Lab 8 - Location Based Services

Location Based Services

Facebook

The "Places" tab under Facebook, is a location based tool used widely by users. It allows users to check-in and tag themselves and their peers at particular places such as restaurants or events. As a Facebook user, I regularly use this function to check-in to yummy restaurants, dessert places, or events I am at to let my friends know where I am and write if the food is yummy or if the concert was fun. While checking in to a place you can also add a picture to the caption to show others. People enjoy using this function to show their social status - in that they are out and about constantly. For businesses this is also very good as the customers check-in to the businesses, write recommendations where their friends will be more inclined to go and raise the brand awareness of the businesses through the word-of-mouth marketing. While checking in, in a place, you can also allow other to scroll-over the place where it gives you information on where it is located. If you click on the place, it bring you to the company's Facebook page where you can learn more about them, like their page, write comments about it. This is a great way of pulling in customers. 

Foursquare

Foursquare is also a location based app. It has over 50 million users on their app. It allows users to check-in to different locations such as restaurants or travel. It allows the users to write recommendations on the different places they have checked-in too. This useful for other users who want to find the best spots on where to eat, travel and go out. This tool is also useful for businesses as a means to connect and interact with their customers through customers writing about their businesses, adding photos, recommending their peers to visit their business. The more popular the business becomes, the more it will be talked about and advertised and in turn gain more revenue through increased brand awareness and loyalty.

SCVNGR

Scvngr is fun take on a location-based service. It is unique from the other location-based services in that they have developed the check-in service as a game platform where you check-in to places and do challenges, and in turn you can earn points and unlock badges. This creates a fun interactive way for customers to use the app. It motivates the users to check-in to lots of different places, do exciting activities and share their experiences with others. It also gets the businesses name out there as well by checking-in to their business.