There’s no question that the hype in geo-location services is growing but what about actual users?
Six months ago, Gowalla’s buzz was climbing. Many Foursquare users switched to Gowalla and others (social media addicts) used both, as if doing regular tweets, and daily or weekly updates on LinkedIn, Facebook, Ning updates and blog posts isn’t enough. After all, why not have that dinner date hold off on a real conversation for just a few more minutes while you anxiously get out your Blackberry or iPhone and check into TWO geo-location services and perhaps send out a Tweet while you’re at it. After all, your guest is looking at the wine menu anyway.
I’ve actually found myself in that situation before — on the doing it side — AND on the receiving side. Both are not very pretty.
Yet, services like Foursquare and Gowalla are addictive because not only do they allow you to connect with friends like you do on Twitter, but there’s a social gaming component to it as well. I’m losing my mayor status in Munich so I understand, but I still carry mayor status at a few San Francisco joints despite the fact that the owners don’t know or care.
That said, some venues do care and attitudes of others may change when they realize the value of addictive-natured customers who will throw their status to the wind and do it often to get the occasional free drink and the brightly colored badges that tout their esteemed mayorship. After all if you don’t have the clout or perseverance to become a mayor in your real-life, why not kill yourself by pushing buttons on a regular basis to hold court online?
RJMetrics CEO Robert Moore contributed his findings to TechCrunch this week on a study that shows Foursquare’s growth compared to Gowalla. Foursquare is not only 5x larger than Gowalla, but it is growing 75% faster every day.
Below are some of the results from their study:
* As of today, Foursquare has just over 1.9 Million users. Gowalla has around 340,000. * At its current pace, Foursquare will surpass 2 Million users within a week. * Foursquare is adding almost 10x as many new users per day as Gowalla and, despite a significantly larger base, has a daily percentage growth rate that is 75% higher than Gowalla’s. * Currently, Foursquare has about 5.6 Million venues and Gowalla has 1.4 Million venues. * 1 in 3 venues on Foursquare have been checked into only once or never. That number is 1 in 4 on Gowalla. * The most popular venue name is “Home,” followed by national fast food chains like “McDonald’s” and “Burger King”. * On Foursquare, men outnumber women almost 2-to-1. Exact gender breakouts are not available for Gowalla, but the most popular first names suggest a similar distribution. * Foursquare has just over 1.9 Million users. Gowalla has around 340,000. |
Over the past month, Foursquare averaged 12,900 new users per day, while Gowalla only averaged 1,370. Take a look at the chart below to get an idea of growth stats – more charts presented in yesterday’s TechCrunch piece.
Refer to ReadWriteWeb’s post on Foursquare announcement to add Location Layers earlier this week. If local to Silicon Valley, check out the upcoming Geo-Loco event on July 21, 2010 in San Francisco. Discounted tickets still available at 33% off for readers Down the Avenue readers.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
