The Future of Foursquare: Is There One?

This video was shot by Mashable at this years SXSW festival. I've been skeptical for some time now about Foursquare and it's future, and I know others share my skepticism. I clicked on this link interested in seeing exactly what Foursquare had in mind for it's future, and to be honest I'm still unsure.

When Pete Cashmore of Mashable asks Crowley what the unique selling position of Foursquare is his answer is far from convincing, saying that scale is what's on his side. Considering facebook has a user base of over half a billion people and they launched their own check-in service "Places" last year it just doesn't seem that unique to me.

He mentions how Foursquare could be used to encourage people to go to the gym or visit a museum. These are interesting applications indeed, but if the only reward for checking-in at a gym is a virtual badge will people be bothered? Gaming mechanics are interesting, but when they're confined to the virtual world do they work? If a check-in at the gym was rewarded with money off membership, virtual currency for e-commerce sites, or exclusive offers it suddenly becomes a lot more appealing. If this is what Foursquare intend then great I think there is a future there for them, but as facebook begins to introduce facebook credits globally my prediction for their future is bleak.

Instagram API: What People Are Doing And What Can Be Done

Last month the popular iPhone camera app Instagram released it's API. By opening up the code behind the product the company invited independent developers to use the API to create products and services using the technology.  A couple of really interesting products have emerged recently.

First up is Instaprint by the excellent New York based agency Breakfast. The Instaprint machine searches for Instagram images tagged using a specific location i.e Ciaran's House Party, and prints out Polaroids complete with comments, of any image taken at the party.



Instawar creates a random pair of Instagram images and asks you to vote for the best. Photographers accumulate points that are redeemable for print-outs of their images from an associated product Printstagr.am.

Because the service includes location tagging and a growing community of amateur photographers it will be interesting to see how brands and advertisers will use the technology. Some thoughts on what these could be:

Brands in the social space could offer a service similar to Instaprint and provide people with print outs of photos taken from parties or special occasions.

Outdoor advertising could use the API to create print ads featuring pictures with a specific tag.

Retail screens could stream customers photos live in the shop. 

Very interesting stuff. Since the release of the API is only a month old expect to see a lot more projects using Instagram.

Thanks to Ed for the links.