At last, there's incentive. 

I've written articles calling foursqure a "Social Media Playground for Internet Addicts."  I've accumultaed 215 checkins at a variety of different venues.  I've recieved foursquare promotions from resturants like Robust Wine Bar.  Hell, I've even written about what the brand needs to do to stay relevant in the always changing industry.  What do I have to show for it?  Nothing.  In fact, I'd now refer to Foursquare as one of two things: a.) a budding community for the laggard tech crowd or b.) the occasional app for social discoveries.  I think in a few years, it will simply be a graveyard of wasted potential (aka MySpace).  I really hope that I'm wrong.

So there's a not so new app (new to me) called "Get Glue" that allows you to check in to TV shows and movies (among other things). It's fun and movie studios, television studios, and advertisers are getting in on the game by allowing you to recieve stickers with every twenty checkins. The idea is a little cheesy, and I don't think it's destined for suceess, but I'd be lying if I said  I haven't been checking in relentlessy in an effort to get my "Your Highness" sticker set by Friday.  (P.S.- the stickers are real, physical stickers, not to be confused with fake foursquare badges).

Below is a video.  If you have an iPad, I suggest you check this out.  For those that have...thoughts?

Where are you right now?  Chances are I don’t have to look much further than Facebook to find out.  My friend Marissa is currently at the St. Louis Chinese Christian Church.  A guy I used to go to school with is at the Bouley Upstairs.  Someone else I know is at the Playoff Sports Bar.  Do I care?  Not really.  But it does beg the question: does sharing our location really make the world more social?  

I’ve written a ton of articles about Foursquare and I do believe that it is a social platform for the future.  It has revolutionized the way some people act and will be a great platform for location-based communication and loyalty based incentive programs down the road.  So why did Facebook enter the marketplace?  Because it can.

On the week of August 16, Facebook launched a new functionality called Places.  It’s only available on mobile devices and is used primarily to check in at different venues and share your location with friends and family who may be in near proximity to you. The video below says it best.  (Note the very apple-esque  nature of the video.  I applaud them for the effort.  It sells me with its style).

Now without further adu, the main competitor Foursquare, and the video promoting their service.  (Note the very fun nature of the video.  Not a huge fan, but the service has been around for a while now and it fits the brand and the style of the company).

As an avid fan of Foursquare I won’t lie and say that I welcome Places with open arms.  Luckily however, I don’t think this will change the game.  At this point, Foursquare has a one-up on innovation and ideas for usage.  You get badges, rewards, leave comments, receive promotions, etc.  Trust me, I know Facebook has plans to do all of this and more, and believe me, with the amount of users on the platform, they will do it with ease, but I won’t be giving up on the underdog just yet.  Plus, there’s still a very small minority of people who want to share their locations (ie. moms currently out of the equation).  

Will Facebook places make the world more social?  Maybe.  But it doesn’t change the fact that without a reason to check in, people won’t check in, without hi-speed Internet on their phone, people won’t check in, and without a guarantee that their privacy is protected, people won’t check in.  However, the fact remains: it’s a fun idea with a whole lot of substance.  What I hope for is this: a world more interested in sharing insightful information on particular places.  What I hope for more than that: that people won’t be posting info on their late night trip to McDonalds or their good night’s sleep at the Hampton Apartment Club. 

Here’s to wishful thinking.

What you do you think of Facebook Places?  Are you going to remain loyal to Foursquare?  Will you stay away and keep your location private?  You should leave your comments below.

Related Articles

Less About Now...More About Later | My Take on the Future of Foursquare

Foursquare:  A Social Media Playground for Internet Addicts

For those of you unfamilar with Foursquare and what it actually does, a brief synopsis from the aformentioned blog is as follows:

So a new game has emerged online called Foursquare.  Well, it's not really new and it's not really a game, but nonetheless, it's here and it's creating quite the buzz around the internet amongst addicts like myself.  What is it?  Look no further than the developers description:

"Think: 50% friend-finder, 30% social cityguide, 20% nightlife game. We wanted to build something that not only helps you keep up with your friends, but exposes you to new things in and challenges you to explore cities in different ways."

Alright, time to do some translating.  Foursquare is a social media platform that uses your mobile phone as a human GPS device.  You check in at various locations around St. Louis, and earn points with each checkin.  It not only tells your friends where you are, but allows you to compete against them to become the "king of the streets."

If you join foursquare, you will find out a lot about what people are doing and what places you should visit in your area.  You're getting tips from the very people who go to these places.  You're not getting reviews, your getting objectives.  The possibilities are endless.

Nothing much has changed here, but the invovlement of some big brand names has really broadened the horizons for the platform.  Restaurants, hotel chains, entertainment venues, and airports are starting to now offer incentives to those who check in.  If you think about it, it's free marketing.  Your telling all your friends, family, and followers where you hang out, what you're doing there, and who's with you, all with the click of a few buttons. 

To bring things down to a local level, I'll use Robust Wine Bar as an example.  They are offering an incentive during the month of June by giving anyone who checks in on Foursquare a free 3oz. glass of wine (limit one per day).  Then, at the end of month, the person with the most check-ins (aka the Mayor) will be given a $50 gift certicate and a magnum bottle of wine/champage.  It's giving people a reason to choose Robust for that after-work drink, it's giving people a reason to share (socially) thier passion for the restaurant (and the wine) and it's giving friends, family, and followers a reason to care about this person, this platform, and this restaurant.  The best part?  It's all done through simple word-of-mouth marketing. 

So don't just take my word for it.  Download Foursquare.  Check out Robust.  Hell, go there tonight for a Tweetup where you can meet other Foursquare/Twitter users and enjoy a glass of wine that will cost you a whopping one check-in on Foursquare.  Sound crazy?  It is.  But let me tell you.  It's a whole lotta fun.

*For more details around the Robust Tweetup taking place on June 9, 2010, click here.

Related Articles

Social Media Under a Microscope