On September 22nd, Gowalla 4 was released promising a new era in check-in based social networking. But do claims by the company that this new version has been a success stand up to scrutiny?
I’m happy to say that the positive refrain has far outweighed the negative … we believe (it) is a truly delightful leap forward for Gowalla - blog.gowalla.com
When check-in social networking first came to prominence, the two main players were Foursquare and Gowalla. Foursquare went down the route of rewarding checkins with the ability to become a virtual mayor if you checked in to a location more frequently than others within a specific time period, but the interface was rather bland. Gowalla instead developed a virtual geocaching element using items which users could collect, drop and exchange along with a beautiful interface and location specific badges showing graphical representations of notable landmarks, such as with Tower Bridge on the right.
In the latest incarnation of Gowalla, gone are the popular items (which the company claims was a feature only used by around 2% of it’s users) and the badges rewarding users for completing objectives. Also removed is the ability to view all the colourful badges from featured locations you have visited in one place.
So what have they done? I hear you ask. Well, they have replaced all that with ‘Stories’, such as this:
An example of a Gowalla 'story'
Now I think you’ll agree that this ‘story’ is hardly likely to win a Pulitzer Prize any time soon.
The online reaction to the change must be worrying to Gowalla, no matter how they try to spin it. At the time or writing, the most recent comment on Gowalla’s Facebook Wall is Calton Bolick‘s “Gowalla: worst product relaunch EVER. A location-based guide that doesn’t tell you what’s nearby and provides bad choices for things far away. A complete joke. ” Calton is not alone, with Lennart Augustsson commenting that “The new app is unbelievably crappy” and Alyson Stringer Steakley lamenting her break up with Gowalla by posting “I adored Gowalla like I do Apple products and professed it regularly. No more though—latest update was like breaking up via text message—absolutely criminal. We’ll always have Paris…adios“.
Displeasure has even spilled over to app store ratings for the Android and iOS platforms:
An example of reviews from the Android App Store
In fact it is virtually impossible to find a positive comment about the change, and the feelings of frustration and resentment carry on over at Gowalla’s own blog where ironically they thank users for their feedback. The general feeling is summed up by Christian Payne aka Documentally.
All the checkins I have made from remote places… All the shop keepers and businesses I have tried to convert.. all talks i have given internationally ignoring foursquare and expounding the virtues of Gowalla. For what?I told everyone that with the help of the ipad app Gowalla was the bridge between our ‘real’ and online lives. Well someone has blown that bridge up and told me to take the ferry because it will be a more interesting ‘story’.RIP Gowalla. It was great while it lasted. - Documentally via blog.gowalla.com
Reading between the lines, the consensus seems to be that all the fun elements of using the service have been removed, meaning there is little or no incentive to carry on using it.
While the move away from simply checkins to a ‘travel guide’ is a bold move, the company seem to have forgotten that when people are travelling abroad, they are unlikely to check in or create ‘stories’ due to the high cost of mobile data when roaming.
It isn’t just the users who are at odds with the official version of customer satisfaction. Web based information company Alexa show that Gowalla‘s Traffic Rank and Daily Reach (the estimated percentage of global internet users who visit the site) indicate a marked decline in popularity. Although you cannot use the Alexa data as 100% accurate, it does indicate a trend away from Gowalla.
So what does the future hold for Gowalla? At the moment it looks bleak with some people claiming the company has committed ‘start up suicide’.
However, there is still time for them to reverse the trend. Some have said they should make the old version of Gowalla available again and run the new version alongside it, but the company have stated that they do not wish to run multiple apps.
There is a way to combine the two though.
- Make items and pins available again along with an easy way to view the featured places you have visited.
- Allow people to simply check in if they wish to.
- For those who wish to create a ‘story’, allow users to connect checkins together under a specific title, such as ‘Trip to New York’ which would combine the storytelling element without the need for a separate app.
Only time will tell what is in store for Gowalla but it is with great sadness that I deleted a former favourite app from my phone after accepting that as it is, I will never use it again.
What do you think about the new Gowalla? Is it a brave and unique way to create a unique brand identity or do you long for the days of collecting items, pins and simple check-ins? Why not tell us by leaving a comment below.
Great article. Yes gowalla ruined everythingthey had going. They are now dead to me.
I have to wonder how long services like Foursquare have to be honest. With the ability to share your location now in what will be a native iOS app, I’m wondering what will be the benefit of something like a foursquare. I know people do like to get deals or show that they are “mayor” at a place, but for the common person its to find your friends. Radar might help, but I’m still wondering if that’s enough. With Gowalla though, I think the story idea is a fundamental change in the way we use location based apps and actually makes the event and time at a place front and center than the actual check-in and I actually do enjoy that. Though I did enjoy pins, I rarely used the items. But with the new Gowalla, the focus is on the story and event that happens, not the promotion of the venue, which for me matters most. For the most part, I don’t care that the concert is at Stubbs or Emos, but the fact that KMFDM is playing and I’m enjoying it with my friends. I see that as something more beneficial to me as a user than simply saying my general location. Its not the thing I’m going to check in to the grocery store, but for the most part, no one on your twitter stream cares you’re at the grocery store. The take away for me and the new Gowalla is that its about the thing you’re doing at the venue and not the venue itself. Just my two cents.
Hi Roberto. Thanks for the comment.
In my opinion, device specific check-in apps wouldn’t be a threat to Foursquare unless everyone owned the same phone, which we don’t.
The reason so many people are annoyed by Gowalla’s change is because they have fundamentally changed how their system works. Users spent a long time working to collect virtual achievements and items as well as making new spots for Gowalla’s database. To many it is as if the company have not respected the good will and loyalty shown by users of the service. Don’t forget that these users had championed the startup in the face of stiff competition from Foursquare.
Imagine how you might feel if someone came round to your house and changed your television so it wouldn’t show a picture. That would completely change how you used it and would allow you to do other things while listening. But would you be happy or use it as much?
Good article, Andrew. It is clear that many gowalla users feel frustrated by version 4. I drastically reduced my use of it and still have a hard time persisting.
I think the direction of Gowalla to go to social guides is good but the implementation is a failure.
However your suggestion as a way out of this bad situation is very good! Some flexibility to allow the users to use the service as they wish is a MUST.
Hi Grimm and thanks for the comment. Like you, I think the basic concept of making guides or creating stories is an interesting approach. However Gowalla have alienated a lot of their users by ths enforced change. As I sugguested, there is a way to combine the two and personally, I’d be interested in reading ‘stories’ which were complimented by a series of checkins with photos and notes etc. It would be a great way to both share a trip and also keep an accurate record for yourself.
Maybe Gowalla would like to hire me!
Good article and your suggestions to improve Gowalla v4 make perfect sense to me. Apart from the gorgeous design, the more I’ve used v4, the more I’ve realised how flawed the app is.
I’m currently on holiday and thought I’d test out Gowalla’s new approach by using it both as a travel guide and a document of my holiday. Unfortunately it’s failed to cut it for a number of reasons. For example, using the guide tab for wherever I am has brought up precisely 2 spots – neither of which have descriptions or any reason why I should go there. Of course, I did what most people do and had a look online for places to visit *before* I came here, so the guide has limited use anyway.
As for documenting my holiday – unfortunately due to problems finding spots (which I know exist), ‘checking in’, posting photos and comments (which didn’t all post), I’m left with an incomplete collection of mini stories that tells people very little.
I also used 4SQ and TripColor in tandem with Gowalla. As a long-term user and supporter of Gowalla, it pains me to say that 4SQ was much more reliable for checking in (and much, much faster) and TripColor a better way of documenting my holiday. Neither service is perfect and both have limitations, but the simple truth is I stopped using Gowalla.
I hope that Gowalla does change – but it needs to happen quickly. A search on Twitter or the App Store shows any potential new user that v4 is beautiful, but deeply flawed. And that’s a shame after all the work the devs put in to the new design.
Thanks for the comment Lee. I know what you mean about the app not indicating areas close to you. As I said in the article, it only finds one near me and yet there are a number of tourist attractions nearby (some ‘featured’ on Gowalla) that do not show at all.
Also, data charges abroad will deter many from trying to use it for the purpose they now intend.
A way to make a really killer app would be to allow you to download guides for offline use while on your holiday and all you to checkin while not using any data and this information could be uploaded as a ‘story’ on returning home and read like a travel journal.
Agree with you on all those points. It saddens me to say I haven’t used Gowalla since my holiday and I’m unlikely to use it anytime soon. Too many problems with the app make it a frustrating experience at the moment. Where did all the fun go?
I like your suggestions for change. Oh how I wish Gowalla would take them. I really like the idea of linking check ins. THAT is creating a story and I think it would be a great way to distinguish themselves.
I haven’t been able to delete the app yet. I loved them so much I’m not ready to say goodbye. They have been moved to my last screen though and the once hated Foursquare is now on my home screen.
But it won’t last forever. I have tried to check in a few times and now it won’t even show me where I am, but just popular spots around. Frustrating.
To clarify the Gowalla app is the one that isn’t showing me my current locations.
Unfortunately, as a quick look on Gowalla’s own blog, Facebook page or Twitter feed will show, they are not responding to any negative comments about the change. I don’t know anyone who is still using it and since the change, I certainly haven’t. Ironically, Blackberry users (who often complain their app is behind other platforms in terms of app updates) can still use the old Gowalla app as their version hasn’t been updated yet!