Want to know where your friends at ASU are studying? There’s an app for that.
ASU became the first university to develop its own private geolocation mobile phone application last Wednesday when it released Spark, a location-based social networking service for ASU students.
The San Francisco-based company DoubleDutch created the geolocation app, which offers users the ability to check in to locations they visit and find out who is studying at those places, said Sarah Krznarich, student engagement manager at ASU Online.
Krznarich met with DoubleDutch in March at a technology and networking conference in Texas. She was intrigued by the possibility of a social networking app for ASU Online students.
ASU Online worked alongside DoubleDutch during the application’s development.
“Spark allows students to explore their area and share the places they visit with their classmates,” Krznarich said.
ASU Online offers online-only degree programs to students across the globe, and Spark’s aim is to help them find other ASU students in their corner of the world, Krznarich said.
ASU Online has about 3,000 students, with enrollment numbers rapidly increasing, she said.
“A lot of students don’t live on campus,” Krznarich said, which could contribute to a sense of isolation from peers.
Spark, which is now available at the iTunes store, is currently only available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. DoubleDutch will be releasing another version of the app that will work on other phones like the Android, Palm Pre and the new Blackberry Torch, said Lawrence Coburn, CEO of DoubleDutch.
“It’s about extending the ASU community,” Coburn said.
Using Spark is easy, Krznarich said. Students simply log in and a list of places will appear. Then they select their current location, which is then broadcast to their friends’ lists.
Students can also leave a short comment about their location, similar to a Facebook status update.
Spark works through the GPS chip in each mobile device and functions similarly to location services like Foursquare, Twitter, and the mobile phone-only Facebook Places, Krznarich said.
Spark is not limited to ASU Online students, Krznarich said, and she hopes that students on the main campuses use the app to connect with each other and create a sense of one big ASU campus, rather than four separate ones.
To make Spark more attractive to potential users, DoubleDutch decided to make it entertaining, Coburn said.
“You can earn points and badges from checking in to locations,” Coburn said. “In a way, it makes a game out of it.”
When students check in at each location, they earn points in the app, he said. These points help them earn special virtual badges that keep track of their achievements in travel.
For example, there is a badge for checking in at a restaurant five times. There are also badges for checking in at countries around the world, as well as for states within the U.S.
The app has a virtual leader board to track students’ scores among their friends’ lists.
Geolocation services like Facebook Places have earned bad reputations in terms of privacy, Coburn said.
“We thought a lot about privacy concerns,” he said.
Since Spark is limited to those with ASU e-mail addresses, only current students have access to it, Coburn said.
“We give you the ability to decide where to push the information,” he said. The app allows users to push their location to Twitter and Facebook if they choose.
There are no accidental check-ins either, Coburn said. Users must clearly select the locations they want to check in at.
“This is cutting edge,” he said. “This is the first private location based social network by any school in the world.”
Since the app was released a week ago, there have only been a couple hundred downloads, Coburn said, but he is looking forward to the app getting off the ground.
“Providing this service shows that ASU is a really innovative university,” Krznarich said. She added that right now Spark is a pilot program, and that ASU will adapt it to the use of students.
Russ Knocke, the communications director of ASU Online, said the University’s online campus is concentrating on building a vibrant student community.
“We’re excited to be at the tip of the wave that is location-based social networking,” Knocke said.
Reach the reporter at alex.ferri@asu.edu
