Image by Simon Wicks

I recently started using Gowalla on my iPhone, and I’ve been thinking about how HR pros may be able to use it.

If you’re not familiar with Gowalla (or location-based apps in general), it uses your phone’s GPS to locate where you are. You can “check in” to various locations and earn digital items and badges for exploring new areas.

It’s kind of like an electronic scavenger hunt.

There’s also a really cool feature called “Trips.” Users can create trips by linking three or more locations in a shared area. For example, there’s a “Freedom Trail” trip created by a user in Boston. Each location has a brief little snippet about it’s historical significance.

So, how can HR use Gowalla?

It’s all about community

Community is a big part of your employer brand. Chances are pretty high that the people you may want to come work at your organization either live in the community where you’re located or know people who do.

I think the “Trips” feature has huge potential for HR pros. Setup a Gowalla account for your organization and create cool trips based on fun and interesting stuff in your community. A winery circuit in the summer. A trip of various haunted locations around Halloween.

To see some awesome examples of trips, check out the ones National Geographic has put together.

Business are already using other location-based applications (like Foursquare) to help market to customers. Why not use these technologies to attract potential employees as well?

PS: I’m not currently connecting with people I don’t know (and am really close with) in real life on Gowalla. Not keen on strangers knowing my every move. So if you try to friend me there, nothing personal!