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Note to Readers: GetGlue is no longer available.
The fall TV season is upon us with a schedule full of exciting new shows. Whether you’re eagerly anticipating the season premier of a favorite show or checking out a new series, you may need help keeping up with the busy TV schedule to make sure you catch all of the can’t-miss episodes coming soon. Good news, tech can help keep you informed while enhancing your entertainment experience!
GetGlue recently updated its iPad app with powerful new features. GetGlue was a great app before the update, but the new and improved iPad app makes GetGlue even more powerful. Check out GetGlue – Your Social Network for Finding Fun! to see why GetGlue was already one of my favorite apps.
According to a recent Pew Research study, over 50% of adult cell phone users use their phones as a second screen while they’re watching television to visit websites, find out more information about a show and interact with others. GetGlue wants to make the most of your “second screen experience” by maximizing your enjoyment of the shows.
I recently spoke with Alex Iskold, Founder and CEO of GetGlue, who filled me in on the latest developments for the new and improved app. Iskold told me that in the two years since GetGlue launched, they’ve grown to three million users who have contributed over 500 million pieces of data. “It’s pretty incredible. We’re actually one of the largest repositories of entertainment data on the Web. We can rival TV Guide, IMDB and others.”
In spite of its success, GetGlue decided to radically overhaul its user experience. Iskold explained, “What we’ve realized is that we’re in a pretty unique position to re-imagine the way people discover TV. In January we sat down and said, ‘How can we take this data and return the value back to our community?’ We spent five months building this update. It’s certainly the most ambitious thing I’ve ever done and the most interesting project I’ve worked on.”
The new GetGlue app brings the user new features for both discovery and content. You can still check in with shows, earn stickers and interact with others, but the new app brings you an enhanced guide, content-rich feeds and powerful search, enriching your entertainment experience.
Guide
A brand new feature of the app is its guide which provides information about your favorite shows and recommends shows you might like. Iskold explained that it isn’t just a guide to what’s on TV, it’s a guide about what to watch. “We only want to show you what’s relevant to you. Instead of showing you this complex grid that’s not personal, we can use our data to create a personalized experience based on your tastes, based on your friends and based on what’s popular with the GetGlue community overall. Because we get rid of the stuff you don’t care about, we can show you a much more interesting view of your entire entertainment.”
When you open the app, the guide shows you what’s currently on TV, upcoming shows for the rest of the day, and then a summary of shows for the coming week. If you scroll down, you see important future events such as premiers, awards shows, playoff games, Presidential Inauguration, etc.
The guide indicates when a show is recommended, new, and/or trending. “Every single recommendation in the guide for a show that you might enjoy tells you why it’s similar to and which of your friends like it. It makes the decision to watch so much easier,” Iskold explained.
The guide also gives you information about entertainment such as sporting events and movies. You can save a movie to be notified when it comes to streaming and to TV so that it will be in your guide.
Sports
Sports are now included in the app. You can tell GetGlue which are your favorite sports and teams and the app will include those in your guide. The app even gives you real-time scores as well as information about upcoming games, such as scheduled pitchers and season records.
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If you’re not a sports fan, no worries. You can easily opt out so that sports won’t be included in your guide.
Power Search
The new app adds a powerful search tool so you can search:
- for a specific show or movie,
- for a specific channel,
- by genre, such as comedy or drama, and
- by sports or teams.
“Search gives you the ultimate flexibility to find anything you could wish for but couldn’t find in your guide,” said Iskold.
Feeds
GetGlue creates feeds for you based on your personal preferences. You feed is laid out in a grid, showing you interesting information about your favorite shows. Think of your feed as a unified source for information about your shows: YouTube videos, tweets and Facebook posts from shows and actors, and comments from other fans of the shows.
Iskold gave the example of someone who is a fan of a show who has to go to lots of different websites to keep up with the show: Twitter accounts for the actors and the shows, Facebook fan pages for the actors and the shows, YouTube for video clips, entertainment publications for reviews. He pointed out that networks are already posting content about their shows in so many different places but it wasn’t being aggregated anywhere. “There are all these different streams out there and it’s really hard to keep track of. Now after you check in with GetGlue you can still chat with your friends, but you can also discover content around the show. We think this is a really cool way for people to be engaged with the service because there is much more to do after you check in.””
Iskold told me how the app helped him find additional content about one of his favorite shows, Breaking Bad. Using his GetGlue app he discovered an exclusive Breaking Bad video released during Comic-Con that he hadn’t seen elsewhere. “I would never have sought out this content, I would have never seen it, but it showed up in my feed. The app makes it seamless to get this content.”
Your Preferences
GetGlue allows you to actively Like and dislike what appears in the app. If you Like a show, it will appear in your guide and feed and you can be notified when the show comes to Netflix, Amazon and iTunes. (Integration with Hulu+ is expected soon.) GetGlue also gives you the X button so you can purge shows that don’t interest you, either because the app guessed wrong or because you soured on a show.
For example, let’s say Boardwalk Empire was your all-time favorite show right up until the shocking finale of Season 2 and now the show is dead to you. Simply X the show and your feed will no longer be cluttered with comments, video, tweets or other information about Boardwalk Empire. If you’re lured back after hearing the buzz about last night’s season premier, no worries. Just search for the show, Like it again, then GetGlue will add Boardwalk Empire back into your guide and feed.
Availability
The GetGlue app is currently free for the iPad at the iTunes App Store. Updated apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices, as well as an updated website, are scheduled to be released soon.
Bottom Line
Make the most out of your entertainment with GetGlue!
Do you use a second screen when you watch TV? Do you like the idea of having a guide customized to your interests? Are you excited about accessing additional content all from one place? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Do they have a tablet version for android. Last time I tried getglue it was just an over sized version of the phone app.
Hi Jason, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Great question. Alex told me that the Android app would be updated in October, but he didn’t mention whether an Android tablet version would be available then. I will check on this and let you know. 🙂
Hi Jason, I just heard back from GetGlue and they only have plans for an Android phone version of the app, not a tablet version. They suggested that you access the GetGlue website using the browser on your tablet to get the HD experience full screen on your Android tablet! 🙂
So, I guess I have to get an iPad or wait until it’s ready for iPhone, huh?
It does look pretty neat; are you using it exclusively?
Hi Bill, No worries, the update is coming to the website and iPhone soon.
You’re right, it really is neat, especially if you’re a TV or sports fan. I find myself using it every day. Suddenly, watching a TV show doesn’t seem like enough. I find myself wanting to see additional content and other people’s comments in addition to watching a show.
TV viewing seems more fractured than it used to be. Remember when nearly everyone watched Seinfeld or Friends? Now I don’t know who of my friends watch my favorite shows, but GetGlue tells me that and lets me interact with other fans.
I will post when GetGlue launches the updates to Android, iPhone and the website.
The age of mobiles and tablets has seemed to have changed everything. Could you imagine that when watching TV we would be sitting there reading about the show on another device. To be honest, last time I heard something about this application, I wondered why would you not just watch the show when it is on, however, since I actually started watching a lot of TV, I am always finding myself reading the Wikipedia about the show and trying to get news.
Unfortunately I need it for iPhone!
Regards,
Simon Duck
Hi Simon, Yes, before the days of the Internet, we might read a review of a TV show in the newspaper or TV Guide and talk to our friends. But once the Internet became popular we could read articles, comments and tweets. Then we wanted to watch video clips, read tweets and see images on Faceboook pages. That’s a lot of jumping around, making it difficult to enjoy watching the show. GetGlue brings that content and conversation together in one place.
No worries, you should be able to update your iPhone app very soon, Simon! 🙂
I would think it will be soon available for the iPhone as well with these new awesome updates. Hope they do, since I have no plans of buying the iPAD any time soon 🙂
Hi Praveen, don’t worry, the iPhone app is scheduled to be updated in early October. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Getglue will make the iPad users stick to this service for sure.Its just like YouTube where one can easily see the latest as well as previous videos they want to.I hope this app will soon be downloaded for iPhone as well.My iPhone is waiting for it eagerly. 🙂
Hi Aditya, Your wait for the iPhone shouldn’t be long. The GetGlue HD app is coming soon! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I am increasingly use mobile for many of the things that I was using my computer or xbox. My S2 right now is my music streamer , kindle reader and gaming console. I found Max Payne for 1$ or Sega’s tennis game for $3. These are awesome value products and I see a threat to XBOX.
I feel that personalized movie recommendation is a killer feature of this app. It would be great to see recommended movie rather than searching for everything, a boon for genre lovers. Adding ratings / reviews and removing movies we don’t want is also a great feature.
I am wondering if one day mobiles will completely rule our lives :).
Hi Ashvini, Yes, mobile is definitely becoming a part of our everyday lives, which is why I cover it so much here. Apps are handy, useful, fun and inexpensive. It’s no wonder that apps are so popular!
GetGlue is also available as a website, but chances are people are going to use it as a mobile app instead of on the website.
Yes, movie recommendations are a powerful feature. I love tech that cares enough to learn what I like! :-bd
Here comes Miss “Behind the Times” again to comment Carolyn even though I’m so not up on all of this. Heck, I only have a few TV shows that I watch on a regular basis and I bet I haven’t watched a movie in years. Okay, maybe one from the Hallmark channel but that’s about it.
I know, I just have way too much stuff to do to watch new shows and I’m not into sports. My Mom is and keeps me up to date whether I care about it or not. But they just continue to come out with some of the coolest features for these mobile devices (and tablets/iPads), etc.
I’m just wondering something though. Doesn’t that really bog down your hand held device if you have every darn app out known to mankind? I would think that it would either drain your battery from using them all or take up a lot of space. You can tell I don’t know much about this but it seems like it would affect them similar to how it would a computer.
Thanks Carolyn for sharing this and I’m passing it along.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Well, let’s say you were a big fan of a certain contestant on Big Brother 14. You could check in with GetGlue to see video clips of scenes that weren’t shown on TV, see what the HOH was tweeting, read other people’s comments on the show and much more.
You’re right, Adrienne, apps can bog down your device, especially if you leave your apps open. That’s why I recommend that you Close Your Apps! https://wonderoftech.com/close-your-apps/ 🙂
This HD update is ridiculously out of sync with what the majority of the GetGlue community wants. The idea that the GetGlue team sought any input from its userbase before deciding to slice off large portions of functionality that established the site in the first place are nothing short of insulting to GetGlue users. The answer to the question “how can we return value back to our community” should have been quite simply: 1) fix the bugs present in the system for over a year; 2) listen to the community about features it actually wants. Instead the community gets a glorified TV Guide that doesn’t even function properly let alone that it fails to be truly unique by not including international listings, or streaming source providers (Fanhattan does it better) or engage truly second screen content well (like SyFy Sync for example). Bah to this.
Hi Bob, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Wow, you sound very disappointed with the upgrade to GetGlue. When I spoke to Alex Iskold, I asked him about the focus on TV, movies and sports versus music, books, podcasts and other categories which were cut from GetGlue. He said that those categories were rarely used so they decided to focus on the more popular ones. I do miss books as a category, but I had found that there wasn’t much interaction on GetGlue in that area.
If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android device, the old format is still available there. For an iPad, just download the iPhone app and the old format is there. I suggest doing it soon, though, because the iPhone app is due for an update soon.
I have both the older app on my iPhone and the new app on my iPad. I prefer the new app because of the HD look and the focused suggestions in the guide, but I know that not everyone likes the changes. Updates to social media sites are often met with mixed reviews and GetGlue fans who prefer the older app still have a chance to use it by not upgrading the iPhone or Android apps.
Topics & Music trend just as hard as TV shows and Movies when there’s an event–the sticker stats found on the site prove this. The question is, since GetGlue has stated that they’re keeping around the topics/music/books for use on the “old version” of the site, and not disposing of them entirely, then why not make them available via the new HD app? Why limit users that *want* this functionality by channeling them to a less feature rich site, which will likely soon become a non-updated graveyard? Many of the social interaction features of the GetGlue site have been crippled in GGHD as well (voting changed to just “like”, smaller character limits for comments, can only see a small number of the most recent comments made instead of all, impossible to view a users recent activity). Usually HD implies getting “more” of something, not less, and this seems like a misstep if the goal truly was to give the community value.
Also, the Books category includes comic books–which many people now read (along with other e-books) on their tablets (the platform to which GGHD was first deployed). The comic books that have stickers offered trend fairly strong every week around comic book release day (Tuesday-Wednesday). As of right now, the top ten trending books according to the statistics on the old GetGlue site currently show around 10,000 recent check-ins. Check-ins are the effective stat that pays the bills for GetGlue. For comparison, Movies currently show 28.5k recent check-ins. Certainly, Movies are more popular, but why throw away a potential 10k check-ins a week when the backend database that supports them is still going to be there? This decision doesn’t make much sense.
Interesting point about comic books, Bob. I appreciate your sharing your insights with us here and I will pass along your comments to GetGlue.
Good point, people love to earn GetGlue stickers, they’re a strong incentive to check in. I will definitely share your comments with GetGlue.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us here, Bob. It’s great to hear from a passionate GetGlue fan!
Hi Carolyn
As you know I am already active on GetGlue. Always nice to keep up with new movies and TV shows. I also have the Get Glue app on my phone. The only problem is that I live in Denmark and often have to wait like 6 to 12 months before many of the movies and series are available on Denmark. It must be so cool to be living in the US when it comes to movies and TV’s.
Hi Thomas, Yes, you are definitely active on GetGlue! And you’re right, it’s very cool to live in the US. I very much remember living in the UK and waiting for movies, TV shows and tech to reach the shores of the British Isles!
At least I get to see NFL live every Sunday. It is a great way to end a weekend 🙂
Excellent. How do you watch it in Denmark, Thomas. Do they show it on TV there?
Yep I can see it on Danish TV. 3 matches each Sunday and also the Monday night game, but that is too late for me do to the time difference. Actually Denmark is the country outside the US to show most NFL each week. They also show thanksgiving football each year so even I don’t celebrate thanksgiving I love that day anyway 🙂
Is the any news about the referee lockout? It would be nice to get the normal referee back that actually knows the rules…!
Hi Thomas, I wish I had better news for you about the referee lockout. Hopefully they’ll settle their dispute by Sunday!
Wow, that’s great you have so much NFL on TV in Denmark. Not so much in the UK, at least not when we lived there!
Yes, the time difference can be tricky, but that’s what DVR’s are for. 🙂
Looks good but i will wait for the updates on Iphone. Is working worldwide or only for US ?
Hi Radu, Well you shouldn’t have to wait long. The update to the iPhone is coming very soon.
Great question. The guide is only available for US TV schedules, but, as Thomas can tell you, you can access GetGlue from any country.
I hate the new get glue app. When or if it does load the “what’s on now” has nothing that is on NOW in my area. If or when I am able to check in, almost every single time it crashes and boots me from the app. I can’t find what is trending and when I do it few and far apart. I just don’t get why apps feel they have to change things when there was nothing wrong in the first place. If you look at my acct I was addicted to get glue and it used to be fun now I only do a few check ins in a week. Very disappointed
Hi Lori, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I am very sorry you’re having issues with the new GetGlue app. I have a couple of suggestions for you.
First, I want to address the crashing issues you have. No matter how great an app is, youre not going to like it if it crashes a lot. Try deleting and reloading the app from your iPad. Then close all of your other apps. Also try powering off your iPad and turning it back on again. The app does use a lot of memory if you’re playing videos, plus it may be using your location services. By following these steps, you may be able to make more memory available for the app.
Second, you can find what’s trending by pressing the tab on the bottom right corner of the screen that says “Trending”.
Third, to find what’s on in your area, make sure GetGlue knows where you are. Allow Location Services to be used. Also, press on the gear in the upper right corner of the screen to set your location and television provider.
Fourth, if you still prefer the older app, you can load the iPhone app on to your iPad and still use that one instead of your iPad app.
I hope this helps, Lori. Please keep me posted on how it goes. I really appreciate your stopping by and letting us know your thoughts.
I have been using this program for a little while actually! It can be additive to find out what your friends are currently watching and make mentions of things you like at the same time! I think my only issue is my 3-year-old son won’t let me play on it that much…..just kidding of course 🙂
Aaron
Hi Aaron, Yes, you’re right. GetGlue is addictive. I find it so much fun to check in and see what others are saying that I find myself on GetGlue nearly every day!
I’m glad you like it too! :-bd
Of COURSE books and topics that are getting cut have higher check in volumes. THOSE ARE WHAT GetGlue focuses on!! The majority of stickers are for tv shows and movies. That drives up the check in numbers because I assure you, a lot of people are there for the stickers AND social interaction. The majority of users are there for that purpose; NOT to be told when their favorite show is airing. Comic book stickers are released weekly and end up trending for this reason. There are numerous popular book series that users check in and chat about. As a reader, I would LOVE more book stickers. I don’t read comic books and watch a limited number of tv shows. People always say we need to value the written word and get our kids reading, isn’t this a good way to start as opposed to (once again) focusing so much on television and movies that are based on the books we’re deleting like trash?
GetGlue is extremely addictive… so much so that I’ve been a member for nearly 3 years. You know why that is? It was DIFFERENT from other social sites. I truly hope the developers and Alex take a few moments to read the comments on their own site from people who have been a part of the site fot years. Perhaps then they’ll realize where the real value should be placed.
Of COURSE books and topics that are getting cut have lower check in volumes. TV shows and movies – THOSE ARE WHAT GetGlue focuses on.
This is a correction to the first line.
Thank you for the correction.
Hi Kelli, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! That’s great that you have been a member of GetGlue for nearly three years. You have some very good points about the site. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us and I will pass along your comments to GetGlue. Thanks for taking the time to comment here.