Google is trying its hand on the social media front once again. The company previously failed with the likes of Google Buzz, Google Friend Connect, and Google+ but appears to be confident that its fifth attempt, Google Shoelace, will succeed where others have failed. The new app is currently being developed by the Google team known as Area 120 and this time it is focusing more on a hyperlocal social networking front.
Their ingenious idea is that the new app will show local events, activities and other going-ons around the current location, which they are calling “Loops.” Loops can be created by anyone and then shared out to others with similar interests. The goal is to get people out and about at these “loops” and thus “tying them together” and improving their social lives. In other words, this is Google’s version to attack Facebook Events.
Currently, Shoelace is only available on an invite-only basis and is only available to New York residents according to cryptonews.com. The company’s goal is to roll out the product slowly and methodically after ensuring its success in New York and fixing what features work and which don’t. A roll-out plan has yet to be made public, but if you want to stay informed (no, I am not making a “loop” pun), Google has created a form for interested parties to fill out so they can receive updates on the product.
This could be a really useful app if you want ideas for what to do on any given night. If launching the app gives a list of events that fit a person’s interest and are local to that person’s current location, the days of figuring out “what to do” could be over. The biggest drawback could be that nothing is happening in the current area based on the interests of the user.
Maybe there are no Nursery Rhyme Celtic Bands playing in Keyport, NJ on a Thursday Night in January.
What are your thoughts on Google Shoelace? Is this going to be another failed venture or does it hold water? Let us know your thoughts over on Facebook or Twitter. For more articles by Nerd Caster click here.
