Comparing Check-In Apps: the Location-Based Check-In and More

When I first saw this Status: THIS comic back in January by the awesome Andrew Jones, I chuckled.  Foursquare had just gone global and I was doing my part to remember to check-in where ever I went.  But there was no way I would ever get as bad as the guy in that comic.

Well friends, after looking at photos from a recent trip to Minnesota, I decided that I'm there. I have check-in fever.

annoying friend with her nose in her phone - I'm in this very position in several pictures. 

What am I doing in that photo? Getting a "crunked" badge for my client. Yes, I checked in as myself, logged out, logged in as my client, and checked in again.  I felt like a stick in the mud pulling out my phone every time we went somewhere new and kept apologizing to everyone.  But on the other hand, I wanted to share my cool vacation with my friends/followers who likely weren't following my every move anyway.  There is an unfounded, almost unexplainable gratification checking-in somewhere the first time, getting mayorships, getting stickers, badges, pins, points, whatever.  

If you think checking-in is strictly about location, you are mistaken. I think I check into most activities I do and I know that I only use a fraction of the possible check-in apps.  My check-in apps:

1. Foursquare

Although they don't have the most users for a location-based geosocial app (iPhone-only MyTown does), they get the most hype. I'm personally a giant fan of the Foursquare platform.  I haven't been granted the editing power of "SuperUser" status (yet), but I'm actively participating with tips, adding locations under the approved address style, selecting categories and the like.  I'm even working on building a local foursquare community to encourage more usage and awareness in my area. 

2. Gowalla

I honestly am not as an avid user of Gowalla as Foursquare, but I do like a lot of their features: user created "trips," photo upload ability, and their new "highlights" addition.   Their highlights component allows users to tell stories about locations; ex. "Best Slice" and "Popped the Question" - giving more personality to places/users.  I also like that you can win things easier on Gowalla.  Y'all know how I like to win things. 

3. GetGlue

With GetGlue I have the possibility to check into television, music, books, movies, video games, "topics," gossip, and my personal favorite - checking into wine.  GetGlue is addictive because you can forever browse movies, shows, recording artists, etc Netflix-style and select things you like, dislike, and your choose your most favorite things. GetGlue then suggests other things you might enjoy and alerts you to new releases you should look into based upon your interests. 

4. Miso

Miso is a lot like GetGlue, but with a simpler interface; it's just TV and movies.  They recently added the ability to check into individual episodes of a show, which is great. The battle between Miso and GetGlue reminds me a lot of the showdown between Blu Ray and HD DVD. I'm using both, but I don't think both will ultimately end up surviving. It's interesting to see what brands/channels/shows decide to support which app. 

5. SCVNGR

I downloaded SCVNGR and used it when I visited a museum because I had seen the location was part of a "trek." I'm also into the true gaming aspect SCVNGR uses. However, perhaps because it's a user-generated trek, I found the challenges clunky and unrewarding. I haven't used it since. My coworker did get a great coupon at our local mall using SCVNGR, so I may give it another shot.

6. Beerby

I'm a big fan of beer, so when I found there was a check-in app for my beloved drink I was overjoyed!  I think the app still needs some work (at least the Android version), but I adore the concept. 

I don't Loopt, Yelp, or many of the other apps that you can use to check-in. And I most definitely do not use Facebook Places or a Twitter locator (bleh!).  And yes, all of these are through my Droid, so I can check-in on location, unlike reviewing something on Amazon, GoodReads, Netflix, etc. 

If you'd like to be friends with me on any of these platforms, let me know (or check my google profile, I have them all listed). 

What are you using? I shudder to inquire, but is there something I should be using?