Posts filed under 'Foursquare'
By Ben Haber
With so many social networks, sometimes it can be difficult to figure out where to post content and information. It’s important to remember that each social network has a different audience, and they want and expect (and react to) different types of content. How do you figure out which social network to post different types of content on? Let this amazing flow chart guide you…
Click on the chart to expand.
But in all seriousness, it is crucial to treat each social network differently, because your connections will vary on each, and so will the information your connections are interested in receiving from you. So unlink your Twitter handle to the other networks (except perhaps LinkedIn) and give each social network some personalized attention, so show them they you know who they are, and want to engage with them.
November 2nd, 2011
By Brittany Falconer
If you know me personally, you can skip to the next paragraph. If not, finish this one: Hi, I’m Brittany. I love beer and location-based social media. If I found anything that married the two, I would consider marrying it.
One of the reasons why I was most excited about finally getting a smartphone – aside from no longer having to make excuses along the lines of “Sorry, my phone rides the short bus” – was all the applications and bookmarked mobile sites that would inevitably accompany it. I of course anticipated the usual suspects – Twitter, Foursquare, Angry Birds, Words with Friends – you know, all those little megabytes that have become all but staples of our livelihood. What thrilled me even more was the thought of perhaps the most magical, albeit less mainstream, mobile site to grace the lives of social beer-drinkers the digital world over: Untappd. Haven’t heard of it? Read on.
I first heard about Untappd via the Twittersphere many months ago. Being an avid consumer of beer, the prospect of being able to check into which one I was drinking sounded nothing short of incredible – especially when you go to as many beer fests as I do, and keeping track after the eighth sample can get tricky. Untappd lets you track what you’re drinking, where you’re drinking it, and what you think of it.
After that first glorious (sometimes not-so-glorious) sip, visit m.untappd.com and search for whatever it is you have in your hand. Find it – or add it – add your two cents, and check in. Simple, but that’s the beauty of it. Like many Bostonians, while I do have a few go-tos, I really love trying different brews, and I only have so much brain space dedicated to beer. Untappd is turning into my handy little Rolodex of draughts and bottles and making some recommendations at the same time based off my check-ins (although I haven’t tested that out yet – has anyone who can share their thoughts?). Like Foursquare, it also lets me keep tabs (pun unavoidable) on my beer-inclined friends to see what they’re drinking. Possibly even more fun, I earn badges (also like Foursquare) for my drinking habits, which serve no purpose other than bragging rights (and perhaps a VIP pass for an AA meeting).
Have you tried Untappd yet? Love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments!
August 29th, 2011
By Ben Haber
We’ve all heard it before: teenagers don’t use Twitter. Is it because they don’t find it useful? Or do they just not have time for it? To help us understand how teens feel about Twitter and other social networks, Michael Moore-Jones, a sixteen-year-old technology and business enthusiast that’s involved in involved in numerous startups was kind enough to answer a few questions for us. Michael lives in New Zealand and blogs regularly at
mmoorejones.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at
@mmoorejones.
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RaceTalk: As you noted in your
article on ReadWriteWeb, teenagers aren’t big Twitter adopters. You wrote about some of the major reasons for this (i.e.: they use social media to extend real-life relationships online), but how much of a factor do you think time is? Do teens have the time for another social networks, especially since all of their friends are already on Facebook
?
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Michael Moore-Jones: I think if teens had a use for Twitter, they would use it regardless of time. With the amount of time that we spend on Facebook, it wouldn’t be hard to siphon off a bit of that time into using Twitter (I do it myself). So no, time isn’t one of the main factors that means teens don’t tweet. If Twitter offered teens something, they’d find the time.
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RaceTalk: Teens are a very unique group in that they’ve grown up with social media, rather than being introduced to it (like today’s working generations). As teens get older and begin to enter the real-world do you think their attitude towards Twitter will change?
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MMJ: Good question – I think that’s exactly the point my post on RWW was leading to. While it may seem as though once teens enter the working world and realize the value that Twitter offers they may start using it, I believe there is a weird mentality amongst teens about Twitter that means they will never adopt it. In researching the reasons why teens don’t tweet, I asked numerous teens at my school “Do you use Twitter? What do you think of it?”. The response I got was usually a laugh, followed by something along the lines of “Are you kidding me? Twitter is so lame”. A couple of people even said “Isn’t Twitter for little kids?” I think that when the vast majority of a generation shares that view of a web product or service, they won’t adopt it even if they move into a position where it does solve a problem for them. It could even be to do with the branding of Twitter – fluffy blue logo and little birds. Teens don’t like using something that seems immature and young, even if it is useful (part of wanting to be older and grow up). So no, I believe that my generation will never adopt Twitter en-masse, even when we move into the real-world.
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RaceTalk: Location-based check in applications like Foursquare and Gowalla have caught a lot momentum during the past year. Are teens interested in these types of networks or are they more likely to use Facebook Places?
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MMJ: With location-based services, teenagers are currently using them less than older generations for the reason that they are still mainly for early adopters (Facebook Places is changing this, but not yet). Here in New Zealand Facebook Places hasn’t been rolled out yet so I can’t comment on its usage amongst teenagers, but I do know that Foursquare and Gowalla have not been adopted in a hurry (and the vast majority of teenagers not involved in the tech industry in some way would not have heard of them yet). At the same time (at least in New Zealand and Spain, where I’ve lived in the past couple of years) smartphones are still not ubiquitous amongst teenagers, so many teenagers wouldn’t have the ability to use these services even if they wanted to. Once all teens have smartphones, I believe they will start using a location based service other than Facebook Places (because they want to share their location, but not have it pop up in everyone’s news feed everywhere they go). Heck, the full reasons for that is another entire post so I’ll leave it at that and explain in the comments if people want to know a bit more.
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RaceTalk: Of all methods of communication (Facebook messages, IM, email, text, etc.) what do teens generally prefer, and how will this affect communication 10 years from now?
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MMJ: Teens will use a medium of communication that suits the content of the conversation (I touched on this in the RWW post, too). So, if teens aren’t at home but want to check up on a plan for later, they’ll send a text. If they are organizing going to the movies with a big group of people, they’ll send out a Facebook message to everyone invited. If they’re at home on a computer and want to be talking to a few people, they’ll use Facebook chat because it’s easier to type than it is to text. There are reasons for using each medium of communication, and which one teens choose to use actually says a lot about what the content of the conversation will be. I believe that the new Facebook Messages is the future, but it could go one of two ways – either all teens will adopt it and it will become the norm, or they won’t like it because it doesn’t allow to the same extent the understanding of the medium of communication being used. It’ll be interesting to watch, but I think at the least Facebook Messages is a great step in the right direction. On another note, once smartphones become the norm amongst teenagers, I believe texting will die and teens will start using instant messaging applications more (such as Blackberry Messenger, or Whatsapp Messenger). It’s instantaneous, and allows a conversation to happen more than with text messaging. Anyway, we’ll see how these predictions play out!
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RaceTalk: Moving forward do you think teens would prefer to communicate visually rather than through text (i.e.: receiving picture notifications from a business running a sale rather than text notifications)? How will this affect the way businesses (especially consumer-facing companies) operate?
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MMJ: Another fantastic question. I believe communication through text will always have a place because it serves so many different purposes, but I definitely do think that a lot of communication will move to be done visually. Something that is already occurring is that we’ll see people video calling rather than just calling, and this could work as an analogy for what is to happen with other mediums of communication. I definitely think that with the rise of the smartphone for the masses people will begin to use images a lot more regularly and freely – so we will see people just sending a photo of where they are rather than describing it in text. But again, it all depends on what teenagers are trying to communicate. Relating to your question about how businesses will need to change the way they operate, I don’t think they’ll need to change a great deal in the next few years. Most advertising done online (plus traditional media advertising) includes a visual aspect. Text message advertising in its current state doesn’t work because its been shown that teenagers don’t respond to marketing messages sent via text message, so we could see a rise of mobile advertising of images being sent rather than just text. This will also be very interesting to watch, and we’ll just see what happens.
December 10th, 2010
By Molly Galler
I was stunned this morning to read that Gowalla, the location based, check in application, has integrated with its greatest competitor, Foursquare. Just two weeks ago I wrote about Gowalla’s major coup in signing a partnership with Disney. This seemed like a turning point for the company, legitimizing its position as a key player in the space.
Today Ben Parr of Mashable wrote:
“The Foursquare integration has two key components. First, Gowalla now lets you broadcast your check ins on not only its app, but Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook Places and Foursquare as well. Gowalla even lets you earn Foursquare badges and Facebook Deals through the iPhone app. As an added bonus, Gowalla also pulls in Foursquare Tips whenever you check in.”
This begs the question, why not just use Foursquare? Parr goes on to explain his theory on Foursquare’s reaction:
“Gowalla did not work with Foursquare on this integration; it was all done through the API. That leaves the real possibility that Foursquare could throw a big wrench into Gowalla’s plans by blocking its rival’s use of the API. The threat posed by Gowalla 3 is real; that alone could force Foursquare’s hand in the name of competition. It would also create a firestorm of controversy.”
In order to succeed in the market, Gowalla will have to differentiate itself from Foursquare and other mobile check in applications (like Facebook Places), encouraging the user to exclusively check in with their application.
Perhaps, Gowalla feels this integration will allow users to broadcast one check in across multiple apps, with just one touch to the Gowalla mobile app. If that’s the Gowalla game plan, it’s pure genius.
December 2nd, 2010
By Ben Haber
Yelp, Facebook Places, Groupon, Foursquare, Gowalla, Scavenger, Living Social.
These are just some of the location-based social networks, applications and companies that are making a large impact in people’s behavior and purchasing decisions. Overall, these applications and networks allow people to check-in to certain locations, write tips and reviews for businesses, restaurants, etc., obtain discounts through special deals or group purchases, and see where your friends are checking in and what they like and/or don’t like.
So far, these networks and applications provide some, but not all, of these capabilities, and are very popular. However, there isn’t one place where users can go to have all of this functionality. It’s not a question of if all of these features will converge – it’s a question of when, and who will be the one to do it first and best?
While Facebook has an enormous user base, it’s functionality doesn’t really allow you to get tips and reviews from people you aren’t ‘friends’ with about a nearby restaurant, etc. It is also currently more focused on telling friends where you’re going then on the deals and discounts that other applications have fund success with.
Yelp and Foursquare and others have had great success with tips and reviews, and is very useful for users on mobile devices that are trying to find a nearby place to grab a bite to eat. Meanwhile, Foursquare’s badge system has been growing steadily and can result in check-in addiction.
Then, Groupon and it’s long list of clones have popularized the daily deal, basically providing users with 50 percent off whatever deal is offered that day. It’s easy for people to make a purchasing decision when it arrives in their email every morning, and Groupon’s & Living Social’s mobile apps are a major selling point. However, their deals require a level of planning (timing, location, fine print).
So who is going to win? It’s tough to tell at this point. Which of these applications and networks do you enjoy using and find the most helpful?
November 24th, 2010
By Molly Galler
Today Ben Parr of Mashable reported that Disney has partnered with location-based mobile app Gowalla to help visitors further engage with their two flagship theme parks – Disneyworld and Disneyland – via mobile check ins and stamps.
This is a significant partnership for Gowalla who is often left in the dust behind mobile check in dominators Foursquare and Facebook Places (I wrote about the launch of Facebook Places back in August, you can read the full post here).
Parr describes some of the details of the partnership and agrees, this is a monumental deal for Gowalla. He writes:
“ . . .Gowalla and Disney have created literally hundreds of stamps for rides and locales within the two parks. Everything from the fireworks show to “Finding Nemo-The Music” offers a stamp or pin that can be earned by checking in. This is a major win for Gowalla; Disney is the world’s most-recognized entertainment brand, and any form of promotion by Disney should drive new users and extra attention to the location-based service. It’s struggled to keep a high profile in the face of stiff competition from Foursquare, which raised $20 million earlier this year, and Facebook, whose Places feature recently got a new deals platform.”
Joshua Brustein of the New York Times reported that Gowalla currently has 600,000 users as compared to the 120 million people that visited the Disney theme parks last year. Brustein accurately comments, “Gowalla’s user base would skyrocket even if it converted a miniscule proportion of Disney’s users into new users.”
Why haven’t Foursquare or Facebook Places announced these types of partnerships? According to a post on Gowalla’s corporate blog an incredible amount of time and human resources went into customizing this mobile platform. The blog post reads:
“We’re launching over 100 new featured stamps within Disney Parks today, with over 100 more expected by the end of the year. Each featured Disney stamp was painstakingly rendered in pixel form by Gowalla with the guidance of the Disney creative team — bringing you an experience that is truly 100 percent Gowalla and 100 percent Disney.”
Congratulations to Gowalla on teaming up with the most recognizable entertainment brand on the planet. Naturally this announcement will breed intensified competition from competitors, but for now, Gowalla is at the happiest place on earth.
November 18th, 2010
By Molly Galler
Here at RaceTalk we’re huge fans of the ABC comedy Modern Family, so imagine my delight when discovering a social media platform (and iPhone app) called PHILO has created a way for users to check-in to their favorite TV shows.
According to Mashable, PHILO describes itself as “Twitter and Foursquare for TV fans.” Users check-in to their favorite, participating TV shows to declare their allegiance and to win badges and physical prizes.
Like this idea? PHILO isn’t the only player in the game. Competitors Get Glue and Miso also offer similar check-ins and all three platforms provide the ability to link your updates to Facebook and Twitter.
This comes as great news to people who may not use Foursquare or Gowalla because they feel checking in to hotels, restaurants, airports, etc compromises their physical safety. Checking in to a television show allows you to proudly display your fandom, without giving away your physical location.
Shows that have already hosted check-ins include: ABC’s Modern Family and Dancing with the Stars, as well as NBC’s Community and Chuck.
What are you waiting for? Plop on the couch and check-in!
November 2nd, 2010
By Molly Galler
This week USA Today’s Bruce Horovitz reported that McDonald’s has taken their social media strategy to a new level of engagement by planting their own, branded farm via Facebook’s incredibly popular application, FarmVille.
McDonald’s recently dominated headlines for their effective use of the mobile check-in application, Foursquare, which increased foot traffic to McDonald’s stores by 33% in one day.
For the past24 hours, McDonald’s sponsored FarmVille’s first-ever branded farm. For the full day Thursday October 7th, users who interacted with the McDonald’s farm were rewarded with virtual prizes to decorate their personal FarmVille empires. Rewards included items like virtual, McDonald’s branded hot air balloons.
Why FarmVille you may ask? How many FarmVille users could there really be? Answer? 18 million.
McDonald’s director of media, Anja Carroll, told USA Today, “This is all part of a larger social-media strategy. It’s difficult to ignore the sheer volume of the audience that FarmVille brings.”
McDonald’s is a superb example of a company taking their Facebook activity beyond their corporate page and continuing to strategize new and effective ways to target their ideal audience. I’m lovin it.
October 8th, 2010
By Molly Galler
This morning the Associated Press reported that MTV has partnered with Foursquare to offer a special badge to users who check in to health clinics via the mobile application. The new Foursquare badge is part of MTV’s “GYT: Get Yourself Tested” campaign.
MTV’s public health campaign encourages young people to get routinely checked for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The Associated Press reports, “MTV says the idea is to remove the stigma attached to getting checked out for STDs.”
While this is a nice idea in theory and I applaud MTV for fully integrating mobile into their campaign outreach, I think most people, no matter how much they typically share via Foursquare, are unlikely to publicly broadcast their appointment for STD screenings.
This Foursquare partnership would be more successful if it was linked to MTV’s political campaign, “Rock the Vote” which encourages young people to register to vote and make their voices heard. If they offered a badge for checking in to a voting location, I think the response would be tremendous.
What do you think? Can MTV leverage Foursquare for such a person declaration?
August 31st, 2010
By Molly Galler
This week Facebook announced the launch of a new feature – Facebook Places. Much like the mobile application Foursquare, Facebook Places will let you “check in” to your current location via Facebook on your smart phone. It will display your location updates to all of your Facebook friends.
You may find yourself asking – doesn’t this same application already exist with Foursquare, Gowalla and others? Why yes, yes it does. However, the Facebook Places application is also going to allow your friends to check you in to places, whether you like it or not.
Of course you can alter your Facebook privacy settings to disable the ability for other users to check you in, but the Facebook default settings will indeed allow your friends to check you in.
Facebook Places does allow businesses to “claim” their venue and provide updates to users who check in via the application (exactly like Foursquare).
While it may seem Facebook is simply duplicating an application that already exists by another provider, what the real concern is here is how Facebook is increasingly making moves to become a one-stop-shop for online and mobile activities.
For example, more people upload photos to Facebook than competing photos services like Kodak Gallery, Snapfish or Shutterfly. Facebook also has the Marketplace application which aims to compete with Craigslist. Businesses now consider their Facebook fan page as vital, if not more, than their company website. The addition of Facebook Places is another intentional move to gobble up competing online players.
Can Facebook extinguish enough competitors to ultimately become the singular destination for online and mobile sharing? What do you think?
August 20th, 2010
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