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Instagram Dropping Foursquare for Facebook Places

williamlindner.com

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Re: Instagram Dropping Foursquare for Facebook Places

#41
post #13

To all the people automatically assuming that this is a result of facebook acquiring instagram, what if this actually improves the user experience? What if instagram always wanted to integrate with facebook because they knew it was a better user experience and yet didn't because they knew facebook was instagram's #1 competitor? In that case the acquisition enables a positive. I, for one, could not give a crap about f…

Obviously the acquisition changes the calculus no matter how independent the players claim the companies will continue to act independently.

However, I think you are quite possibly right. Acting independently does not preclude Instagram from switching to Facebook place information. There are large benefits to using Facebook data over Foursquare not the least of which is better data outside the US. And with Foursquare on perennial death watch and switching directions frequently (including very recently), switching away from it is probably a wise business decision.

Re: Instagram Dropping Foursquare for Facebook Places

#42
post #3

Seems like a no-brainer. Facebook owning Instagram means this is just Facebook ditching a competitor's product for their own.

And is a great illustration of the potential downsides of highly vertical tech companies.

Not really. They could just as easily have switched from Foursquare to a different third-party location provider.
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