Analysis of the encounter between LBS and SNS

Visual Design three thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight 13 years ago (2010-10-17)

This year's network is extremely hot. It has not only achieved the well-known "Brother Sharp", "Sister Feng", "Xiao Yueyue", "Ma Nuo" and others, but also made Foxconn's continuous jump, Shanghai World Expo, and South Africa World Cup spread all over the streets. Internet innovation is also not lonely. Recently, two hot Internet innovation models have emerged, setting off a frenzy in the industry. One is location-based service (LBS) mode represented by Foursquare; One is the group buying model represented by Groupon. This paper discusses location-based services (LBS mode). On the one hand, it selects typical LBS representative websites for analysis, and on the other hand, it considers the encounter between LBS and SNS. For details, please continue to read

 

1、 LBS background

This paper discusses LBS mode. What is LBS? Children's shoes can Baidu Encyclopedia and Wikipedia Look at the detailed explanation of terms. The situation of LBS in China can be summed up in 12 words: "Early opening, low popularity; new opportunities, development; wide application, great value." In fact, this location-based service has some application exploration in China in the early years, such as BEIDO and Handheld Smart, but it does not have the advantage of time and place, so it does not have much impact.

However, times have changed. Today, the maturity and development of 3G, the popularity and popularity of smart phones, make LBS services flourish. At present, the leaders in this field abroad are Foursquare Other websites Gowalla , MyTown and Loopt Etc. It is also the success of Foursquare that has lifted the wind of imitation in China, and also ignited the enthusiasm of LBS services in China. Representatives of domestic LBS websites include Play around where? side of the street Mushroom ball Funny Etc.

During the research on these sites, we found that they are more or less related to SNS websites. So, imagine whether LBS will give SNS sites (such as white Sociology )Will it bring new opportunities that will affect the user's behavior mode and life What about habits? Anything is possible. Therefore, two typical sites are selected for analysis.

2、 LBS case analysis

1. Foursquare

It is a location based service. Users can "check in" their location through their mobile phones and publish their location through popular social network platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. It is a game, a platform to make friends, a place to exchange information, a media to introduce where to eat, drink and play, and a tool to record your activities.

Website positioning: It can be seen from the user head in the interface that the user group of the site is college students or 20 to 30 year olds who live in big cities and use smart phones. (After searching, this view was confirmed by the founder of the website.) The website was initially only operated in large cities in the United States, but since December last year, users around the world can use the service of the website. At present, Tokyo ranks second only to New York in terms of the number of registered users.
 

Operation mode: Effectively combine the mobile network with the traditional fixed network, use its services to combine offline services (merchants) and location, promote each other to publish content, and better provide offline services based on location; It provides a simple and interesting way to encourage users to use their services (medals); Location information can be synchronized to Twitter and Facebook.
 

Business process: This product is an effective combination of mobile Internet and traditional fixed Internet, and of course the business is also carried out on two platforms. Here, the main businesses on the platform are selected for process combing.

1). Mobile terminal
 

2). PC side
 

User experience When it comes to website analysis, an essential item is the user experience of the site. This is the user's overall feeling of the site and a key factor to measure the success or failure of the site, because only users like the site can have the meaning of existence and space for development. The site's favorite aspects are: fewer page jumps, fewer information levels, and simple steps; Detailed instructions for tips and guidance; The incentive mechanism is very good, so that users have a sense of achievement. The bad aspects are: the location is quite chaotic, and even there are a lot of meaningless test data in some places, often places are added repeatedly, and most of the time the location you want to add may not exist; There is a serious lack of sinicization, and the network environment is not good, resulting in a mixture of Chinese and English names, which greatly affects the perception and experience; The home page after login is too hidden, but the personal home page has many obvious entrances; At present, no Symbian mobile phone client has been launched, and many Nokia users cannot enjoy the experience.

2. Where

In short, it is Foursquare with Chinese style. You can "spot" your location through the "where" client of your phone, and through Sina micro-blog And other popular social network platforms to publish their positions. Users can see other users' comments on this site, and can also add other people who have visited this site as friends. At the same time, if there are friends nearby, "where" will send a prompt message to the user, showing how many meters away from the user, and what he said on which "site". "Where" will also use various "medals" to encourage users to check more.

Website positioning: Like Foursquare, the site's user base is college students or 20 - or 30 year olds who live in big cities and use smart phones.

Operation mode: Points can be gained by stamping. Each region is called a "village". Users can create a village or be a village head. The program has a ranking list. Medals are awarded according to the level. You can also view the national and global rankings. Different from Foursquare, it superimposes elements of social circles on the basis of geographical information, and further guides many people's demand for the Internet from the existing entertainment, information and communication platforms to the aspects of cultural and life partners.

Business process: Similarly, his business is also divided into mobile Internet and fixed Internet. The business processes of their respective platforms are shown below.

1) . Mobile terminal
 

2). PC side
 

User experience: The good aspects are: the information list is very clear, easy to view, and convenient to contact friends; The interaction in the interface is enhanced, and its clickability is highly indicative. The things that are not done well are: the ancient interface is unique, but the names and instructions used are somewhat obscure and difficult to understand; In the interface design, there are too many decorative elements, which makes me feel a bit dizzy.

3、 LBS meets SNS

1. Infotainment will become more complex, interesting and accurate
High precision positioning information will be more practical. At the same time, games, chat, making friends, parties, communities, blogs, etc. will provide richer interactive services through WAP, JAVA/BREW, and other forms.

2. LBS will become the standard configuration of the community
Whether domestic or foreign LBS products, LBS is basically combined with SNS. Can LBS alone do it.

3. LBS will bring new opportunities and models to SNS
As a combination of online and offline applications, location-based services will effectively enrich the interaction between mobile SNS users, create a diversified friendship mode for users, and further improve the mobile SNS application system.

4、 Conclusion

The emergence of LBS makes the development of the Internet serve people's lives to a greater extent, and bring convenience to people's lives in a more obvious and intelligent way. Location based services and social networking sites are products that enrich people's lives. When they collide, what sparks will be aroused? Let's brainstorm, because you may be the next Internet trendsetter.