Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen an increase in the number of messages containing questions, feedback, and occasionally a pat on the back (thank you!!). This week, we’ve started actively using Get Satisfaction to take the conversation beyond email, and reach more of our users.

Get Satisfaction is a tool that makes it easy for us to have a public conversation with people who have questions about Whrrl. It also makes it easy to find topics that are currently active, to save you the trouble of documenting a problem we’re already working on fixing.

If you’ve contacted us before, you’ve probably received an email from Joni. She didn’t really want her picture on the blog, so I made this drawing of her this morning (before I had any coffee!). I’m particularly proud of the side-swept bangs, which are pretty accurate.

Joni will still be sending emails, but she will also be available on Get Satisfaction, along with help from Tyler. I was going to make a picture of Tyler… but I just can’t get his hair quite right.

Ways to Contact Customer Service

We can be reached at:

• feedback@whrrl.com
• help@whrrl.com
• customerservice@whrrl.com
• Through the feedback box on the Whrrl website, click the feedback link in the upper right corner.

Thanks to all of you who are telling us what you think, how you use Whrrl, and what you’d like to see in the future. Our goal is to learn what works, and what doesn’t, because it helps us make Whrrl a better experience for you. So keep the comments coming by whatever means you prefer; we look forward to talking with you!

Hi! I’ve been following the emails and comments you’ve been sending to us about Whrrl, so I figured I’d jump in and answer some of the most frequently asked questions we have been receiving recently. For a more in depth look at frequently asked questions about Whrrl, check out this interview from Mashable’s SummerMash Seattle last weekend:

30 Seconds… GO!!

Whrrl leverages your social network and mobile location awareness to enable personalized discovery for the real world. Whrrl shows you not just where your friends are right now and what they’re doing, but also where they have been. By highlighting the places, events, and people most interesting to you, you can have experiences you might otherwise have missed out on. Whrrl is a tool that goes beyond social networking and friend tracking, by harnessing the experiences and opinions of the people you know best, and applying a powerful recommendations algorithm.

What Can I Discover With Whrrl?

Whrrl provides personalized answers to questions like “where should we go for coffee after the movie?” or “what upcoming shows are in my neighborhood with bands that my friends like, too?”. Discoveries can happen based on where your friends are, and what they’re doing right now (“Hey, Mike is at a place called Collins Pub – let me check it out”). Discovery can also be a result of interests friends have expressed for the future (“Casey and Becca both want to go to that new restaurant called Juno, maybe we can plan a girls night out”).

Does Whrrl Update My Location Automatically?

No, currently Whrrl will only update and share your location upon request. In order to show you a local map, the iPhone application will attempt to locate you when you launch Whrrl. The 3G iPhone uses GPS, and the version 1 iPhone uses cell tower and wifi triangulation.

Location updates are only broadcast to people in your People Who Can See My Location list, which you control at all times. When you indicate “I’m Here” at a specific place, using one of the incarnations of Whrrl (website, SMS, J2ME application, iPhone application), Whrrl will notify the people on this list of your location, and you will appear on their map in Whrrl. Currently, your shared location is only updated when you press “I’m Here”, but we’re working hard to make it even easier to share your location with the people you choose.

Is Whrrl Exclusive to the iPhone?

Nope, Whrrl is available in the Apple app store for the iPhone, and also in these other forms:

• via your web browser at http://www.whrrl.com
• via SMS, our short code is 94775 (WHRRL)
• as a J2ME application on the following phones (more coming soon!):
  • BlackBerry 8830
  • BlackBerry Curve
  • BlackBerry Pearl
  • Motorola V3m
  • Motorola V3xx
  • Motorola V9
  • Motorola V9m
  • Nokia 6085
  • Nokia N95
  • Samsung M610
  • Samsung SPH-A920
  • Samsung SPH-M510
  • Samsung SPH-M520

Have More Questions?

Email us at feedback@whrrl.com, we read and respond to every email we get.