We would bet most people have never heard of Pinwheel, as it is still in a private beta right now. But this won’t stop Pinwheel from exploding onto the scene of social media as soon as it’s released publicly.

So you may be wondering, what is Pinwheel?

Pinwheel is at its essence a location-based social media service that allows users to “pin” notes at the locations they visit. These notes could be in the form of text, photos, videos, etc. The notes can be left privately or publicly, so you can share your notes with just your friends or the world.

“Part of why making Pinwheel is so fun, is so exploding with possibility,” Fake says, “is that a note, like a photo, can be a container for all kinds of things. It is the perfect social object. Stories, advice, jokes, diatribes, information, memories, facts, advertisements, love letters, grocery lists and manifestos can all be put into a note.”

Just some of the great possibilities of Pinwheel:

  • Pinwheel lets anyone leave a note tagged to a particular location.
  • You can tag notes so they are searchable.
  • People can leave notes for you to find.
  • You can follow other people, to see the notes they leave.
  • Businesses can leave location-based advertisements. These are called “sponsored notes.”

With these functions and features, Pinwheel is shaping up to be a great way to learn about the world around you and the people you share it with. To us, this is a great recipe for success in social media. Some may say this is very similar to Pinterest, which it is in some terms, but it is shaping up to be so much more. To sign up for the invite only public beta check out the Pinwheel website.

Does the idea of a social media site like Pinwheel entice you? Would you sign up for such a service?