Last week Gowalla released the newest version of their location-based application, and they ruined it.\u00a0 These aren\u2019t easy words coming from me.\u00a0 I have been an avid user and evangelist of Gowalla for over a year.\u00a0 I would be more precise with that info, but the new Gowalla no longer lets me view my own check-in history.\u00a0 Accumulating those check-ins was one of the primary points of using Gowalla, I was somewhere around 1,220 unique places that I had checked-into since I first started using Gowalla, but now neither the website or iPhone application display this information to me.\u00a0 So where I have been and when, information I have saved one thumb tap at a time at locations both exciting and mundane (mostly the latter) is now lost to me.\u00a0 Why did I bother?<\/p>\n
Check-ins vs. Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n The new Gowalla has abandoned the concept of the \u2018check-in\u2019 and replaced it with the \u2018story\u2019.\u00a0 Originally conceived as a digital passport, Gowalla\u2019s distinctive stamps could be collected by globetrotters and homebody\u2019s alike.\u00a0 I loved the opportunity to look for trips and featured stamps to collect wherever my travels took me, when such opportunities occurred.\u00a0 Sharing photos and comments with my friends and family on Gowalla was wonderful.\u00a0 But day to day my check-ins were for myself; my neighborhood, the park on the way to work, the grocery store, my office. I\u2019m not so egotistical that I think anyone but myself gave a crap where I was, but I still checked-in, for myself.<\/p>\n But with the new Gowalla I\u2019m not just \u2018checking-in\u2019, I\u2019m telling a \u2018story\u2019.\u00a0 Guess what Gowalla, the huge majority of my check-ins don\u2019t amount to a good story, I was only interested in knowing how often I\u2019ve been to that grocery store.\u00a0 And it\u2019s not just my own numbers I\u2019m missing.\u00a0 As I look at different spots on Gowalla, I can no longer tell how often anyone has been there. \u00a0Is this spot popular, or a one-off joke? Gowalla no longer lets me know.<\/p>\n Badges and Items<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the motivating reasons to bother checking-in to new locations on Gowalla was to earn badges for doing so.\u00a0 Badges were earned for a wide variety of reasons, sometimes just for where you were such as a state badge, or for the type of location you were at such as a coffee shop, or for completing a \u2018trip\u2019 or pre-defined collection of locations.\u00a0 In the new Gowalla, all but the state badges are apparently gone.\u00a0 I feel like the medals have been stripped off my chest!<\/p>\n Another distinguishing factor about Gowalla was items, virtual collectible knick-knacks to be gathered, dropped, hunted, swapped and hoarded.\u00a0 Items made Gowalla a virtual treasure hunt, and while I expect many users enjoyed Gowalla without ever understanding or embracing the point of items, many others enjoyed the hunt and the fun of moving items in this quirky virtual world.\u00a0 Well kiss them goodbye. \u00a0Your hard earned collection of items is gone. Sorry.<\/p>\n Guides<\/strong><\/p>\n Why did Gowalla seemingly work to take all of the fun out of their app? I believe they are admitting defeat in the battle of the check-in vs. Foursquare, and seeking to re-invent themselves.\u00a0 To me the appeal of Gowalla over Foursquare has always been their superior interface, custom stamps and unique user experience. Gowalla was to Foursquare as Macs are to PC\u2019s, not as widely adopted but WAY cooler. But cool isn\u2019t always enough, numbers count, and Foursquare has the numbers. So Gowalla had to abandon the \u2018check-in\u2019 and create a new justification for existing, as a travel guide.<\/p>\n With content provided by major entertainment and travel resources, as well as their own users, Gowalla is well equipped to be a wonderful digital travel guide, suggesting spots for me to \u2018check-in\u2019, no wait \u2018start a story\u2019 at that I might otherwise have overlooked.\u00a0 But my commuter lot and grocery story aren\u2019t worthy of a travel guide, or a story, and any reason I ever had for checking into them before has been taken away.<\/p>\n I remain hopeful that some of these features that have made Gowalla such a pleasure for me to use will return.\u00a0 I understand that technology companies much strive to innovate, improve, and be profitable.\u00a0 But they should also recognize when they\u2019ve made a mistake and damaged their product or business and attempt to recover.\u00a0 I hope that Gowalla can do so and bring me back, but for right now they have lost me and I\u2019m \u2018checking-out\u2019.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week Gowalla released the newest version of their location-based application, and they ruined it. These aren\u2019t easy words coming from me. I have been an avid user and evangelist of Gowalla for over a year. 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