GoSee4Me turns amateur photographers into Internet spies
GoSee4Me is a new service hoping to help give people with cameras and too much time on their hands a spare buck or two. Similar to some of the question and answer services out there, GoSee4Me is a network for people to get pictures from all over the globe by utilizing a pay-per-picture system generated by users who can "claim" shots like they would an assignment. This isn't aimed at the folks who would be content just looking for something by tags or description in Flickr, Zooomr, or other photo-sharing sites. Instead it's aimed at unearthing very specific locales, or very detailed parts of a city or building.
This has a variety of uses, mostly for people who simply can't get to a certain location to give it the once-over. For instance, say you want to see the inside of a hotel, or the neighborhood around it in another country. If GoSee4Me has someone in that area who's willing to take on the job, you could get a fairly unbiased view of how it looks prior to booking reservations there and hopefully at a low price. As a photographer, you also might be getting an excuse to get out and take some shots or see something new.
Frankly I don't see this site working on the travel angle alone, as most established hotels and restaurants have reviews and a decent amount of pictures lined up for users to find without too much trouble. For people who are moving to a new city however, it would be nice to be able to hire someone out to take some shots of a place you're thinking about moving into, as Craigslist and real estate photos often times hide the important details.
Also, for hotels or other city buildings, there's a separate service called EveryScape, which we took a look at last week. The site offers 3D views of some interior locations, but there's no paid-for option to have people do some gopher work for you.
Josh Lowensohn is an associate editor for Webware.com, CNET's blog about cool and otherwise useful Web applications and services. If you've found a site you'd like profiled, shoot him an e-mail. E-mail Josh.
1. Competitive Intelligence: For businesses to obtain information about competitors, customers, and suppliers.
2. Site Selection: For businesses to perform preliminary assessments of locations for new facilities.
3. Appraisal: For consumers to verify the condition of used items, like antiques, prior to purchasing on eBay.
4. Product Sourcing: For businesses and consumers to obtain unbiased information about products that are not carried in nearby stores but can be seen at some other distant location.
5. Vacation Planning: For consumers to confirm expectations about accommodations and attractions at resort destinations before finalizing travel plans.
6. Relocation Planning: For consumers to perform a preliminary assessment of the houses and schools in a particular neighborhood where they are considering relocating.
7. Geographic Information Systems: To clarify satellite imagery by obtaining ground level photos of objects and structures in a particular area.
8. Sentimental: To see the house or neighborhood where a person was raised as a child.
9. Genealogy: To see the gravestone of a great grandparent or the town where one's ancestors lived.
10. Asset Management: For lenders to check on the condition of assets such as houses and cars.
11. Media/Entertainment: For preliminary scouting of venues suitable for independent film, television, and commercial photography shoots.
12. Advertising: For advertisers and their agencies to conduct basic audits of billboard advertising campaigns.
13. Journalism: To check on a lead for a story to see whether it is worth pursuing.
14. Legal: To document instances of copyright, trademark, and patent infringement in order to build a case.