Why Location-Based Social Networking Isn’t Catching On–And How It Can

Posted by on Jul 13, 2011 in Social Media | 0 comments

In today’s blog post, Allison explores a very specific subset of social media, the location based social network tools. In order to get someone to do something–click a link, buy a product, check in on Foursquare–you have to prove that it has benefits to them. Let’s call it the “what’s in it for me?” principle. And here’s where location-based networks like Foursquare, Gowalla, SCVNGR and all the other imitators are failing, plain and simple. When the forerunners of the location social networking craze started, they were very much structured as...

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Where Are You?

Posted by on May 7, 2011 in Marketing, Social Media | 0 comments

Over the last few years, location based communities and search tools have skyrocketed in popularity. According to a survey by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), one out of every four U.S. adults use mobile location-based services. And nearly half of those users responded in some fashion to location-based advertisements. Many of the biggest companies in the world are leveraging the power of services like Foursquare and Gowalla to provide loyalty perks to their customers. Are you the mayor of a Starbucks on Foursquare? You get 10% off anything you order at that location.  These tools...

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Foursquare: Privacy vs. Social Sharing

Posted by on Feb 7, 2011 in Marketing, Social Media | 2 comments

I’ve never been totally sure about Foursquare and other location based social services. Sure, they can be great for businesses: Drive traffic to your store! See who’s shopping at your store! Offer discounts and deals! But besides those deals and discounts, what’s the benefit to the end user? Many will say  checking in at a location allows you to see where your friends are and meet up spontaneously. This may be true, but who else can see where you’re checking in? From Portland, Oregon to London, England, reports of Foursquare stalking cases are beginning to roll in....

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Mayor of Roundpeg?

Posted by on Jul 23, 2010 in Social Media | 1 comment

Let me start with full disclosure…I’m not really “good” at anything. I’m not trying to be self-deprecating or anything, I’m just saying that I am part of the majority of average folks. I don’t have trophies or awards lined up along my wall, I don’t have fans or a ton of recognition…I’m just a regular guy. But I can be Mayor. Work hard enough, and you can, too. The latest trend in social media has been Foursquare, which its developers call a “tool of social discovery.” It’s an application which allows users to...

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Foursquare is Four Times as Much Fun as Twitter for Small Business Owners

Posted by on Feb 6, 2010 in Social Media | 2 comments

It seems like there is always something new to keep up with.  A new application, new tool, new toy or new website.   If I took time to check out all of them, I wouldn’t get anything done. But everynow and then, one new application seems to emerge as a winner.   Recently, FourSquare has emerged as a winner for me.    What is FourSquare?  It is a mobile application, which allows you to tell others where you are. It integrates seamlessly to Twitter, and the iPhone application is easy to use.  While that is all cool, the question is, why would anyone care where you are?  The...

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