5 Ways Foursquare is Changing the World
Sometimes the smallest changes in the status quo can have the greatest impact on the world. So while Foursquare may appear to be nothing more than a mobile application getting excessive buzz, it’s actually fueling the location-based mobile space with unique creativity that competitors can’t copy fast enough.
The real-world effects of the game are also quite pertinent. If you need proof, we’ve dissected how the startup is creating a new currency, turning social activity into a game, redefining what it means to be a regular at an establishment, pioneering a deeper connection between place and patron, and putting people focus on higher education.
1. Creating a New Currency
Customer loyalty programs tend to involve old fashioned punch cards, but even those that are electronic don’t take into account your social media mentions. That’s all changing, however, as we’ve already seen from a recent Tasti D-Lite announcement.
Tasti D-Lite — with the help of Foursquare’s API and inspiration from their check-in model — is revolutionizing the very way we think about social media and turning it into a form of currency. As the first restaurant to incorporate social media rewards into their customer loyalty initiative, Tasti D-Lite is letting customers accrue extra points (and earn free frozen treats faster) for Foursquare () check-ins and tweets automatically made when their TastiRewards cards are swiped.
Tasti D-Lite may be first to realize that a Foursquare check-in has monetary value, but this won’t be the last time we’ll see social media be treated as a currency. The exchange of goods for check-ins is a natural progression that combines technology, business, and social media awareness. This type of transaction will become commonplace in the coming months and years ahead.
2. Making Social Activity a Game
Foursquare was perhaps the first to change our day and night life experiences into a social competition to essentially answer the question, "who has the most interesting life?" In fact, one key side effect of playing the game is that it inspires users to lead more active and interesting social lives. While this may all sound superficial and silly, the implications of social location gaming are quite significant.
As an example, the game mandates that you check-in to physical places (as opposed to just lat/longs). That check-in reaches all of your friends (and Twitter () and Facebook () if you so desire), and not only exposes what you’re doing, but where you’re doing it.
The effects of that simple act of checking in can be felt far and wide. Multiply () that single check-in by the thousands of other participants who each regularly update their location status, and you’ve essentially put experience on a map in a social way. That’s good for the people participating, the economy as a whole, and the individual businesses getting play from the Foursquare community.
3. Redefining What it Means to Be a Regular
Mayorships are perhaps the most interesting element of game play, especially since they are disconnected from the point competition to dominate the leaderboard. To become a mayor of a venue, you need to have the most check-ins. But after two check-ins at the same place, you no longer receive any points (unless it’s on the weekend). Why then would anyone want to be mayor?
There are a few key elements going on here. By becoming mayor of a venue, you’re establishing place status and claiming it as your own. It’s no different than our everyday lives, as we each consider certain coffee shops and restaurants to “belong to us” in some manner, and we associate them with our identity. Foursquare has just given us a way to prove it, and they’ve created an opportunity for businesses to capitalize on our inherent need to be perceived as top dog.
Special mayor-only rewards are cropping up everywhere Foursquare is played (which is now nearly everywhere) and they’re creating customer loyalty battles that are good for regulars and great for businesses. In fact, Foursquare provides these businesses with a way to reward mayors with special promotions (like the one seen above) to further the customer loyalty battles. Ultimately Foursquare has found a way to make being a regular at your favorite pizza joint mean something tangible.
4. Pioneering a Deeper Connection Between Place and Patron
Twitter offers a way for businesses to connect with their customers online. Foursquare puts location in context and extends that connection to the offline world. The model of the location-based game is such that any venue willing to make an extra effort can get to know their socially active customers on a more personal level, and even encourage meetups in their space.
Of course, it’s a two way street, as Foursquare users are unconsciously contributing to the relationship by sharing tips and to-dos with the entire Foursquare community. As a result, information is being shared and stored by users — similar in fashion to Yelp () — but presented in a way that makes it immediately helpful. It’s community on a whole new level.
5. Putting a People Focus on Higher Learning
Harvard is an esteemed institution, rich with tradition, and it’s one of the first universities to embrace Foursquare to create a campus-based game to enhance connections.
As Perry Hewitt, director of digital communications at Harvard says:
“Harvard is more than classrooms and buildings. It is an interconnected community of people, ideas, and experiences, and we are actively pursuing ways to enhance those connections.
We believe that Harvard’s participation will allow our community to engage with friends, professors, and colleagues in new ways. We also hope visitors and neighbors will benefit from the platform as it grows through use.”
For a university like Harvard to see the people-potential powered by a mobile application like Foursquare demonstrates that there’s more to this game then just leaderboards and badges.
No comments:
Post a Comment