In addition to LBS, I am not so sure Isee the value of gamification, which has taken a lot of attention these days - specifically badging.
Companies that showcased at disrupt showed badging as a feature, and the panels seemed to like companies that did so - even so far as to suggest badging to those who didnt have it.
Reddit has badging, but it is transparent to the use of the site (it is not a goal of using the site). This, to me, works well - but for any site to think that they will garner interest/drive traffic due to badging seems naive.
Can't say badging has ever motivated me outside of gaming and even then some are just highly repetitive to keep you playing. In something like WoW some of the badges actually require you to complete new sections of content and can be fun to acquire.
Yes, but that is a game... badging (or gamification) of activities that are a stretch to be called games... that's what I find odd.
I will not decry these sites/services outright, simply because I have been on the internet since its inception and therefore cannot claim to be able to predict how newly adopting generations will use it.
I personally don't see the value of gamification - but there certainly is the genius site that will make the next killer with it. I don't feel they exist yet. The idea is in its infancy and will be say, 3 generations of companies will we all go "holy shit - that is so obvious!"
As mentioned, it's hard to see badging catch on outside of gaming. That said, maybe there should be an effort to make sure it DOES catch on. I wouldn't mind winning cool new prizes at work for meeting or exceeding certain metrics.
Companies that showcased at disrupt showed badging as a feature, and the panels seemed to like companies that did so - even so far as to suggest badging to those who didnt have it.
Reddit has badging, but it is transparent to the use of the site (it is not a goal of using the site). This, to me, works well - but for any site to think that they will garner interest/drive traffic due to badging seems naive.