I’m a big fan of location based networks. I’ve been using Foursquare since last July, but I have to admit that I’m getting a little bored of it. Facebook Places seems somewhat interesting, but it’s more because most of your friends already have accounts. If I’m going to be motivated to keep checking into places, I need an incentive. Foursquare occasionally gets me something for free, but the gaming element of the service seems like an afterthought. That’s why I was excited to check out SCVNGR when a reader recommended them as a company to feature. They’re based in Boston, MA, and their focus is on getting people to do challenges at specific places and share what they’ve done with friends. Their go to example is making tin-foil origami out of the wrapper from a burrito place and then uploading a picture of it, but I’ll bet that it can get way more interesting than that. For instance, anyone can build a set of challenges and treks with rewards on SCVNGR—I could take the Cornell Daily Sun’s list of 161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do and turn it into a SCVNGR trek. Maybe I could even team up with a sponsor to reward people who knock off certain items on the list. SCVNGR seems like a really fun way to learn about cool things to do and then share what you’re doing with friends. I can definitely see this taking off—maybe I’ll make a trek for getting a job.

SCVNG for a Job

SCVNGR is certainly in its early stages, but they’re already working with big names like The Smithsonian, The New England Patriots, and Princeton University. You can see a full list of their clients here. They’re funded by some really well respected names, including Google Ventures, so you know that they’re serious about location based gaming. They have a small team of only about 20 60 people so far, but they’re already looking to add to it. If you check out their Rockstars page, you’ll see short profiles of all of their employees along with job postings for positions in Software Development and Sales. I can’t imagine what kind of challenges are included in their hiring process, but hopefully their app is at least part of it. That’d be pretty cool.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• SCVNGR.com
• Jobs at SCVNGR
• About SCVNGR
• How to Play SCVNGR
• SCVNGR’s FAQ

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