Give FourSquare a Shot
For a while, I had a tough time getting my arms around the idea of telling people where you are via services like FourSquare, FaceBook Places, Glympse, etc. But I think I am starting to see the benefit of these services on a couple different levels.
All three of the aforementioned services are very similar. They allow you to “check-in”, or in other words, show your network (ie. followers, friends, etc) where you are. Here is how these services can benefit you. Say you are looking for a good place to eat while you waiting for a show. You can quickly pull up all of the restaurants that are near you, and some of them might have special offers (which are clearly marked) if you “check-in” with them. For instance, I was at a deli the other day and was able to save $1 off my meal because I “checked-in” there. Also, when you check-in to a place and your network sees this, you may get a response from them about their experience at that establishment. You may even find out that a friend of yours is nearby and they may want to meet up with you. That “friend” could also be a potential or current client.
Another benefit of using one of these services is that you are opening a bit of a window to who you are without saying it which is a big component of social media as a whole. For instance, one can imply that by checking in at a baseball stadium that you might be a fan of baseball. This is good to notice when you see other people checking in at a venue, particularly your clients, good friends or family. When it comes time to get them a gift, you can purchase a gift card from one of their favorite businesses.
Glympse is a tad different from the FourSquare and FaceBook Places concept in that it shows your followers a real-time map of where you are. So if you’re driving to meet up with people, they can see where you are and estimate how long it will be before you arrive. Now, this takes a bit of pre-planning on your part as you have to register where you are going before you start your journey. This could be useful way to track your kids or other family members as well.
Please take note that it is important that you control where these things post and who has access to see them. I personally keep it limited to FaceBook because there I know who is going to see the information whereas on Twitter and other social media platforms, I don’t always know who is watching me. So I have to be careful.
I suggest that you try these services out and see what you think. They are all free and you don’t HAVE to check-in anywhere. You are in total control.
Do you find services like foursquare are more leisurely in their application to your personal life? Perhaps that you’re willing to check-in if you’re solo for lunch or with a friend? Would you browse check-in offers from restaurants if you were with a group of business colleagues looking for a lunch location? Would you be willing to check-in multiple times a day if it benefitted you? Lots of questions but I’m glad you wrote about the rising popularity of check-in services and their commercial uses.
I like FourSquare for a couple of key reasons. One, it gives people who follow me a view into some of my interests. It can lead to more conversations and connections with those that I know, and who knows what opportunities could come of that down the road. Both personally and professionally. The other reason is to see what benefits I can gain. A lot of places offer rewards if you are the “Mayor” of their business, so checking in multiple times in that scenario is definitely appealing. Others offer a benefit just by checking in.
I think location services like FourSquare are helpful when trying to find friends and such, but I don’t use them very much in real-time. I am more likely to comment on a place where they have been rather than say, “I’m on my way”. That is partially due to the lack of adoption of these services by my friends. I will usually plan something out with friends and family rather than rely on a spur of the moment decision and a scramble for FourSquare statuses. For someone with a large network that is using these services, I can see there being more of an opportunity for those scenarios. Especially if you are traveling with a large group that may be spread out (conventions).