networking to promote themselves. This is kind of a break through for Foursquare but the network itself hasn't seemed to understand SquarePik's advantages.

The point of Foursquare is to talk about the places users have checked-into, to provide tips about what's good, what's bad and if the place is even worth the visit. If Foursquare were to incorporate visual forms of media, going beyond text, the app would enter a whole new world of usefulness.

Imagine having to make a decision between the Broad Axe Tavern and Phil's Tavern with only Foursquare as a reference. The two are so similar at a glance that the decision could really go either way. But if Foursquare used photos and video, users could compare the Broad Axe's upgraded, visually appealing sports bar area to Phil's classic pub style bar and make a much more informed decision about the two Blue Bell taverns.

I would imagine this could cause competition between businesses via Foursquare which would then bring more businesses into the network's business deal program.

On a completely different note, I received the "Overshare" badge last night after making "10+ check-ins in 12 hours."

The Mobile Test: Can Foursquare's mobile app meet other networks' standards?

Last November, Mashable creator Pete Cashmore anticipated the rise of FourSquare in 2010. He said, "you may wonder which social-media service will become tech's poster boy in 2010. Among the Web’s early adopter set, the answer is nearly unanimous: Foursquare."

Well, it's 2010 and Foursquare is my latest digital obsession. Cashmore was right when he said that Foursquare, like Twitter has an addictive nature, but I would like to see if Foursquare can keep up with social networks giants like Facebook and Twitter.

This week, I'm going to experiment with Foursquare to update my Facebook and Twitter via mobile device rather than Tweetie or Facebook Mobile. I want to see what Foursquare is missing and what it is capable of. Then, I will post another blog entry, here, at the end of the week about what I found and whether or not I think I could completely replace other social media mobile apps with the FourSquare app.

Why Foursquare could be the next big network

Unlike Twitter, Foursquare is a game. Users check in to restaurants, theaters, gas stations and even workplaces to earn points which are then added to a weekly score board measuring the user’s points against those of their Foursquare friends.

The game aspect of Foursquare is key to drawing both Twitter users and Facebook users who haven’t fallen for the Twitter phenomenon. This network doesn't force users to gain a following or get out. Instead, users can simply check-in, win the mayor's crown and earn badges among a small network of friends.

However, the network provides a fix for the Twitter-feins too. Users can sync their Facebook status and a Twitter account so that they can "shout" (the Foursquare equivalent of a tweet) from Foursquare while updating the other two networks.

These two aspects are what I would like to test in the coming week.

You can find me on Foursquare and Twitter @AndyStettler. Follow me and send me a comment.