Schmaps: The Twitter Friendly, Sociable Alternative to Foursquare

March 29, 2010 - By Alex Miranda

I am a fan of Foursquare, in fact I think I have more Mayorships than anybody else in the small city in which I live. I’m also a member of Twitter who tweets on a frequent basis. As a result, I truly enjoy the many relationships I have with my Tweeps. Both Foursquare and Twitter are ways for me to connect to people. While Foursquare has allowed me to communicate my status, via Twitter, that has been pretty much the limit of its integration into the social media giant that is Twitter. As a result, they both remain completely separate tools, when I think of social networking. For me, there was a void in cleanly combining the two. Fortunately, for me and many other social networking-obsessed technophiles, Schamps has come to the rescue.

Right now, Schmaps is a free (the best kind) open Beta. You can go to their website, and all you have to do is enter your Twitter username and the address or location at which you will be. It’s that simple, and, in my opinion, super effective. Let’s face it. If I check in at a restaurant with my friends, via Foursquare, while you are on the other side of town, the chances that we meet up are slim at best. Schmaps lets you anticipate a situation like this, set your intended location in advance, and include the planned time and date. With Schmaps, I am more likely to be able to meet up with my friends where they will be or at least make it easier for them to find me.

Schmaps uses Google Maps to show the location. For events you can RSVP, leave comments, leave a link, and even enter hashtags. For Twitter users that have Tweetups often or regularly go to trade shows, this is most definitely a killer app. Using Schmaps is very easy and intuitive, and it’s also very easy to Retweet. Schmap, Inc. is a company I would definitely be on the lookout for to become much more well-known in the future, since the Schmaps Beta truly unites exploration and socialization, in a fun and effective way.

I would like to thank Twitter user @OliveHughes for first creating a Schmap for me and introducing me to the application. As any good social networking junkie knows, we’re always looking for ways to improve your Virtual Lives. I look forward to the full, final version of the product and really hope it catches on among social media users. Until then, may the Geeks be with you.

Sources:

Official Schamp Website

Official Foursquare Website