Cross Pollination Media | Social Media Strategy | Social Media Marketing

So if you aren’t familiar, a “relatively new” network, Foursquare is getting a lot of attention.

Foursquare is basically a mobile app, which when activated, determines locations close to where you are and allows you to “check-in.” When you check-in you are able to notify your network (those who follow you on Foursquare and you can also integrate your Facebook and Twitter accounts) of your whereabouts and your status. As you check-in more frequently, you unlock “badges,” which show users your use frequency and you can also compete for mayorship of specific places (mayors are those who frequently check-in at particular businesses). Becoming a “mayor” and keeping the status can become a friendly competition between users!

The focus when creating this network was to make networked activity local and mobile, and incorporate a game-like competitive quality to encourage use/information sharing. Participants are rewarded the more they participate and “check-in” at venues. The push notification technology component allows users to let their friends know their location and remind friends when they are one step away from competing for “mayorship.”  As businesses look to incentivize activity within their inetworks, they may include rewards, which encourage friendly competition and of course in-store traffic. Foursquare “coupons” can be implemented and serve as an integrated rewards system.

The Foursquare application also allows users to review a venue in which they visited and encourages users to read others’ submissions. It also provides the option to read the reviews posted on Yelp and Tweets from nearby Tweeters. This tool can be integral in mobile decision making and can encourage users to try new venues if reviews are positive. …and of course, the opposite if reviews are terrible.

As Foursquare continues to develop, capabilities will increase and it is definitely an app to watch when considering your strategic mobile and social plan.

To read more, visit the recently published Inc. Magazine article .

Jen Cohen is a social media and marketing maven knocked down many times in 26 yrs. Something Creative http://somethingcreativemarketing.com

http://www.socialmediamarketing.com/blog

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Gravity Summit where I had the chance to learn about how business professionals were using social media. Among the many topics that were discussed at the summit, one topic in particular was brought up on a few occasions. That topic was Google Buzz . For many professionals in attendance, the question they wanted to know was whether or not Google Buzz would become relevant. As it is, Facebook and Twitter are big question marks for some businesses because of the simple fact that companies don’t want to jump too far into something if there is a chance it will disappear in a year or two.

So the question now is what do you do? If you are a business owner or a marketing professional, how will Google Buzz play into your campaigns?

People Don’t Like Google Buzz

An easy way to asses the future of Google Buzz is to see what people are saying about it right now.

While there have been many supporters and fans of it, it seems that there are many more that dislike it. One area in particular that left a bad taste in the mouth of users was that Google already populated a users Google Buzz followers list. While to Google this may have seemed like a ‘convenient’ move, in reality it made users feel like there privacy was violated. One argument that has been made is that Google Buzz allowed content and comments that you may not have wanted your employer to see the ability to access it.

Aside from the privacy issues that Google Buzz has been under fire for, another area that users have been questioning is why they should use it. While the immediate advantage of using Google Buzz is that you never have to leave your ‘workspace’ on Gmail, does the value go further than that? Users have already begun comparing Google Buzz to Facebook live feeds and are asking themselves if it’s worth the switch. Although Google does cut down the need to go migrate to Facebook or Twitter to get updates, replacing them as a community tool still seems to be up in the air.

When It Will Be Relevant

For anything to become relevant in a business sense, it must create value. For Facebook, it allows users to stay connected with one friends and family. On Twitter, users can explore business opportunities, make friends, and share content. For Google Buzz though, the value proposition that offers is still being questioned. Until Google Buzz can prove that it has impact value as far as reaching users and communities, Google Buzz will remain a giant question mark.

For the time being, companies should be mindful of Google Buzz as it is sure to have upgrades and improvements as they receive more feedback on their product. Remember that Facebook and Twitter were once considered giant question marks and are now larger than life it seems. Perhaps it just a matter of time before Google Buzz joins in on the party.

Joseph is the Director of Marketing at Viralogy.com & works in social media & sports consulting. Read more about him at http://JosephAYi.com

http://www.socialmediamarketing.com/blog