Facebook Google Places Foursquare Gowalla LooptStar SCVNGR BrightKite Latitude 500 million 5 million + 600,000 4 million over 2 User Adoption active active + *registered* 1 million million 3 million Ease of Use high high good good very good good high medium- n/a - difficult to medium to uses claim library claim Google Set Up venues venues easy minimal minimal easy Places Can check in via text? no no no yes yes yes no Can I check in via (using web Blackberry? yes yes yes yes yes or SMS) no yes, Can check in via very Android? yes yes yes yes yes yes limited Can check in via iPhone? yes yes yes yes yes yes yes Can check in via (using iPad or iPod? yes yes yes yes yes web) yes Can check in via laptop? yes no no no yes yes yes medium - medium - can can drop engage in items deep - conversations Level of and pick through with those engagement shallow shallow some up shallow quizzes around you shallow through quizzes, and once you get medium, enough users points, high, users like to loopt mix ability to supports want to be high, all the announce shows you make your group Level of found by users want where people own chats via Interactivity friends to be mayor they are nearby challenges sms low Cost for Library 0 0 0 0 depends 0 0 Cost for User 0 0 0 SMS fees SMS fees 0 not responsive Technical Support to .edu - responsive from the Company Difficult wait list unknown unknown to .edu unknown unknown Easy, requires mobile device or use touch. facebook. com on any hard, computer; requires now Easy, Easy, moving advanced supports requires requires more to software feature mobile mobile group text that few Ability to check in phones device device Easy Easy via SMS have Social connectivity high high high high low good low location accuracy very good high good good good high integrate facebook with places, Foursquare,share social media facebook or Facebook updates with facebook integration no twitter Places fb, twitter and twitter no no Facebook Google Places Foursquare Gowalla LooptStar SCVNGR BrightKite Latitude share locations and photos post photos yes yes yes yes yes via text no