Is Foursquare vs. Gowalla like Youtube vs. Vimeo?

For the past couple months I've seen media glom on to Foursquare and only mention Gowalla in passing. A few times I've even been tempted to tell my friends and coworkers, "You should just use Foursquare. It's all about the users, and Foursquare's getting them." 

But I've stopped myself short, partly because I do think their might be room for multiple geo-location networks out there (even once Twitter really gets gung-ho about theirs).

The comparison that keeps coming back to me is Youtube and Vimeo. Youtube has the users, no doubt about it. But--at least from what I can see--Vimeo is doing just as well, having positioned itself as the higher quality video sharing site, both in terms of the service you get and the content that gravitates to the aesthetically-pleasing space.

I suppose another comparison is HP/Dell and Apple. There are room for both, because there are people who want "It's cheap and it works," and there are people who want "It's the best experience there is." I'm wondering if the same thinking can be applied to Foursquare vs. Gowalla.

Foursquare is becoming the marketing and advertising centric checkin app, while I see Gowalla becoming the leisure and community app. Foursquare is better at implementing game mechanics (points and promos), and Gowalla is better at implementing leisure mechanisms (trips and passport).

I guess the question is, do people using geolocation apps want to be where the rest of the users are, or where their individual experience makes them feel good? 

For myself, I'm almost ready to switch over to Foursquare because the experience with this app is being able to participate with my network in geo-location fun and have an easier time keeping tabs on them. If the people are on Foursquare, my essential experience will be better there so long as they don't turn into an offensive advertisement platform at every turn (a big "if").

But so long as there are Gowalla users who enjoy its aesthetic and leisure-centric approach, it will do just fine as well. After all, I enjoy my Vimeo experience and my Youtube experience.

Do you think Gowalla will thrive? Do you think either will survive once Twitter really flips the geo switch?

Posted via email from T.J. Cook