Tag Archives: foursquare

SXSW Day 4: The Network Effect of Foursquare

15th March 2011

It’s never easy explaining Foursquare to friends outside of the social media world. “So you check-in, get a virtual sticker and once in a while find a coupon…right.” Well yes, sort-of.

If you have downloaded Foursquare 3.0 in the last week, it’s clear to see Foursquare sees itself as far more than virtual stickers and 10% of coffee every 10 check-ins. Today, Dennis Crowley, Co-Founder of Foursquare, set the record straight and gave SXSW a glimpse into how the app is changing the way people interact through technology.

Crowley explained how the vision for Foursquare all along has always been more than badges. The vision has been taking the device in your pocket and creating an archived experience, a history of where you have been, with who and where you are off to next. Think Amazon, for daily activities he says.

Foursquare 3.0 and beyond will strike the core motivation behind location based technology of connections and then keep them all in one place for you. For example, when I arrived in Austin a few days ago and checked-into the airport I was greeted with a message saying “the last time you were in Texas was in October 2010 with Kate Larson.” Now that’s cool. It’s not all about where am I right now, but where have I been and where my friends advise I should head next.

While deals platforms like Groupon succeed in driving new customers, Foursquare is focusing it’s sights on repeat customers and loyalty. So far 250,000 merchants have activated deals on Foursquare, they are building communities, digital and physical and are reaping the rewards.

Driving users who are ready to explore their own backyard is what Foursquare is all about, and the path is quickly becoming clear. “It’s more than cute, we are making neighborhoods easier to use and encouraging people to do more interesting things” says Crowley. After today’s discussion, I now know I have a few more motivating factors in my location based defense and I personally cannot wait to see how this space expands in 2011.

SXSW Day 1: Get the party started

12th March 2011

I’ve survived SXSW day one, and considering the little planning time I have done thus far, I’d say it’s been pretty sucessful.

The largest takeaway for me so far has been it really is a huge party. We’re not just talking this type of party, but the kind where you can meet really cool people, all day long, with or without a drink in your hand. From new friends in the airport, to the free shuttle, to the taco truck and beyond, everyone is willing to chat and chances are they have something pretty interesting to share.

A few of my favorite tid bits from today:

Gowalla – Gowalla is taking is hometown to heart with a scavenger hunt in Austin. The location based app has reached out to local businesses and given them passport stickers, similar to what you would find in the app, and has handed out paper passports for users to collect place them in. Find 15 before Monday and you’re in to their exclusive party.

Lifekraze A fun startup based in Chattanooga, TN all about getting groups of people moving and spreading the motivation among friends. I found this really interesting for internal businesses or families looking to create group goals or incentives. Plus they were an entertaining group to hang out with.

Foursquare with Foursquare Fun = playing real Foursquare with the people who work for Foursquare and then winning a super soft t-shirt for doing so.

Taco trucks – They are everywhere and pretty much all sponsored which equals free food, which we love. Today we stopped by Hashable’s truck and even found some QR code love with our food.

Golden ticket – Stacy is pretty awesome and managed to unlock the Foursquare Golden Ticket Badge. Only 1 of 1,000 to be unlocked this weekend, we can now attend the Big Boi concert Monday night, we’re pretty excited about this one. Oh, and for anyone who might be worried, it starts around 10, so we won’t miss the finale of the Bachelor.

Foursquare grew 3400% in 2010

24th January 2011

If you think check-ins are a fad, you may want to think again. More than 380,000,000 checked-ins occurred in 2010 via Foursquare alone.

Foursquare has released a pretty neat infographic breaking down their membership statistics including some interesting caveats such as when movie theatre check-ins spiked, top venues worldwide and more.

Check out the entire infographic on the Foursquare blog here.