cine + octo = boo

If you’ve been paying attention, the geo-location scene is growing increasingly more crowded lately. The big three, in terms of check-in location-based services, appear to be foursquare, Gowalla, and Yelp. Yes, Yelp. I add it here, mostly because the company forced it’s way into the check-in scene by simply adding the features and functionality made popular by foursquare to its existing app, which is already quite popular. And let’s not forget about brightkite. Or, should we?

Amidst all of these very public check-in services comes to new apps centered on geo-location, but in a different way.

Rally

Several months ago, a friend of mine reached out with a quandary. He was planning a trip with a group of friends, and wanted a way to keep the entire group in the loop in a simple yet mobile way. Here’s the catch: the group didn’t want their activity made public, so Twitter and foursquare style apps were a no go. Enter Rally. This app comes from the good folks over at 12seconds.tv, and the inspiration behind the app tells all. The team wanted to build an app that would help real people connect at real locations with people they really, truly know.

When you think about it, the concept actually makes a lot of sense. I’m a bigtime advocate of foursquare — I love the app, and it has me completely hooked. Chances are, I won’t be budging from that service. Sure, it let’s me pick whether or not I’m checking in publicly or privately, and I’ve done a pretty decent job of keeping my contact list trimmed down to people I actually know in real life. But that doesn’t remove the need for something like Rally.

You see, when you choose to go “off the grid” in foursquare, what you’re really saying is, “I don’t want most people to know where I am right now.” Chances are there are still people close enough to you that you don’t actually mind knowing where you are at any given moment. By keeping Twitter out of the equation, Rally keeps things pretty simple and personal — connect with people you actually know, and share your location and activities with those people only. On Rally I find myself checking at places I would ordinarily keep “off the grid” — home, friends houses, etc. If you routinely hang out with the same set of people, letting them know that you are at one persons house versus another could be quite useful. Or think of it’s uses at public events — keep chatter off of Twitter, and keep your location secure. Then you only check in on foursquare at locations you don’t mind being public.

In addition, Rally offers a really slick interface that mixes Google powered maps and images taken by the folks checking in on your friends list. Your feed displays the person and location, along with the image taken upon check-in. The app is only available in Santa Cruz, CA for now, but I could see this being extremely useful (and even complementary to foursquare in some ways).

Try Rally out for yourself, download it from the App Store.

Blockchalk

Like Rally, Blockchalk seeks to simplify the geo-location space. Where Rally dumps the overbloated nature of facebook/Twitter friend collecting, Blockchalk eschews the whole “profile” approach altogether. Instead, the location is put front and center. Every location becomes a block, and your check-ins are actually just messages (or chalk) posted on the block. Get it? Pretty genius.

Essentially, locations become message boards on Blockchalk, and whenever you fire up the app you will find yourself on a new block with a new set of chalks to read through. You set a home location, and always have access to home. Additionally, anyone can respond to your chalks, so you will gather replies and feedback from others in the neighborhoods you frequent.

BlockChalk: The Voice of Your Neighborhood from BlockChalk on Vimeo.

In an even cooler addition, Blockchalk allows you to check out the chalks on any block of your choosing. All you need to jump to a block is an address, a cross street, or a zip code. However, the app (and chalks) remain pure by limiting the power to chalk — one must be at the location in order to author and submit a chalk.

This poses some interesting community aspects. Imagine reporting issues in your local neighborhood? Participation is restricted to your location, so in order to chime in one must actually be in the vicinity of the block. Essentially, in order to act out one must do so while visiting a different location, or risk misbehaving in their own neighborhood. I love the idea of neighborhood interactions taking place in a space like Blockchalk. Strange behavior on your block? Concerns about abandoned vehicles or other community concerns? Try Blockchalk.

I’ve attempted this in my neighborhood already, and I really hope to see it take off.

Try Blockchalk out for yourself, download it from the App Store.

Parting Thoughts

As the geo-location space continues to expand, it’s refreshing to see that some are offering unique ways to make geo-location more useful. I think both Rally and Blockchalk have great potential, but both suffer a little right now from limited participation.

Rally is, by design, restricting use to Santa Cruz residents for the time being. But in order for Blockchalk to be truly useful more people will need to adopt it in their local communities. It could become an insanely powerful community building tool in the local sense of the word, but it will require a wider adoption to get there. I imagine a future where neighbors leave chalk for each other on their block. “We’re planning a garage sale this Sunday, whose in?” or “Who is interested in a summer block party?” Picture the considerations involved in moving into a new neighborhood. If put to full use, one could check Blockchalk and see exactly what kind of world exists on that block.

As you can tell, I’m pulling for both of these apps. So check them out and let me know what you think.