Ah.. found something exciting once again on the web: Foursquare (foursquare.com)
The Foursquare website describes itself as a means ".. to meet up with friends and discover new places!.."
The app mainly aims at letting your friends know what all places you visit and help you share your experiences with them. Say you visit a restaurant...all your friends would instantly know that you are there, if anybody is around they can visit you. Not only that there are host of other features that make it exciting
...so much so that people have started touting it as the next twitter :)
Got to know about Foursquare from the following: http://bit.ly/bZ1Esb . So decided to check it out and was not disappointed at all. In one of my earlier posts ( http://bit.ly/9ZeWno ) I mentioned how a new innovation quickly leads to the other. foursquare is a classic example of that. It derives its roots from twitter. In-fact, IMHO, it's a sweet combination of twitter and "word of mouth" publicity.
How does it work?
First of all you need to download the app on your phone. The website offers customized apps for iphone, android, blackberry and palm. Other mobile users with browsers can visit the mobile website. For people with non browser phones, they have an sms number where you can send your current location (the service is currently available only for US users though).
Visit Places or Check-in
Whenever you visit a place a check-in happens. Each visit is a check-in and there are points associated with it. There are points for late nights, visiting new places, taking friends etc
As you keep visiting or checking in at various places, you keep earning points and unlocking badges. And if you become a person who has visited a place more than anyone else, you become the "Mayor" of that place ( there are benefits of being a Mayor)
Share your experience with your friends
You can also offer tips to your friends..visited a restaurant and if there is a dish on the Menu that you absolutely love!!..just let your friends know and recommend it. That ways you not only recommend a restaurant but what would be the best possible thing to order there..
Why businesses love it :)
For businesses it's an excellent and fun way of promoting loyalty. The "Mayors" are offered freebies and other benefits which encourages them to visit the place time and again.And remember a Mayor can dislodged from his position by others by earning more points..so more competition..more customers vying for the "Mayor"ship..better for your business :)
See Reports
The best thing is probably this one which was sadly missing in Twitter. An individual can see what all places he has visited, how many times, points earned etc. Similarly businesses can see the number of check-ins both new and repeat and keep a tab on the new clientele they are attracting as well as customer loyalty and retention.
