"The idea of 'checking in' has resonated with a generation of users," says Josh Williams, CEO of Gowalla, "but at the same time it's one-dimensional and is going to evolve a lot over the next year."
When it comes to mobile location apps, I am little skeptical, very intimidated and completely uneducated in how to use them. I'm a 45-year-old man. How will I ever use these products, and more importantly how will they affect my daily life? These questions have cost me a lot of money, as I have passed on many early stage investments in the likes of Foursquare. In this video series, I set out to talk with companies that are pioneering in the mobile location sector to find out how they plan on making revenue, and what's next for the entire industry.
[video_twistage 1]
I knew very little about Gowalla as I entered their impressive 10th floor offices in Austin,...
When it comes to mobile location apps, I am little skeptical, very intimidated and completely uneducated in how to use them. I'm a 45-year-old man. How will I ever use these products, and more importantly how will they affect my daily life? These questions have cost me a lot of money, as I have passed on many early stage investments in the likes of Foursquare. In this video series, I set out to talk with companies that are pioneering in the mobile location sector to find out how they plan on making revenue, and what's next for the entire industry.
[video_twistage 1]
I knew very little about Gowalla as I entered their impressive 10th floor offices in Austin,...
- 7/1/2011
- by Howard Lindzon
- Fast Company
Mekenna Melvin dishes about 'Chuck'Exclusive Interview by Michael Aaron Gallagher
It's no secret that "Chuck" is adored by television fans and critics alike. Now in its third season, the quirky spy dramedy recently welcomed actress Mekenna Melvin to its diverse cast. Originally from Saratoga, California, her training in martial arts, comedy and drama, make her a triple threat on screen.
As Alex McHugh, Melvin plays the daughter of John Casey (played by Adam Baldwin) and the love interest of Morgan Grimes (played by Joshua Gomez).
I recently had the chance to talk to Mekenna about her work on the NBC series and what she enjoys most about her character.
Michael Aaron Gallagher: "Tell me a little bit about how you landed your role on 'Chuck?'"
Mekenna Melvin: "I got the role in kind of an exciting way. I was originally auditioning for a one-word co-star...
It's no secret that "Chuck" is adored by television fans and critics alike. Now in its third season, the quirky spy dramedy recently welcomed actress Mekenna Melvin to its diverse cast. Originally from Saratoga, California, her training in martial arts, comedy and drama, make her a triple threat on screen.
As Alex McHugh, Melvin plays the daughter of John Casey (played by Adam Baldwin) and the love interest of Morgan Grimes (played by Joshua Gomez).
I recently had the chance to talk to Mekenna about her work on the NBC series and what she enjoys most about her character.
Michael Aaron Gallagher: "Tell me a little bit about how you landed your role on 'Chuck?'"
Mekenna Melvin: "I got the role in kind of an exciting way. I was originally auditioning for a one-word co-star...
- 3/18/2011
- by Michael Aaron Gallagher
- StayFamous.net
"I started swearing to myself four or five years ago that I would never launch another product at SXSW," says Josh Williams, founder and CEO of Gowalla, the Austin-based check-in service. "That's never come true--my success record on that promise has just not been good."
Already gearing up to make a splash at this year's SXSW, the company today launched Gowalla 3 for Android, creating a "freshly baked" port of the popular iPhone app. But the real news at SXSW won't be this new iteration of the million-users-strong service. Rather, Gowalla's buzz-worthy announcement will revolve around a new rewards system, which could rival deals platforms of Foursquare and Facebook Places.
"Everyone talks about game-mechanics and badges, but the question for us is how we take these beautiful icons and turn them into something that has tangible value," Williams says. "That's where our Rewards platform comes in. It allows us to take...
Already gearing up to make a splash at this year's SXSW, the company today launched Gowalla 3 for Android, creating a "freshly baked" port of the popular iPhone app. But the real news at SXSW won't be this new iteration of the million-users-strong service. Rather, Gowalla's buzz-worthy announcement will revolve around a new rewards system, which could rival deals platforms of Foursquare and Facebook Places.
"Everyone talks about game-mechanics and badges, but the question for us is how we take these beautiful icons and turn them into something that has tangible value," Williams says. "That's where our Rewards platform comes in. It allows us to take...
- 3/7/2011
- by Austin Carr
- Fast Company
Check-in service Gowalla launches version 3.0 today, an entirely redesigned and rebuilt iteration of the location-based app that blurs the lines between its competitors Facebook Places, Foursquare, Twitter, and Tumblr.
The upgrade introduces a slew of new features. Improved back-end processing allows for faster check-ins and sharing. An overhauled user-interface streamlines access to friends and photos. And a new feature called Notes enables Gowalla users to leave short digital messages to friends at specific locations which can be revealed only upon them checking in there--say, a food recommendation at a restaurant.
But most importantly, version 3.0 introduces a new standard of interoperability for location-based apps. A new Universal Activity Feed shows check-ins from friends across other services such as Facebook Places, Foursquare and Tumblr, enabling users to earn cross-platform rewards (badges, deals, etc.) and receive push check-in notifications.
With the lines now especially blurred between the services, how will Gowalla--with its 600,000 users--distinguish itself from its competitors,...
The upgrade introduces a slew of new features. Improved back-end processing allows for faster check-ins and sharing. An overhauled user-interface streamlines access to friends and photos. And a new feature called Notes enables Gowalla users to leave short digital messages to friends at specific locations which can be revealed only upon them checking in there--say, a food recommendation at a restaurant.
But most importantly, version 3.0 introduces a new standard of interoperability for location-based apps. A new Universal Activity Feed shows check-ins from friends across other services such as Facebook Places, Foursquare and Tumblr, enabling users to earn cross-platform rewards (badges, deals, etc.) and receive push check-in notifications.
With the lines now especially blurred between the services, how will Gowalla--with its 600,000 users--distinguish itself from its competitors,...
- 12/2/2010
- by Austin Carr
- Fast Company
Josh Williams liked to travel, and explore, and he wanted others to embrace that same spirit--and what it means--in a social and sharable way. So in 2007 he started Gowalla, a location-based social network, which has grown fast, and now has over 600,000 active users and a team of 25 employees based in the new tech hub that is Austin, Texas. Josh talked with Fast Company about technology as a tool for change, how Gowalla got started, and told us just what the life of a 30-year-old tech CEO with a wife and two kids is like ...
What's your big idea?
Inspire people to keep up with their friends, share the places they go and discover the extraordinary in the world around them. Put simply, let's get people to go out and explore.What was the inspiration behind your idea?
Passports. Over time, when you travel, your passport fills up with stamps. Each...
What's your big idea?
Inspire people to keep up with their friends, share the places they go and discover the extraordinary in the world around them. Put simply, let's get people to go out and explore.What was the inspiration behind your idea?
Passports. Over time, when you travel, your passport fills up with stamps. Each...
- 11/24/2010
- by David D. Burstein
- Fast Company
Sourcing the Crowd: Florida Govenor Charlie Crist, who is running for the U.S. Senate as an independent, is using Gowalla's new campaign tool kit to attract supporters to events such as this factory visit in Miami. | Photograph by Fredd Thompson/Flickr
Pols cast votes for Gowalla as the next social-media game changer.
Taking cues from our tech-savvy President's playbook, some candidates in next month's midterm elections are tapping a new social networking tool to connect with constituents: Gowalla, a service that lets its users check in via smartphone to share their locations with friends and earn colorful digital "stamps." The Texas-based company has come out with a campaign tool kit that's designed to draw potential voters to town halls and fund-raisers. Governors Charlie Crist of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas are among the earliest adopters of the technology, which enables their campaigns to schedule events on Gowalla and...
Pols cast votes for Gowalla as the next social-media game changer.
Taking cues from our tech-savvy President's playbook, some candidates in next month's midterm elections are tapping a new social networking tool to connect with constituents: Gowalla, a service that lets its users check in via smartphone to share their locations with friends and earn colorful digital "stamps." The Texas-based company has come out with a campaign tool kit that's designed to draw potential voters to town halls and fund-raisers. Governors Charlie Crist of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas are among the earliest adopters of the technology, which enables their campaigns to schedule events on Gowalla and...
- 9/30/2010
- by Austin Carr
- Fast Company
This winter, skiers and snowboarders will be hitting the the slopes in a whole new way. Rather than just flying through moguls or sailing off half-pipes, mountain-goers might soon be "checking in."
Colorado-based Vail Resorts is launching a new location-based social media service at its many mountain destinations--some of which are the largest in the U.S. Called EpicMix, the service acts as a cross between Nike+ and Gowalla, and enables users to check-in on the slopes through Facebook Places to earn pins and rewards for various skiing accomplishments, view the location of friends and family on the mountain, and track ski routes and vertical feet traveled. Vail's EpicMix is an innovative use of social media, showing that it's not just a tool confined to big cities or national companies, but has a more intimate application too on a hyper-local level.
Using an Rfid chip embedded into lift passes, a...
Colorado-based Vail Resorts is launching a new location-based social media service at its many mountain destinations--some of which are the largest in the U.S. Called EpicMix, the service acts as a cross between Nike+ and Gowalla, and enables users to check-in on the slopes through Facebook Places to earn pins and rewards for various skiing accomplishments, view the location of friends and family on the mountain, and track ski routes and vertical feet traveled. Vail's EpicMix is an innovative use of social media, showing that it's not just a tool confined to big cities or national companies, but has a more intimate application too on a hyper-local level.
Using an Rfid chip embedded into lift passes, a...
- 8/30/2010
- by Austin Carr
- Fast Company
Whenever Facebook launches a new feature, it arrives heralded as another service's killer. Many claimed status updates, for instance, would mark the end of Twitter as we knew it. So much for that.
On Wednesday, the company unveiled Facebook Places, its first foray into location-based social networking. Soon the tech cognoscenti began wondering whether Facebook's "check in" feature would destroy similar geo-location services Gowalla and Fourquare. It won't. Here's why.
Like Foursquare and Gowalla, Facebook Places lets users "check in" via smartphone to show friends where they are, but it doesn't yet have the pizazz of its competitors. "Facebook is in this space because it needs to be--it validates geo-location," says Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare. "They now just have what we've been doing for years. Check-ins are not new. Check-ins are boring."
Gowalla CEO Josh Williams echoed Crowley's views. "Facebook's product has a plain-vanilla approach to showing where we are,...
On Wednesday, the company unveiled Facebook Places, its first foray into location-based social networking. Soon the tech cognoscenti began wondering whether Facebook's "check in" feature would destroy similar geo-location services Gowalla and Fourquare. It won't. Here's why.
Like Foursquare and Gowalla, Facebook Places lets users "check in" via smartphone to show friends where they are, but it doesn't yet have the pizazz of its competitors. "Facebook is in this space because it needs to be--it validates geo-location," says Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare. "They now just have what we've been doing for years. Check-ins are not new. Check-ins are boring."
Gowalla CEO Josh Williams echoed Crowley's views. "Facebook's product has a plain-vanilla approach to showing where we are,...
- 8/20/2010
- by Austin Carr
- Fast Company
President Obama has been heralded as our first tech-savvy commander in chief. He's been lauded for his masterfully run campaign, that rode the grassroots wave on the heels of social media and the digital age. And since then, no pol wants to miss a beat. Facebook and Twitter are now essential tools for communication; speeches and ads are uploaded to YouTube; blogs are commonplace; and it seems every communications director is keeping an eye out for the next big technology that'll revolutionize campaigns. Is this necessary? No, and here's why.
Today, Gowalla launched a new campaign toolkit aimed at helping politicians rally constituents at campaign events. The geo-location service, which allows users to "check in" via smartphones at various locations (restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc.), will soon be aiding candidates in drawing in constituents to town halls, campaign fundraisers, and rallies. The new platform enables politicians and campaigns to create...
Today, Gowalla launched a new campaign toolkit aimed at helping politicians rally constituents at campaign events. The geo-location service, which allows users to "check in" via smartphones at various locations (restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc.), will soon be aiding candidates in drawing in constituents to town halls, campaign fundraisers, and rallies. The new platform enables politicians and campaigns to create...
- 8/4/2010
- by Austin Carr
- Fast Company
If you ever visit the downtown Manhattan offices of Foursquare, the popular location-based social game for smartphones, don't say the word Gowalla. When I made that mistake during a visit there last November, 27-year-old cofounder Naveen Selvadurai sent me to the Foursquare time out chair. It was a joke. I think.
Gowalla is Foursquare's arch-rival. The companies both launched eight months earlier at the South by South West interactive festival. Their products pioneered the then-uncharted territory of location-based social networking. On Foursquare, a user "checks in" to locations (as pinpointed via satellite) to invite along friends, leave tips glued to Gps coordinates (like ordering advice at restaurants), and compete for digital rewards in the form of badges, or titles like "mayor" (for the user who checks in the most at a venue). Similarly, Gowalla asked users to check in places in order to collect digital goodies, akin to virtual geocaching.
Gowalla is Foursquare's arch-rival. The companies both launched eight months earlier at the South by South West interactive festival. Their products pioneered the then-uncharted territory of location-based social networking. On Foursquare, a user "checks in" to locations (as pinpointed via satellite) to invite along friends, leave tips glued to Gps coordinates (like ordering advice at restaurants), and compete for digital rewards in the form of badges, or titles like "mayor" (for the user who checks in the most at a venue). Similarly, Gowalla asked users to check in places in order to collect digital goodies, akin to virtual geocaching.
- 3/12/2010
- by Shane Snow
- Fast Company
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