The Location-Based Frenzy
The buzz around location-based gaming is electric. New applications and companies are popping up daily to get in on the craze. Dennis Crowley, one of the founders of Foursquare, often notes in interviews that “…check-in functionality is going to become a commodity.”
Crowley’s statement isn’t meant to deter people from entering the location-based space. As one of the sector’s pioneers, he sees the enormous growth potential of the technology. He, however, realizes that such optimism must be tempered against a continued focus on location-based applications that deliver utility, value, and entertainment. You need to give people a compelling reason to “check-in.”
It’s in this mold that location-based games designed for specific market sectors are emerging. While current LBS market leaders Foursquare, Gowalla, and MyTown stretch across various aspects of users’ lives, targeted applications have the opportunity to catch hold, and spread like wildfire, across tightly defined social groups.
Location-Based Games for Foodies and Photogs
As a card carrying member of the league of foodies, I can attest to the passion that people can have for food. When my foodie brethren and I experience a great meal, we are compelled to share details of it with others. It comes as no surprise that mobile developers would look to activate this vibrant group. Even in the shadow of services like Foursquare and Yelp, which have strong ties to dining check-ins and restaurant reviews (Foursquare has a content partnership with Zagat), new location-based mobile applications are being developed around the food and restaurant industries.
Foodspotting is one of the newest location-based games to hit the app store. It is a visual local guide that champions finding the best dishes instead of just restaurants. The application gives a foodspotter the ability to take a picture of a food item, say what it is, and attach it with geolocation to the restaurant where he got it.
In addition to giving users the opportunity to broadcast their dining experiences to their friends, Foodspotting acts as a great food discovery tool. Rather than aiming to be a location platform in the vein of Foursquare or Gowalla, Foodspotting is designed to augment the reality-based game of telling one’s friends about great meals.
Foodspotting isn’t alone in trying to conquer the location-based market for foodies. Other web and mobile applications in the space include Eat.ly, Foodr (Android app), TalkPlate, Chevia, and DaFoodie. This abridged list illustrates the opportunities inherent in tying social communities to the food and restaurant industries. While some like DaFoodie are only currently focused on a single city (Orlando), it’s easy to imagine them branching out to the rest of the country.
Next Steps for Foodspotting (and others)
Foodies are a passionate group. They view a well-prepared meal in the same way that a fashionista views a beautiful dress. As pictures tell a thousand words, if Foodspotting scales, the service could achieve even greater success by integrating its community with sites like MenuPages.
I also see a great opportunity for Foodspotting to tie into the power and viral nature of thisiswhyyourefat.com. For the unitiated, “This is Why You’re Fat” is a visual library of gut busting dishes from all over the U.S. In connecting with the gluttonous site, Foodspotting would gain access to a vibrant network of foodies conditioned to snap photos of their eating adventures.