In an interesting twist, Facebook actually had something of a failure late last month when it blew up Places. We highlighted this feature in this blog because we sensed that with hundreds of millions of members, Facebook would have a powerful advantage with this location-based tool.
The idea here was for Facebook to one-up Foursquare and Gowalla by allowing its fans to not just see each other online, but to see their locations as well. Wouldn’t you want to socialize in person with your “friends” at various events (sporting events, restaurants, school cafeterias, etc.)?
But a little more than one year later, Places has been shelved. And as Eric Sass pointed out in one of his “The Social Graf” pieces, Facebook’s competitors should be happy. It also suggests that not everything Facebook does is successful.
Like MySpace, Google, and even Apple, there are epic failures that dot even the best companies’ landscapes. Don’t worry about Facebook. They have already moved on from Places and will continue to launch new initiatives. Such is the nature of this space, and a lesson that radio could learn from its digital brethren. Better to experiment, try, and even fail than to stand pat and hope.
But as Sass points out, perhaps Foursquare and Gowalla shouldn’t be popping champagne because of Places’ demise. Foursquare is estimated to have 10 million members which in social media terms is not a huge audience. They have done a better job of incentivizing their membership with awards and prizes for “checking in,” something that Facebook never got around to doing.
But this calls into question the overall concept of location-based social media activity. Is this what people want? Is this the next step in social media interaction? Does the marriage of the mobile device and the social networking platform work for most consumers?
Jeff Jackel thinks so, but he’s going about it in a different way. With an iPhone app called BuzzMob, anyone can simply create a space wherever they are – at a baseball game, in a mall, at school. Others using the app in that space can allow them to share thoughts, pictures, and any other content for that moment in time.
From a radio standpoint, there are potentially cool benefits. You could broadcast or announce at a station event (concert, remote broadcast, zoo, State Fair, etc.) that listeners could download the BuzzMob app and connect with each other. Other tools are possible with BuzzMob, too (polling, contesting, etc.).
There is something here, and once again, radio has the content, the cume, the event promotion and savvy to marry its brand and personalities to mobile devices and the social experience. Bob Pittman talked about how social media is a good thing for radio, and these types of applications are worth considering.
As for Facebook, they’ll continue to try other stuff. Places may be gone, but there’s a “there there” for location-based interaction.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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