If you don’t know what Gowalla is, let me explain. Gowalla is a social networking application of sort. Not that dissimilar to Facebook or Twitter where you can see what your friends are doing, but the best way to describe it is it’s more of a geocaching application or geotagging/orienteering.
Gowalla basically allows you to show your friends where you are or have been and collect various pins (badges) and items (trinkets) for traveling around the world using your smartphone.
Think of those older days where you might have carried out orienteering where you follow a map to a place, or even the more recent geocaching where you find locations and physically pickup trinkets. Gowalla is basically more of a Geocaching app, but the trinkets are in digital form. There are other applications like Four Square but Gowalla has much better designed icons and is much more appealing to the eye.
About Gowalla
You launch the app, and you look for places around where you currently are located. Gowalla uses your GPS position from your built-in GPS receiver on the iPhone and Gowalla also have apps out for other platforms and devices and have a mobile website also at http://m.gowalla.com.
If you find a location near where you are (usually within 100 meters then you can Check In to the location. Checking basically tells any other friends on Gowalla that you are at the location, or that you’ve been at this location at some point in the day. So for instance, if you go to a coffee shop, you’ll probably want to check in. Each time you check in you get a what is called a Stamp. Stamps go on your Gowalla passport, just like a real passport. So the more locations you check into the more stamps (or points) you receive. So it becomes a game of trying to get the most amount of points with your friends.
How to just let your friends know where you are
Only check in to a location near you if you are actually there. That way other friends can see where you are and might also want to join you if they are in the local vicinity.
There are various types of locations, each one has a different radius that you can check into, e.g. 100 meters is the most typical radius, but you can go up to an XX Large location or a Stadium that allows a radius up to 200 meters.
You have to be within the radius to be able to check in, if you are outside of the radius then you’re too far away. This is the most common misunderstanding with Gowalla that people say they can’t check in for.
How to play Gowalla for points
If you want to play Gowalla for points (as Gowalla is a game), you don’t have to actually visit say a coffee shop, you could be passing by the coffee shop, but still want to check in because you have actually been there. It’s just that you might not have stopped off for 10 or 15 minutes. You’ll find a lot of people on Gowalla that play the game like this, they want to rack up as much points as possible in the quickest time.
The place doesn’t exist in Gowalla, why?
Well quite simply it’s because nobody has created it yet. Create it yourself, and if you want to become a founder to say “hey I created and own this place” then also drop an item from your pockets to mark it as your spot.
What types of places can I or should I create?
Well it really depends on you. Most people create businesses, historic places, theme parks, shops but some people also list their own homes. Obviously be aware, that if you create your own home on Gowalla then it also means that not only can others check in to your location if they’re passing, but they can also see it’s your home and how many times you’ve checked into it.
How to play Gowalla for items
Each time you check in to a location, there is a small chance that you will be awarded a trinket, or in Gowalla’s terms an item. These items can range from anything like a toy car, to a pair of gloves, a clay pot, an iPhone case, or even something like a Tablet PC. Depending on the type of location you are visiting, you will receive different items as a freebie for checking in now and again. So for instance, if you visited a technology shop or an iPhone shop you’re more likely to receive a free iPod case or a Tablet PC.
You’re only allowed to hold 10 items, which isn’t a lot, so the way you want to play your items is to vault any item that you haven’t already vaulted. Vaulting means you add it to your collection so you cannot trade it later. Try to collect in your vault single versions of each item, e.g. don’t vault two clay pots unless you really need to. Try to collect all 100 unique items from Gowalla.
How to get more items that you don’t have in your vault
You can also trade items in Gowalla, so for instance, say you have 5 football helmets and 5 clay pots, you can check into a place, check the items that are available at this location and swap one of the items with one you have in your pockets, e.g. a clay pot. You have to drop an item when you pick an item up, so you can’t just go around stealing all the items as that wouldn’t be fare game.
Having trouble finding the items you need that you don’t have in your vault?
If so check out http://www.gowallatools.com/web/map/, simply enter your Gowalla user name and the location you want to look at on the Google Map and it will show you all the locations that have been recorded in Gowalla in that vicinity and allow you to view which items are at each location. That way you can go and check into one of these locations and do a swap of items to expand the items you don’t already have.
What are Pins?
Pins are basically a badge, to say that you have accomplished something. e.g. that you’ve created 10 spots, or that you’ve visited 25 coffee shops. It’s a pin to wear with honor, and you can’t trade these, likewise you can’t trade your stamps.
What are Trips?
Trips are locations of spots, e.g. you might want to go on a specific pub crawl, or a Halloween trip, once you visit all the spots that are in the trip then you get a pin that says you completed it (another accomplishment).
I want to create a place that is within about half a mile of where I am, can I do so?
Technically no, it’s not possible, you need to be at that location. However, there is another way, you can create it at the location at where you are at, then sign into the Gowalla website and edit the spot, and then move it’s position. Beware though you’re only allowed to move it within about half a mile of your current location.
I created a spot in the wrong location, can I delete it?
Yes, if you are the creator you can delete it, providing you or nobody else has checked in but only by logging into the Gowalla website. If you or someone else has checked in, then you will need to tweet Gowalla’s Street Team Elite to delete it for you.
I realise there’s two locations one is an error / duplicate, can it be merged?
Yes, tweet to Gowalla’s Street Team Elite and provide the location numbers of both locations and which one should remain, and they will merge the locations for you.
Can I link Gowalla to Facebook?
Yes you can, so you then get the option every time you check into a location to post something on your Facebook page.
Can I link Gowalla to Twitter?
Yes you can, so you then get the option every time you check into a location to post something on your Twitter page.
What kind of items are there on Gowalla?
You can find a more comprehensive list of Gowalla items here
Want to find if you’re in the Top 300 Gowalla list?
You can find out here although currently it’s a manual list of the Top 300 Gowalla users.
Should I add friends? Some people don’t have many friends
One thing you have to be aware of with Gowalla is that friends can see exactly where you are or where you’ve been. So if you want a level of privacy, then you shouldn’t just add anyone as a friend. Similarly the same applies to Facebook. Some people prefer to have hundreds or thousands of friends, but beware you’re more open to stalkers and are less secure. For instance if people see you’re checking into locations away from your home, they might then think your home is open season for burgling. Beware!
That’s about it for the time being for the Gowalla tutorial and how to play Gowalla.
