If you’re into the location check-in thing, you’re probably well aware that Foursquare is the poster child. While they stay at the forefront of location-based services, Gowalla can’t be counted out yet and is preferred by many users. While the check-in itself is the primary focus of these sites, that’s not where the value lies. Gowalla’s new Highlights feature takes us beyond the check-in:
The best way to think about the feature may be to think back to the “25 Things About Me” meme that spread throughout Facebook last year. The meme asked you to answer a set of 25 questions and send the answers to your friends. Gowalla Highlights is similar in that they want you to tag about 20 real world places based on a set of criteria. For example, you’re asked to name you favorite “Date Night” spot, the place you think has the “Best Tacos,” your “Alma Mater,” and your favorite “Watering Hole,” among other things. Each of these answers reveals a bit about who you actually are, and where you spend your time. — MG Siegler
Rather than simply racking up check-ins or points and becoming the virtual mayor of some location, this approach by Gowalla makes check-in data useful to all users. For instance, if you visit a place that is special to someone you know, you’ll be alerted of that. If you want to find out where to kick off family night, you can see what the community recommends.
The very features that made Gowalla awkward for some users in the beginning may be the ones that keep them in the location race. Initially, virtual goods were a big part of the service. You could “pick up” and collect these virtual goods as you traveled to different locations. That feature is still available, but has been played down a bit in favor of offering real world interaction.
Highlights will become part of the API just like other Gowalla features and this is where it will shine. Not only is location data useful in features like Highlights and Trips, but it will be interesting to see what developers create using this data.