Location Based Social Networking with Whrrl [Guest Post]

Yesterday I told you about my experience with Foursquare, but Foursquare is far from the only location based social networking service out there. Today we’ll hear about Whrrl from my friend Sara of Saving for Someday.

Have you ever gone to a concert or out to dinner only to find out days later that one of your friends was at the same place but you didn’t know? Does your family live in another city or state and want you to send pictures or tell them what you’re doing? Do you want to document your life’s adventures?

Now imagine you had Whrrl. The location based social networking app for your phone could make it possible to find people you know simply by checking in on your phone. With a few taps, you can not only let people know where you are but also tell others what you think of the location or experience and share photos. You can also share up to the minute photos of the kids, a great meal, or a fab outfit. And you can also leave your thoughts and impressions for others to see.

I first used Whrrl at a blogging conference. It was helpful to find friends in a crowd and share my experience with my friends & family back home. But when I returned home, I just didn’t know what I would do with it. My friends were not on Whrrl and I wondered why complete strangers would really care that I like the lemon gelato somewhere. But as I met more people and talked about it, I realized that it’s not just about letting my friends know I’ve arrived somewhere. But, it’s a way to connect with online friends, IRL friends, family, brands and like-minded people.

Here are my 5 reasons for using Whrrl

1. Whrrl interfaces with Twitter and Facebook. You can share your location, recommendations and pictures with your friends, family and followers on Twitter and Facebook. Friends and family can keep up with you. In addition, other people can find out what you think about where you’ve been.

2. It’s a great tool when traveling. Recently I was in the San Francisco area and was not very familiar with places to eat or attractions that might be a good fit for my 7-year old daughter. Whrrl was an invaluable tool because locals had recommended places, provided photos and gave their honest opinions. I could look up information based on where I was at any given time. I could then enter my thoughts and recommendations and pictures and build upon existing stories, so the next person could have more information. Also, it ties back to #1, Twitter. And this is how Carrie and I connected. I was looking for a restaurant and I Whrrl’d my location and posted it to Twitter with a comment about finding a good place to eat. Minutes later, I had a tweet from @carrieactually telling me of a great place. So rather than a hit and miss experience, I could take her recommendation, look it up on Whrrl and see that other people agreed. Decision made!

3. You can chronicle your life. With Whrrl, you can upload photos and add captions and create a story about where you are and what you are experiencing. This is a great way to share your experience with your friends, your family and your community. It can be as routine as going to the store to shop for Back to School or as unique as a limo ride through wine country. You’re providing valuable information about stores, people, sights, sounds and experiences. You’re encouraging people to get out and chronicle their life too!

4. Whrrl can be used on a smartphone or in a web-based application. Sometimes you want to check in and just take pictures and enjoy your experience and then document and share it later. Whrrl can do that. Besides using your phone to chronicle your experience you can upload photos to your computer and further create a story online with Whrrl. You can add notes, comments, and recommendations in addition to all the photos.

5. It’s fun! I see the great things my friends are doing and be inspired to get out. I can make new friends, try new things and get out and live rather than wonder if something will work for me or my family. I also like to share my experiences and hear what other people say or see that one of my friends wants to do something based on my recommendation.

If you would like to see what Whrrl is all about, you can download it from the app store on your smartphone. You can go directly to Whrrl and sign up. Start living out loud!

Related posts:
Location Based Social Networking with Foursquare #BlogHer10
How to Make the Most of Your Wii… for Adults [Guest Post]
Formulists Creates Twitter Lists Based on Interactions

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