Social Networking Watch: News on the Social Networking and Social Media Industry

Groupon Rumored to Be in Talks with Foursquare

READ WRITE WEB - May 23 - Groupon is not wasting any time in trying to corner the market on location-based deals. Less than a week after partnering with location service Loopt for its Groupon Now campaign, the daily deals giant is said to be in partnership talks with Foursquare to target deals at its check-in users. Foursquare will be another avenue for Groupon to break into the location-based deals market but also adds an important layer that Groupon does not have a specific stake in - social.

by Dan Rowinski
See full article at Read Write Web

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This post also appears on TheDailyDealsObserver.

Loopt Adds Facebook Places Integration

MASHABLE - Oct 19 - Location-based networking service Loopt has just updated its iPhone app to add deep integration with Facebook Places, making it easy to see all of your friends status updates and checkins, whether they use Loopt or not. FULL ARTICLE @ MASHABLE

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Loopt Hits 4 Million Users

TECH CRUNCH - July 9 - While Foursquare is just shy of 2M users, other services like MyTown have quickly surpassed that number. Same with Google Latitude, which is at 3M. And you can put Loopt on that list as well, as today they’ve hit 4M total users. Loopt was one of the first location-based services to get a lot of hype. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

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Loopt Launches App For iPad

MARKETWIRE - Apr 2 - Loopt, the location-based mobile social networking service, announced its Loopt Pulse App for iPad is available in the App Store. The app is a specially designed version that provides iPad users with a quick way to keep up with what's happening around them by providing information on local events, including places to eat and drink, music concerts, movies, comedy and theatre shows. FULL ARTICLE @ AJAX WORLD MAGAZINE

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Loopt Acquires GraffitiGEO

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 20 - Loopt, the New Enterprise Associates and Sequoia-backed mobile social network, has acquired GraffitiGEO. GraffitiGEO, which launched just a couple of months ago, combines mobile social networking with reviews and games. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

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Loopt Launches "Loopt Mix"

READ WRITE WEB - Oct 19 - Loopt is introducing a new iPhone app called Loopt Mix. The new app is actually a spin-off of Loopt's "Mix" feature, which lets you browse the Loopt profiles of those around you within its original mobile social networking app. Although the company is not specifically marketing Mix as a dating app, it's clearly designed for mobile singles. FULL ARTICLE @ READ WRITE WEB

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This post also appears on OnlinePersonalsWatch.

Loopt Launches First Always-On, Location-Aware iPhone App

READ WRITE WEB -- Sep 4 -- Loopt, a location-aware mobile app and social network, will become the first third-party iPhone app that will be able to offer an always-on location service on the iPhone. AT&T officially sanctioned this feature, which Loopt already offers on other platforms. Normally, apps can't run in the background on the iPhone. Once this feature is active, Loopt will always know where you are and alert you automatically when you are close to a friend who also uses the service. FULL ARTICLE @ READ WRITE WEB

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Loopt Aims To Triple Sales

INDEPENDENT -- May 19 -- Loopt, a service that lets mobile-phone users track their friends’ whereabouts, expects to more than triple its revenue this year, fending off competition from Google. The company currently makes most of its money selling its technology to wireless carriers and acting as a platform for other software developers. Loopt runs an opt-in service, meaning users have to agree to be tracked. Its ad business relies on a customer’s location information to provide relevant on-screen commercials. Dunkin’ Donuts, for example, shows ads when Loopt users are near its restaurants. Ad revenue could make up as much as 70% of total sales by the end of the year, said Loopt's CEO Sam Altman. FULL ARTICLE @ INDEPENDENT

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Loopt Snags AT&T

TECH CRUNCH -- Dec 18 -- Mobile social network Loopt goes live on three AT&T phones today, which was the last major carrier holdout. Loopt is now available in the U.S. on Sprint, Verizon, Metro PCS, T-Mobile and Boost. The service is free for a year and then a $4/month fee kicks in. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

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Lawsuit Targets Loopt And TechCrunch

MERCURY NEWS -- Oct 8 -- A recent post about "a rather absurd" lawsuit against high-profile Silicon Valley start-up Loopt now has TechCrunch pondering its own legal strategy — because it's getting sued as well. Earthcomber, a Chicago-area start-up, on Tuesday amended its suit against Loopt to add TechCrunch as a defendant, emphasizing their partnership in a co-branded iPhone "social enhancement" application that Earthcomber claims infringes on its patent. FULL ARTICLE @ MERCURY NEWS

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Location Based Social Networking – Boom Or Bust?

READ WRITE WEB -- Aug 1 -- According to a rather speculative report by ABI Research, location-based social networks like Brightkite, GyPSii, and Loopt could reach revenues as high as $3.3 billion by 2013.  While we have little doubt that mobile social networking will be a big market in the future, today's reality is rather bleak.  Most of these networks don't have many users and the chances of finding your friends on them are relatively low. Mobile social networking is only going to really grow once the big social networks like Facebook, MySpace, or Orkut, release location-aware applications for mobile devices. FULL ARTICLE @ READ WRITE WEB

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Loopt Brings Yelp Reviews To 3G iPhone

READ WRITE WEB -- July 10 --  The iPhone App Store has just gone live and one of the apps getting early attention is Loopt, a location aware mobile social network startup we profiled in June. Their latest release for the iPhone integrates microblogging and reviews from Yelp into its interface. In addition, Loopt aggregates local content to provide a map view of great places and star ratings. FULL ARTICLE @ READ WRITE WEB

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Loopt Sues Loop'd Network

MOCO NEWS NET -- June 30 -- Loopt, the mobile social network which is backed by Sequoia and NEA, has filed a lawsuit against Loop'd Network, a social network for action sports athletes and enthusiasts, over alleged trademark infringement, alleging that the two names are too similar and cause confusion. Loopt is asking the court to enjoin Loop'd Network from continuing to use the name, and is also seeking damages and three times the profit that Loop'd Network has earned, PEHub reports. FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST

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Loopt Available On Smart Phones

PR NEWSWIRE -- June 16 -- Loopt, the location-based service is now available for free on BlackBerry Curve, Pearl and World Edition across Sprint, Alltel, T-Mobile and AT&T. Loopt shows users where friends are located and what they are doing via detailed, interactive maps on their mobile phones. FULL ARTICLE @ PR NEWSWIRE
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First Social Platform For iPhones

PROFY -- June 9 -- Loopt will be a social platform for iPhone users, and will be both free and available as soon as the Apps store makes its debut. The idea behind Loopt is to display users' locations at any given time on a map with pins (like Google Maps), so users will be able to see updates, notes, and locations of their friends. FULL ARTICLE @ PROFY

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Loopt Receives Recognition With Award At BREW 2008

PR NEWSWIRE -- June 2 -- Loopt, a social-mapping and communication service, was selected as the Best Community/Social Networking Application at the BREW 2008 Developer Awards in San Diego. Qualcomm's BREW(R) awards reward innovation in mobile entertainment. Each submission was evaluated by a panel of international industry experts based on criteria such as ease of use, originality, features, success or likelihood of success and overall "coolness." Loopt shows users where friends are located and what they are doing via detailed, interactive maps on their mobile phones. FULL ARTICLE @ THE EARTH TIMES

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Verizon's Phones To Feature Location Service

INFORMATION WEEK -- Mar 28 -- Verizon Wireless will add location services from social mapping provider Loopt to many of its mobile phones. The service that tells users where their friends are located will be offered at $3.99 a month and is aimed at the youth audience. FULL ARTICLE @ INFORMATION WEEK

New Loopt Feature - Sharing Your Location

PR NEWSWIRE -- Nov 15 -- Loopt, a social-mapping service, launched new features that allow it's users to share location with friends on any mobile handset or carrier. (Photo). Loopt users can simply send messages to friends and choose to automatically attach their location to avoid the most common mobile question in the world - "Where are you?". FULL ARTICLE @ EARTHTIMES