For Foodie/Photo Types: “Foodspotting”
By Sara McGuyer • Mar 5th, 2010 • Category: Analysis, Insight & AnalysisIf you’re active in social networks, you know this type of person. The one who tweets pictures of food and posts about their meals on Facebook. For us foodie/photo types (I’m including myself here because I’m very guilty) there’s a website built specifically with us in mind. Welcome to the scene Foodspotting, the social network for sharing sightings from your favorite eateries, markets and watering holes.
According to their site “Foodspotting is a visual local guide that lets you find dishes instead of just restaurants. It’s powered by Foodspotters, who can share their food photos and expertise while building a rich collection of foods and where to find them.” When spotting a new food or drink, you upload a picture and tag it with a category and restaurant. Food posts can be “wanted” or given a blue-ribbon “nom.” It is optional to post to twitter or automatically check-in via foursquare.
Why sign up for another social network? I thought I was done with any new profiles for a while, but couldn’t resist this one. For me, food is social, best shared in person or at least digitally, and many of us are already addicted to inflicting our food pictures onto the web. The future of the network promises food scavenger hunts and special awards for Foodspotters that post the most sightings of a particular dish.
One feature that holds particular promise is that dishes can be listed in Guides, and anyone can create them. Think “Best Brunch in Anytown” or this actual featured guide –“What to Eat at SXSW 2010 .” It even has a list of where SXSWers can eat for free. How cool/useful is that?
I do hope in the future they add a home-cooked category. I’ve already seen people tag an item with something like “my house.” This is bound to increase if the network grows, and if the site is really about the dish more than the restaurant, why not?
Sara McGuyer is an account strategist with Wise Elephant and marketing director/board member for the Indianapolis International Film Festival. Find her on twitter http://twitter.com/sara_mc
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