Whrrl
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| URL | whrrl.com |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Are you in? |
| Type of site | social networking |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Owner | Pelago, Inc. |
| Launched | October 2007 |
| Current status | Shutdown |
Whrrl is a social location-based game developed by the Seattle-based company Pelago, Inc.[1]
Whrrl has a recommendation engine that uses algorithms and users' votes to surface relevant recommendations. Explanation of how this works here: How Does Whrrl's Personalized Recommendations Work.
On June 30, 2010, Whrrl launched its Society Rewards Program, designed to close the gap between a brand’s online social media and real-world presence with its first partner, Murphy USA Oil.[2]
Groupon announced that it had purchased Whrrl on April 18, 2011.[3] As Whrrl dissipates, it is being speculated that Groupon will leverage location based social networking or "check-ins" on their popular group coupon site.
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[edit] Site overview
The service was launched in October 2007 as a geosocial networking and discovery site that allows both web and mobile users to find, explore, share, meet up at, and rate points-of-interest in their cities. Online Recommendations.
Pelago’s first product, Whrrl, was launched on July 10, 2008. Whrrl v1.0 was a location-based social networking and discovery application for the iPhone, Blackberry and numerous other mobile phones.
Pelago launched Whrrl 2.0, an 'on-the-go' storytelling application for the iPhone and web on March 16 at South by Southwest.[4] Marketing of whrrl.com included vandalism of Austin public property using stencils and spray paint.
Whrrl 3.0 was launched at SXSW on March 11, 2010 with a promise: "We'll save you from Farmville." Press release here [1].
[edit] Pelago, Inc.
The company was founded by Amazon.com veterans Jeff Holden and Darren Vengroff, the latter of which has since left the company.
In November 2006, Pelago, Inc completed Series A financing backed by Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers; Trilogy Equity Partners; and Bezos Expeditions.[5] It is also the first product to be financially backed by the iFund.
In May 2008, Pelago announced a second round of funding totaling US$15 million led by Deutsche Telekom, followed by India-based Reliance Technology Ventures and DAG Ventures.[6]
In April 2011, Pelago was acquired by GroupOn and the Whrrl service discontinued.
[edit] References
- ^ Whrrl 3 Wants To Kill Farmville. Not Foursquare. Not Gowalla. Farmville.. TechCrunch URL accessed August 26, 2010.
- ^ Check In With Whrrl, Win Free Gas TechFlash URL accessed August 27, 2010.
- ^ andrew. "Groupon Acquires Pelago « Groublogpon – The Serious Blog of Groupon". Groupon.com. http://www.groupon.com/blog/cities/groupon-acquires-pelago/. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ Whrrl revamps its iPhone app just in time for SXSW... VentureBeat URL accessed May 14, 2009.
- ^ Giving it a Whrrl. USA Today URL accessed December 20, 2007.
- ^ Pelago Secures $15 Million In Funding For Mobile Social Network On A Map Washington Post URL accessed June 4, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official Pelago website
- Official Pelago blog
- Whrrl Tutorials and FAQs
- Jolie O'Dell (August 22, 2010). "Beyond Foursquare: 5 Location-Based Apps for Your Small Business". Mashable. http://mashable.com/2010/08/22/location-based-apps-business/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- Om Malik (August 11, 2010). "Whrrl: Living in Foursquare's Shadow". GigaOm. http://gigaom.com/2010/08/11/whrrl/. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- John Cook (August 11, 2010). "Foursquare rival Whrrl enters Las Vegas with 'society rewards'". TechFlash. http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2010/08/foursquare_rival_whrrl_enters_las_vegas_with_society_rewards.html. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- Jason Falls (August 9, 2010). "Checking In With Whrrl at Whrrl". Social Media Explorer. http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2010/08/09/checking-in-with-whrrl-at-whrrl/. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- Giselle Tsirulnik (June 18, 2010). "Red Bull builds hype for NY Air Race via mobile social media". Mobile Marketer. http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/social-networks/6585.html. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- Jason Keath (June 6, 2010). "21 Unique Location Examples from Foursquare, Gowalla, Whrrl, and MyTown". Social Fresh. http://socialfresh.com/foursquare-case-studies/. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- Jenna Wortham (March 17, 2010). "Telling Friends Where You Are (or Not)". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/technology/15locate.html?_r=1&ref=business. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- John Cook (March 10, 2010). "Whrrl tells Farmville fans to get a life and meet some real people". TechFlash. http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2010/0/whrrl_tells_farmville_fans_to_get_a_life_and_meet_some_real_people.html. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- Geoff Duncan (October 23, 2007). "Whrrl Winds the Social with the Mobile". Digital Trends. http://news.digitaltrends.com/news/story/14584/whrrl_winds_the_social_with_the_mobile. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- Jessica Dolcourt (October 24, 2007). "Rummble, Whrrl". News.com. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9803584-7.html. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- "Whrrl is Yelp Plus Twitter". Mashable. October 23, 2007. http://mashable.com/2007/10/23/whrrl/. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
- Whrrl Breaks New Ground with Location Based Storytelling
- Whrrl Partners with Eye-Fi for Digital Camera Support
