Last week in the office, Katie and Tarra talking about this thing called Foursquare, and how Katie was the mayor of Response. I had no idea what was going on. So I asked Katie, “What is this?” I understood the main gist, but still didn’t know all there was to it.Think of it as a Twitter meets GPS social networking site. By simply downloading the application on your web-enabled cell phone, you are able to update your location “check-in” each time you go somewhere new.
But why? What’s the point?
By checking in to different places, your friends are able to see where you are if they wanted to meet up, give their opinion /review, recommend something to do nearby, or simply see what you are up to. People to have checked into these places before can leave tips, suggesting a certain meal or warn you not to waste your time. This application works by a point system. A certain number of points allotted based on what you do. You can earn points by checking into places, bringing friends, etc. Once you start frequenting these places, you are able to earn certain badges or even become mayor. However, earining these badges and positions don’t just win you recognition. Businesses have been keeping an eye on this location updater in terms of their business. Essentially, the people posting their locations are providing these companies with “word-of-text” advertising. To reward the mayors (user who checks into the specific place the most), business have offered incentives, such as free drinks or free food. Starbucks has recently released a Starbucks badge in which users who check into 5 different Starbucks locations can be rewarded with free coffee. In recent news…
A couple weeks ago, Bing had announced that they will be integrating the Foursquare application into Bing maps. Todd Schwartz wrote about his matter on Bing’s blog:
“The foursquare map app is a powerful combination of the spatial canvas that Bing Maps provides, combined with foursquare’s user reputation service ability to see who has unlocked specific badges, where and who has been crowned mayor of certain locations making it easier to explore any city in the world as if you were a local. Let’s say you’re travelling to New York City for the week, but you don’t know what’s hot in Greenwich Village. Selecting the foursquare Map App in Bing Maps, and zooming into to Greenwich Village will get you tips that show you what locals are saying about the hot spots in that area. It’s like an interactive day planner, designed to help find the best things to do in that area. And if you have questions, you can always contact users through foursquare to get the inside scoop”