Foursquare has quietly been making moves that will have a major impact on local businesses and local internet marketing. The service is already used to check in at a variety of places, and now their reach will be expanding.
The Biggest Challenge with Social Media: Diversified Multitasking
June 24, 2012 by 5 Comments
There’s a catch-22 in social media for those whose job it is to stay active and informed. On one hand, you have to constantly update Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Foursquare; slowing down on any of them can hurt exposure though the various ranking systems (such as Facebook EdgeRank) associated with them. On the other hand, you have to keep them somewhat diversified to both cater to the specific personalities in each as well as give a valid reason to be followed actively on multiple channels. Why would people follow your Google+ updates if they’re just carbon copies of your Facebook posts, for example.
Shall We Play a Game?
February 20, 2012 by 6 Comments
Gamification is one of those big words constantly being thrown around in the social media space. It’s also a trend, like many other trends in social media, which companies are trying to use as the proverbial silver bullet to gain traffic and conversions. While gamification is by no means a quick fix to all problems social, once you understand the science behind it, you see why it works. [Read more...]
The Social Bowl
January 23, 2012 by 10 Comments
When the Patriots of New England take on the Giants of New York—a game that could be decided by kicking a oblong ball made of pigskin through a giant “H” for a most ripping victory—thousands of football fans will converge on Lucas Oil Field and the surrounding areas for Super Bowl XLVI. The vast majority of attendees are sure to use mobile devices to disclose various details of their fun during a full week of events. An unprepared city could experience a social media logjam, but the city of Indianapolis has taken all of this into consideration.
[Read more...]
How could a Marketer take Advantage of Foursquare’s New Radar Feature?
November 8, 2011 by 2 Comments
The recent introduction of the iOS 5, the new operating system included in the iPhone 4s, has not only created opportunities for Apple, but third parties as well. Geo-driven social network Foursquare is one party that has decided to tap into its rich functionality right away with the recent launch of Radar.
What Google+ Says About the Future of Mobile Apps
July 31, 2011 by 3 Comments
I was listening to my rock radio station of choice the other day, and when the commercial for a big bank mobile app aired, some thoughts I’d been having about social media and apps started to really make sense.
The spokesperson, in jocular, soothing tones, told me how even if I forgot to deposit my checks before I went to the ballgame, it didn’t matter, because I could do so with the app while the pitchers warm up. “All you have to do is take a picture of both sides of the check and boom it’s deposited,” he said.
Rally to Restore Sanity was FourSquare’s Biggest Event in 2011
January 24, 2011 by 5 Comments
With 3400% growth and 6 million users, FourSquare had an amazing 2010 capped by over 30,000 check-ins at the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington DC last October. How will all of this success translate to their future in 2011?
Other social media sites grabbed more headlines in 2010, but few experienced the exponential growth that Foursquare saw. The location-based social network saw hundreds of millions of check-ins at various locations around the world, prompting many to consider it the fastest growing segment of social networking.
Crossroads: 7 Questions that Twitter, Digg, and Others Must Answer in 2011
December 20, 2010 by 5 Comments
When I originally posted this article on Techi, I forgot to take one major thing into account. Most people who are passionate about their favorite social media sites are often blinded by their feelings. They understand the need for change and innovation but often do not take honest feedback very well.
That was the case with these questions as I received a barrage of emails, IMs, and even phone calls from people telling me that their favorite sites “are doing just fine, thank you very much.” In most cases, I replied with a terse but honest response.
“Wake up.”
If there’s one thing that we’ve learned from MySpace, it’s that no matter how big you are you can fall if you don’t adjust. Social media is mercurial with it’s rate of change and as a result many (most?) who have fallen over the years did so because they didn’t ask themselves the tough questions.
The Evolving Value of Social Media
March 18, 2010 by 16 Comments
This is a guest post by Nate Bagley.
One of the biggest problems currently facing many major Social Media sites (aside from trolls) is monetization. They thrive on VC and Angel funding while trying to find a way to be cash flow positive without turning off scores of users with intrusive ads. The most obvious example of this is the Twitters.
Twitter has yet to turn a profit, because they are avoiding “selling out” by diluting the value of their amazing service with a bombardment of ads or making their service subscription based. The simplicity of the site, however, doesn’t allow for many other monetization opportunities.
