Show Me the Waze

“Outsmarting Traffic, together.” What’s not to like about that tagline? If there’s one thing that binds together people from all walks (or drives, if you’re reaching for that pun) of life, it's our collective loathing of traffic. Without going into the infinite ways traffic disrupts life, I think everyone can mostly agree there’s usually nothing good that comes from it.

Until now. Enter Waze, a free, community-based, GPS app that offers turn-by-turn directions, arrival-time alerts for friends, and real-time info about traffic/police traps/construction... basically anything you could potentially encounter during a drive. By just driving while the app is open on your smart phone, you contribute to the Waze community, letting others know if there are any "obstacles" that could disrupt their drive. Users have the ability to report issues like accidents, road blocks, etc., which help fellow drivers navigate any future bumps in their roads, all while enjoying turn-by-turn navigation.

So how does a user-generated navigation phone app work? Check out the three videos on the Waze web site to find out how. It's fascinating, I promise. (Or, at the very least, pretty interesting.)

Waze has been around since 2008, when it was first launched in Israel. As of February 2013, Waze announced on its Facebook page that it had surpassed 40 million users worldwide, an increase-- to give you an example of its incredible growth-- of approximately 12 million users within a span of just four months.

Even more impressive than its growth, however, is that the social navigation application has found a way to monetize its business: location-based advertising. So say you're driving down the road with the Waze app open, as you always do. On the map, up pops a company's "branded pin" (eg, a slice of pizza for a pizza joint or an ice-cream cone for a creamery), some place close to the route you're traveling. You see it, and what do you know, you are hungry, or you can use a new pair of shoes, or you have been meaning to get a hair cut. Well, you just tap on the pin and you can navigate there with just a touch of the screen. 

https://biz.waze.com/

You can check out some 2-D, "live" action imagery here for a better explanation. 

If I may throw out some commentary from the peanut gallery, I'd say Waze figured out earlier than most other (or-- so I don't have to eat my words-- many) social spaces how to monetize its business, and did it so seamlessly that almost no one writes or blogs about the organization any more. As a comparison, it seems as though everyone is currently abuzz wondering how Pinterest will build its business model, and because  Pinterest doesn't yet have (or at least hasn't divulged) a solution, the media keep talking. But there's no more of that same type of mystery to Waze, and definitely no controversy. Waze already nailed it. Perhaps some time in the future it will start to re-think, re-configure, re-imagine, but for now, the business model is solid.

I also think Waze has created a successful social platform. Between the advertising (which also is a handy-dandy tool to let you know what's nearby), and the crowd sourcing of traffic information (I use the app and can confirm the notifications for accidents or police on the highway do occur and have been accurate [BUT even if they weren't accurate, I, as the user, had the opportunity to confirm or reject the traffic obstacle, and then it's corrected for users traveling behind me]), it's possibly the most fun, and easy to use, navigation app I've ever used. As a user-- and I'm trying not to sound like an advertisement for the app (and I'm certainly not paid by Waze to be one)-- I never thought I needed my nav system to be fun or interesting. But if I have to occasionally sit in the passenger seat, it's a nice way to pass the time and help out my fellow travelers simultaneously.