Will Foursquare incentivize life?
I joined Foursquare today. I am officially a newbie!
Why did it take me so long? Aside from a hectic schedule and generally being overwhelmed by information, I quite frankly didn't want folks to know my whereabouts at that level of detail. The gaming aspect alone was not enough to draw me - I could care less about earning points by checking in to cool placees, and becoming a mayor. For me, the tipping point was internally motivated; I thought, "Where might this go in the future?" and suddenly my brain imploded. I did a bit of research.
At its heart, Foursquare is basically a framework for incentivizing human behavior, using certain gaming principles. Users "check in" to locations and earn points and badges, and share information about locations with other Foursquare "friends". Right now, the incentives are basically popularity/social networking and competition. This is usual with these sorts of Web 2.0 start-ups, and for some people, that's enough of a draw. However, with additional financial incentives (e.g., check in here for 10% off this doohicky), Foursquare could change the world by better attracting a huge user population: consumers. It's already happening. For example, Starbucks created its own Foursquare badge in May to try to appeal to its more loyal customers, and of course Foursquare has plans to broaden its appeal (and financial incentives are a biggie.)
So in the immediate future, sure, folks might start using Foursquare to get a deal here and there - but what might come next? This is where my brain liquifies - not in a bad way. Imagine all the incentives and services that can be provided to humans that are geo-trackable, tagged with information (some profile-based, some near-real-time), plugged-in and engaged. This is an advertiser's dream. However, if the API remains open and the community can keep developing apps (i.e. purposes), the appeal will reach far beyond advertisers. Users themselves will create uses, demand functionalities, and dream up new and interesting ways of overlapping the virtual and physical worlds. You could do a voice search for the nearest person certified in CPR to help you with chest compressions (maybe they'll have a CPR badge?) You can find a Boy Scout to walk you across the street. You can find a random person nearby who also happens to be craving avocado icecream. You and everyone else in a given restaurant can complain together about the loud dude in the corner - God he's annoying, and look at all the bars he checked in to before coming here. Wait - is that the mayor?
I'm being silly, but hopefully you get the idea.
Will the public “buy” Blippy?
Today I stumbled upon a really strong example of how certain subsets of consumers are willing to sacrifice privacy in exchange for what I'll call "social convenience". Blippy, which is just in beta and was recently highlighted in a New York Times article, is an online social network that lets you share your recent credit card purchases with your friends. I haven't actually used the service, but from the description, it seems to do this automatically in a "Twitter-like" microblogging fashion - a type of passive, social information-sharing. There are, of course, ways to restrict what is shared with whom, but in general I think this is a step in the direction of transparency. The question is: will people find benefit in sharing where they are and what they are buying (and for how much) with their friends?
My guess is yes, but I am very curious about what the early adopters will look like, since users of this service will need to have, for example, (a) access to the internet, (b) a credit card, (c) available funds on their credit card, (d) an interest in shopping and purchase-related information, and (e) friends who possess characteristics "a" through "e". I look forward to seeing how this one pans out!
Hey, Miss Manners, welcome to 2009.
I heard a segment on NPR the other day about mobile device technology etiquette. (As a side note, I notice that most of my posts are inspired by things I hear on NPR. What would I do without you, public radio?) It basically laid out some ground rules for when and how it's appropriate to use mobile devices when you're dating someone. In this new and strange age of technology, I suppose rules about this kind of thing were bound to happen. For me, this is a really interesting area to get into.
Slides
A few notes to the viewer:
- Please feel free to use and share these slides. If you do use them, give us some "props" via citation or attribution. It doesn't have to be fancy. We appreciate it!
- These slides and the content within them only represent the thoughts of the listed author, and do not reflect the beliefs of any overarching organization or entity. Or, if they do, it we didn't do it on purpose. Boy, this is getting complicated.
- Just one more thing: While each of the ambassadors certainly strives to fact-check our research and ensure the accuracy of the information in our slides, none of us is claiming to be an expert. These slides are as much a documentation of our learning as they are (hopefully) informative for others.
Have at it!
Scouting Themes
Research
- Experience-based design: from redesigning the system around the patient to co-designing services with the patient
- Sleep Deprivation, Physician Performance, and Patient Safety
- Education Research: Cognitive performance is preserved in sleep-deprived neurology residents
Bookmarks
- Wellcome Images - Biomedical, humanistic images under creative commons license
- openphoto.net | home to 14843 images
- John Mellencamp Likens Internet To A-Bomb
- Manymoon | Task/Project Management | Google Apps
- Augen's $150 Android tablet hits Kmart circular, coming to stores later this week