March 2010 Archives

This is another post about Gowalla. Yes. I love Gowalla if you haven’t been able to tell. I’ve noticed several things with users since I’ve started using Gowalla last year. Here is a list of things that are not cool or cool with Gowalla & Gowalla users.

Gowalla Icon

Not Cool: Foursquare’s user interface.
Cool: Gowalla’s user interface.

Not Cool: Loosing your mayorship in Foursquare.
Cool: Finding a needed bonus item in Gowalla.

Not Cool: Creating a duplicate spot.
Cool: Checking to see if there is a spot already created at your location before creating another spot.

Not Cool: Not editing a spot to fix it’s location or name after a few days.
Cool: Editing a spot after you created it to fix it’s location or name as soon as you can.

Not Cool: Creating fake spots.
Cool: Not creating fake spots.

Not Cool: Creating spots in non-interesting locations.
Cool: Creating spots in interesting locations where many people will check-in at.

Not Cool: Not dropping an item at spots when you check-in for the 1st time.
Cool: Dropping an item at spots when you check-in to them for the 1st time.

Not Cool: Creating a spot for your house. You’re not that clever.
Cool: Not creating a spot for your house. (Don’t you people see posts about this stuff?)

Not Cool: Being flooded by multiple notifications to your smartphone.
Cool: Being about to turn off notifications per user or completely.

If I come up with any more, I’ll be sure to add them. If you have any, let me know and I’ll add them to this post.

I’m looking to start doing a social media podcast that will touch on everything about social media, from the web to mobile. I’m looking for a person or two to do this with, co-hosts if you will.

iTunes Podcast icon

If you are interested, this is what you will need:

  • Skype account
  • Headphones/mic
  • Understanding of social media on web & mobile
  • Be able to commit to doing a weekly (as of now), 30 – 60 minute chat

I don’t care if you have a PC or Mac; an iPhone, Blackberry, or Android smartphone; or where you live.

If you want to talk, send me a tweet or leave a comment below. And if you really know me well, you can send me an email, because if you know me well you should have my email address.

The other day Josh Williams, founder of Gowalla, posted Guidelines for Spot Creating & Editing on their blog & on their GetSatisfaction.com support site. Josh says to “consider this an incomplete list of best practices when creating and edits spots on Gowalla”. It’s a good read and gives some good tips from the company themselves, it even includes a few things that can get your account suspended or terminated.

Gowalla Logo

Topics covered include:

  • Use Proper Names Where Appropriate
  • Double Check for Dupes
  • Go for Value
  • Your Home on Gowalla?
  • Keep Descriptions Relevant, Real and Brief
  • Don’t Be a Hater
  • Notes on Editing
  • Featured Spots

I have a post that has some tips and personal advice on using Gowalla in case you missed it: TIPS FOR USING GOWALLA.

I’m willing to do a swap for some needed Gowalla items. We can set up a swap somewhere in the northern Delaware area. Get hold of me on Twitter or leave me a comment here. First come, first serve. If you don’t have anything I need, that’s cool. I can still drop an item for you to pick up.

Here’s what I need:
Designing with Web Standards
Designing with Web Standards

Crush It! Book
Crush It! Book

Roadrunner
Roadrunner

Longhorn Skull
Longhorn Skull

Longhorn
Longhorn

Fieldnotes Pin
Fieldnotes Pin

Big Belt Buckle
Big Belt Buckle

Airbag Industries Pin
Airbag Industries Pin

Two-Headed Serpent
Two-Headed Serpent

Roughly 2 hours ago Gowalla tweeted the following:

Gowalla Item Drought is Over

I was able to go out and check to see if this was finally true. And YES IT IS! I scored several items and 2 of the new bonus items from last week (2-piece Luggage and Gowalla Cling).

Now I’d love to hear, by a blog post or a post in the support forum on GetSatisfaction.com, of what happened. I think most of us Gowalla users are technical enough to understand.

UPDATE 03/14/2010: Due to the large amount of posts to the item drought thread, earlier posts have been deleted. Anyone suffering from the same issue should click on the “I’m having this problem too” link and post a comment.


It’s been almost 2 weeks now since a Gowalla user posted about an issue on their support site at GetSatisfaction.com about the lack of bonus items dropping when checking into spots. Since that first post, Gowalla marked it as “Not a problem” yet more and more people are adding replies to the post about having the exact same issue, including me. The issue has quickly been labeled as the “Item Drought”.

The Gowalla Item Drought - No New Bonus Items

I stumbled upon Gowalla back in the late summer/early fall of 2009 and quickly got addicted to it. I used it all the time, creating new spots in my spotless area and got others to start using the app. I was in love with Gowalla. I loved the fact that it had items to find and collect and I got addicted to finding the new bonus items. Then all of the sudden no bonus items were appearing.
Read the rest of this entry »

Nothing instills faith and trust in your local police department than being accused of staging a break-in into your own house on a Monday night (a work night) 1.5 years ago.

FUCK YOU NEW CASTLE COUNTY (DELAWARE) POLICE!

FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING TARD MONKEYS.

FUCK YOU

CAN’T YOU FUCKING FIGURE OUT A SIMPLE FUCKING BURGLARY?

CAN’T YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED OR DO YOU JUST COME UP
WITH SOME BULLSHIT THAT IT WAS “HACKERS”.
WHAT THE FUCK WOULD HACKERS DO COMING OUT OF
THEIR PARENT’S BASEMENTS AND BREAK INTO A HOUSE?

COULD YOU FUCKING PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF FUCKING
DONUT-EATING, NIGHT STICK UP THE FUCKING ASS LOGIC IS THAT?

“Excellence in Policing”? FUCKING BULLSHIT!

It’s been over 1.5 years ago and I still feel like this towards you!

I WILL NEVER TRUST YOU FOR JACK SHIT!

GO EAT SOME FUCKING DONUTS, HARASS INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND
SHOVE YOUR NIGHT STICKS UP EACH OTHER’S ASSES
LIKE YOU NORMALLY DO!