The check in is the least interesting part of the location based phenomenon. Look no further than Brightkite to see that an uninteresting post check in experience is a recipe for disaster. It is a shame really as Brightkite is not only beautiful, but the founders are smart technologists who got most of the idea right. It is fun to check in to see what is going to happen next, but as you provide more information including recommendations, photos and even purchases, you should see more in return. You are not only advocating, but if you are sharing what you are doing with your social graph, you are also providing free impressions.*  We know what happens if the post check in experience is a dud, but what about the other extreme?
 

Get Out of Your Social Rut

Whrrl is about getting you out of your “social rut”. The behaviors that you share with Whrrl factor heavily into what happens within the experience. Yes. Whrrl allows you to check in and you can see where your friends are just like on Foursquare and Gowalla, but it takes things to a different level.

The goals of Whrrl are to:

• Create communities
• Encourage people to act by giving them good ideas
• Viral spread

Using your check in behavior, Whrrl puts you into groups that they call societies. These societies are part of their segmentation model and keep the conversations on task. Often times when people join forums or groups, they begin by discussing a particular topic. Developer forums contain code discussion, parenting groups discuss everything from adoption to potty training, but as people become familiar with one another. But bonds form and conversations veer into other areas. Sure, it’s the sign of a good community when people feel comfortable with evolving their relationships, but it also makes it tough for newcomers to break into groups and it can change the original purpose of the community.

Whrrl Leverages Context

A: You check in to places.
B: Whrrl learns as you check in and places you in societies. Societies are groups of people with one common passion. Brands can sponsor societies, for example Red Bull has a society.

C: The people in the societies are also checking in to places. They are also making recommendations based on things that they like at the places they go. These become ideas.

D: You can make a list of things you want to do by clicking Want on recommendations that you find interesting. This also validates the person who made the recommendation and gives them influence points which levels them up in societies. Presumably, the people with the highest levels in societies know the most about that topic. You can add your own recommendations and help people find fun things to do and gain influence points. Who knows, you might make new friends in the process.

A Lot To Get Your Head Around

You had no idea it did all of that, did you? I did not either because, as I explained to Jeff Holden and team, there is a lot to do in Whrrl and much of it isn’t evident to anyone who is not willing to discover it on their own. I talked to some heavy social media users about Whrrl and gave them overviews of the tool. Many of them had no idea that Whrrl could do so many things. Part of the confusion is that Whrrl does not seem to want to stick with convention. Beyond use of the standard term “check in”, Whrrl has made attempts to introduce its own terms like “societies”. The big problem is that societies are crucial to the understanding of what Whrrl can do for you so if you do not understand what a society is or why you are being placed into them from the start, Whrrl seems confusing. Whrrl has some good explanations of what it can do for you, but they are pretty well hidden inside of the tool.

When you blaze a new trail, it can be tough to get people to go your way. There are a lot of ways to go once you get into Whrrl. I have covered about 80% of the functionality. There are some cool offer based features and a whole system that notifies you when things happen. Have you tried Whrrl? What is your impression? Is it your LBS of choice? If not, why not?
 
 
* Here is an example where tasty D lite rewards its customers for linking their social graph to their loyalty program.