The Future of Location-Based Applications

My thinking on the future of location-based applications is that we’re not yet far enough along. We have two solid applications (GPS and announcement), and one reasonably developed one (geotagging), but we are lacking a few more things that I need. I shot a quick video, and then you can read my thoughts below. If you can’t see the video, click here. If you want to write a post and track back to this one, use the url http://chrisbrogan.com/futureoflocation.

Location Based Apps Need an Identity Register

It’s not enough to tell me what’s local. I want you to tell me what’s local that I actually care about. If I prefer seafood restaurants to sushi restaurants, I want Yelp to serve me those when I ask what’s around. If I prefer shopping to museums, then I want that. I want a “register” that adds functions to when I check in, so that it knows how I want to represent myself.

Location Based Apps Need Temporary Groups

I want to identify and be “seen” by local and temporary groups, but not announce my presence to everywhere else. Thus, when I’m at a conference, I want all conference goers to have a steady state knowledge of where to find me, without me re-checking over and over, but not flood or notify the rest of the world that’s not at an event. I want this by proximity, or maybe by hashtag. There are more ways to do this than I could imagine.

Location Based Apps Need Commerce

It’s great that you get coupons. Make actual currency transfer real, and then I can do things peer to peer and not just vendor to customer. This would enable a whole new level of commerce. The mobile payment tools are there. PayPal already allows for phone to phone transactions. I just want there to be a location-based tie-in, and/or I want the ability to “float” $10 in space somewhere for someone else to pick up, or pick up after a task is complete.

And You?

You’re smarter at location than me. What’s your take?

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