GetGlue is a slick, useful media check-in and recommendation engine

With all of the social networking and "check-in" services that are available these days, you might think you've seen it all. But there's one currently untapped, check-in-able experience left and that's media. GetGlue, a free app by AdaptiveBlue, thinks it has that niche covered, and in essence, it's like Foursquare for media. The idea is that every time you watch a TV show or movie, listen to music, read a book, or even drink wine, you use GetGlue to check-in to that particular experience.

Function

The service itself is pretty easy to use. Say, for instance, you're watching an episode of Castle -- you fire up GetGlue on your device of choice and check-in. It then shows you who else is checked-in to Castle and their comments. You can also "like" or "dislike" something when rating media, and you can add it to your favorite shows. GetGlue also allows you to get social with your media, giving you the option to follow friends (just like Twitter). It then shows you what they've checked into recently and what they've liked or disliked in a personalized feed. If you're into spamming your Facebook friends or Twitter followers, you can also connect GetGlue to your streams, posting updates on what you've liked, when you've been awarded a sticker, and so on. Just don't expect those who are not using GetGlue themselves to love you for it.

Likes and Dislikes

The social side of GetGlue is great! It was an amazing feeling to see that you were part of a huge collective who were all watching the World Cup, for instance. The best bit of GetGlue is its recommendation engine, though. Using your likes and dislikes, GetGlue will make suggestions on things that you might like, which in turn, you can rate either when checking-in or in a dedicated "rating" part of the app. When you first start the process, you can use the "Quick Rate" feature, which quickly shows you the title, who's in it, and a like or dislike button. Here, you can fly through several hundred items in quick succession, and it gets pretty addictive. It's definitely worth checking out if you want to kill some time and aren't in the mood to play a game.

Stickers

Like Foursquare, GetGlue also has an achievements-type reward system in the form of stickers. They're awarded when you hit a certain target, like rating 250 movies (as shown to the right) or checking into a particular show several times to earn the "Fan of" sticker. Of course, stickers are pretty useless for the most part -- you can export them to your blog or Facebook, though. If you're into real stickers, GetGlue will even send you free printed versions once you've gotten over a certain amount.

Apps

GetGlue has both an iPhone and an iPad app, but it's not limited to iOS devices. There's also an Android app, a mobile site, and browser plug-ins are available for several of the major players. The company's website also replicates all of the features of the mobile apps and shows off your profile, for which you can get a customized GetGlue.com URL. For example, you can check out GetGlue.com/samuelgibbs if you're interested in my awful taste in movies.

Verdict

GetGlue is yet another check-in service, so is it worth putting the time in? In one word, yes. If you've ever wanted to take part in a check-in game, but you don't want to let everyone know where you are at every moment of the day, then GetGlue is for you. If you've ever wanted better recommendations for what to watch, listen to, or read next than those offered up by your buddy Dave down at the rental store, then GetGlue is for you. Having spent some time with GetGlue over the past year, it's come out with some inspired recommendations for shows and movies that I'd never heard of. OK, it suggests some real rubbish, especially if you happen to like Steven Seagal movies (guilty as charged), but with a bit of common sense, it'll show you some real hidden gems.

GetGlue is free, and you can get it almost anywhere that you're likely to consume media. It gets a thumbs up from me, but if you're not convinced, hit up the gallery for a walkthrough of the iPad version.

GetGlue - iPhone - iPad - Android - Mobile Website

Tags: AdaptiveBlue, check-in, CheckIn, freeware, getglue, getglue.com, media, recommendations, review