The location-based, geo-tagging competition is getting hotter. Amid rumors of an impending purchase, upstart startup Foursquare announced they’d passed the million-user mark in late April. It’s a growth rate not seen since Twitter skyrocketed to prominent use, making Foursquare one of the hottest web properties around. At the end of last year, Foursquare’s users stood at 170,000.

Likewise, Foursquare competitor Booyah’s MyTown, has also experienced phenomenal growth, announcing two days ago they’d eclipsed the two million-user plateau.

Both of the companies are based on the wireless market, allowing those “playing” to check-in from various locations, while also having the ability to check on your friends. While the two companies are true competitors, there are fundamental differences in the way they work. MyTown functions as an integrated, location-based digital game. Players earn points, unlock rewards, and can earn enough to purchase a “virtual” location and charge others who land there.

Foursquare is more about connecting with your friends and letting them know where you are, and then for racking up points, prizes, and etc.

However, if you don’t have any friends, neither will be that much fun. Which is exactly why I don’t play. Read the rest of this entry »

Amazon released news that their prized e-reader “Kindle” will gain the ability to use Facebook and Twitter in a very toned down version of the sites. It was just a few years ago that Amazon amazed the world by releasing the reader that often gained attention in subways and parks; it was the future for some and many thought we were moving into a “Minority Report” kind of lifestyle.  However, we didn’t, and the Kindle annoyed me more than it amazed me. I’d much rather the cool, crisp touch of a paper rather than poking away at a lifeless white keyboard. Also, with a newspaper, you are a lot less likely to be a potential target for a serial mugger and you won’t look like a dork. Which begs the question, do we really need social media on the Kindle? I hate to say it Jeff Bezos, but do we really even need your Kindle?

Social media, and other apps, are more user friendly on other devices

To answer the first question, no. If you are technologically minded enough to know what a Kindle is and how to use one, chances are you already have a Smartphone. The point of  the social media application which Kindle is trying to employ is for you to be able to share passages from books with your friends via Facebook and Twitter. While that’s a sweet notion, I’m sure my friends are busy spending time tending tstray cows in Farmville and doing social creeping  on others peoples profiles. They don’t have time to see my favorite passage from the Nicholas Sparks book that I’m enthralled with at the moment. I kid. People just aren’t going to want a bargain version of social media sites. We’re too advanced to accept it at this point.

Secondly, there’s something called an iPad and, I hate to admit it, but the “over sized iPhone” is pretty awesome. What makes it more awesome, you ask? Raymond goes more into it, but I can watch movies, play games, and use the Kindle App!  This allows me to scroll through selections of books from Amazon, in color.  I can also check out my favorite social media platforms in depth, all for around the same price as a Kindle. Read the rest of this entry »

Yahoo! suggesting business strategies to Google is like Goldman Sachs advising Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway) on how to invest successfully. Not only is Yahoo! behind Google in nearly every category (email, search engine capabilities, online apps, etc.), but even their name sounds like a joke when compared to competitors.

Don’t get me wrong. I think that Yahoo! has some great offerings; their small business site hosting is fantastic, and their analytics are simple to understand and use. Yet, other than those two products, I don’t tend to use Yahoo! very often. Google, for me, has pretty much invaded my online world.

Thus, when I read that Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz has spurned Google for their “lack of diversity,” I was a bit taken aback. I then thought that maybe Bartz was just being tricky, trying to throw Google off their game. The reason I say this is because the criticism stemmed from her opinion that the search engine giant was too focused on search. Huh? Read the rest of this entry »