Gowalla Making Some News of Their Own
With location-based services pumping out news like it's their job, Gowalla jumped on the bandwagon announcing new partnerships with LIVESTRONG and online T-shirt shop Threadless.
Gowalla wrote in a blog post that during the Tour de France, LIVESTRONG and Nike operate the unique “chalkbot” – a robot that paints messages of support on the Tour’s roads for those affected by cancer, as submitted by the public via tweets. With Gowalla, the Chalkbot will be checking in from various points along the Tour and uploading pictures along the way.
Users can follow the Chalkbot on Gowalla and check out the Chalkbot site to send your own message of inspiration to be printed during TDF.
In addition to the Chalkbot fun, anyone checking in at NIKETOWN stores or other Nike retail locations will receive a custom Stamp on their Gowalla Passport, as well as a limited edition LIVESTRONG Pin if they check-in during the Tour de France.
According to Gowalla, the LIVESTRONG partnership focuses on using location-sharing to spread hope. The Threadless campaign, however, takes location-sharing along for a cross-country trip as team members have departed from their Chicago offices to travel across the country in a trailer to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary.
The trip is being called the Threadless Everywhere Tour, and Gowalla’s dubbing the location-aware trailer the first-ever real-time moving “Spot.” The trailer, which will be spray painted to bring attention to it via a creative coat, will be continually updating its location using SimpleGeo technology as it traverses the country.
Gowalla users and Threadless fans can track the trip online and Passport Holders can check in to the trailer when it arrives in their neighborhood to get a free T-shirt.
Follow Technorati