WeReward (say that 5x fast) launched today at TechCrunch Disrupt and wants to pay you cash to check-in at local businesses and venues. WeRewards comes from IZEA, the company behind Sponsored Tweets and PayPerPost. Not a shocker that they are moving to monetize the location game as well. I know, you’re looking back and thinking about all the money you missed out on by checking into Foursquare for free.
One smart move by WeReward is that they are not reinventing the wheel when it comes to being a location-based mobile network. Instead, they are simply piggy-backing off of Foursquare’s successful model. When you check-in to WeReward, you can automatically check-in to Foursquare as well.
WeReward works just like any other location-based app. You search for somewhere you would like to check-in and can optionally add a comment along with your check-in. The only difference is that you are also claiming points that ultimately translate into cash.
With all the spoofing and shenanigans that have gone on with Foursquare check-ins in the past, WeRewards has put in some safeguards to avoid being ripped off. Verification doesn’t even depend on your phone’s GPS abilities. In order to collect your points, you have to attach an actual photo from the venue. This can be a photo of you at the place or a photo of your receipt. The details are decided on by the advertiser or business. Once the advertiser has verified your check-in, you can receive your payout via PayPal.
In addition to deciding how you prove you’re actually at a location, the advertiser/business also decides how much you get paid. Each point equates to 1 cent, which offers businesses a lot of room for experimenting. Domino’s is currently offering 25 points (25 cents) for each check-in.
Could this be the future of location-based services? Possibly. While visiting business and earning badges is fun, who doesn’t want their social life to become self-sufficient? What if you could pay for a night out by sharing photos of how much fun you had? Of course, 1 cent payouts are nowhere near enough to take us there, but it’s a start.
Looking at the landscape of paid posts and tweets, It doesn’t seem far-fetched that high-profile people could earn a nice chunk of change this way. Some venues already pay celebs just to show up, why not web celebrities as well?