This morning, Foursquare is rolling out version 6.0 of its app. It puts a new search box "front and center" at the top of the screen to emphasize the local search capabilities of the app. It also adds or enhances other features to make it easier to find places and things to do. The company is using all its social and check-in data to generate greater utility, as well as create a discovery or recommendations edge over Yelp and Facebook's relatively new Nearby/Local Search. Below is the previous version of the app, which featured tabs at the bottom. Search was available under Explore and v [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Foursquare | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Top News

Foursquare has introduced a new version of its Android app. As the company says in its blog post there are three primary changes: More prominent "Explore" search box at the top of the screen A map at the top of the screen displays your network's most recent check-ins (which opens a  larger map). A left panel ("left-hand drawer") provides access to your profile/history, to-do list and other lists ("all lists") In addition, the check-in button has been moved to the lower left of the screen. In its blog post, Foursquare promises more changes and improvements to come: "[W]e we have [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Foursquare | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines

Foursquare has made a quick response to Monday's announcement of Facebook Nearby, with its own announcement today that Foursquare Explore is cranking up its personalization. The irony? It's going to use Foursquare activity from a user's Facebook friends to improve the recommendations in Explore. Think of it as Foursquare judo: It's using Facebook data to battle against Facebook itself. Touché! Here's Foursquare's explanation of how it's using Facebook to turn up the personalization dial: When your Facebook friends do public things on Foursquare, like write a tip, like a place, or ta [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Foursquare | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Features: Search History & Personalization | Top News

As of today, you can count Facebook as a potentially significant new competitor in local search -- on mobile devices. The company is updating the "Nearby" feature in its iOS and Android apps Nearby Becomes Local Search Tool Previously Nearby was about finding where your friends had checked-in. After the app update Nearby will still show you where your friends have checked-in. But now, more importantly, it will also show you nearby businesses and other places ranked by various criteria. It becomes a local search and discovery tool. You'll be able to search or browse in the new UI to find l [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Foursquare | Top News

Two weeks ago, Foursquare launched a new version of its homepage which Greg Sterling touted as "taking on Yelp" by adding a search box. Naturally, my first reaction was to figure out what Foursquare's new SEO plan. Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was none... First a bit of data. According to SEMRush, Foursquare's organic traffic has been growing aggressively since July of 2011: This traffic growth appears to have been the result of the launch of Foursquare's "Self Serve" pages for Business. Clearly, the growth of mobile and Foursquare's profile, created a lot of incentive for b [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Local Search

Perhaps it was always inevitable that Foursquare would shift its emphasis from location-based social networking to local search. Indeed, the site has been moving in this direction for quite some time, and very self-consciously for the better part of the past year. This afternoon the company is rolling out a new PC homepage for users who aren't logged in: it prominently features a search box. In doing so Foursquare takes aim at Yelp as its chief rival in the local space. And in some ways the move completes Foursquare's evolution from a more narrow and novelty oriented friend finder, game and [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Features: Analysis | Foursquare | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Search Engines: Personalized Search Engines | Top News

It's a marketing tactic that's about as old as time itself: When a competitor stumbles, you turn it into opportunity for self-promotion. That's certainly been the case since the Apple Maps app stumbled out of the gate a week ago on iOS 6. Bing is the latest competitor to call for attention. The company published a new blog post today touting its Bing App for iOS -- not because it has any new features, but because "you may be holding a brand new smartphone and wondering which apps have the essential search and mapping functionality you need." Bing wants everyone to know that its existi [...]

Related Topics: Apple: Maps | Channel: Mobile | Features: Analysis | Foursquare | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Top News

In May Bing rolled out its new social sidebar that tied together social data from both Facebook and Twitter. Today another source has been added to the mix. Bing announced that Foursquare tips will be tied into specific location based queries. The Foursquare data will appear in the 'People Who Know' section of the sidebar, directly within the results pages: The Foursquare data pulled will be from the 'tips" area of each location, no information was given about check-in data. Of course the tips shown will be customized to the users location and the topic they are searching for. Th [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Foursquare | Microsoft | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Bing Social Search | Top News

This evening Foursquare is launching a redesigned version of its iPhone app (with Android and Blackberry to follow). It represents both a simplification and expansion of the app, based on what the company has learned over the past three years. The app is also cleaner and visually stronger. It features three nav buttons on the bottom: Friends, Explore and You/Me. A Broader Friend Feed The new app will display a wider range of activity from friends -- not just checkins. Among other things you'll now see are photos, Tips and new "Likes" in the friend feed. The addition of Likes (hear [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Top News

Still not convinced that Foursquare wants to be more than a check-in game with points and badges? Today the company launched the latest of several search features that continue to position Foursquare firmly as a formal local search engine: a fully searchable history page where users can review their entire check-in history, including photos, tips and who else was there. The history page offers a date-based dropdown, plus filters to narrow results by location, who else was there and business category. It's fair to question when or why anyone would want to return to an old check-i [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Top News

It's April 16th ... otherwise known in some circles as Foursquare Day. (Get it? 16 is four squared. And April is the fourth month of the year.) In honor of its own unofficial holiday, Foursquare has confirmed the latest numbers related to its continuing growth: more than two billion check-ins more than 20 million users more than 35 million places in its location database After a period of what I'd call fairly slow development over the last year or so, the company has rolled out several features in recent months that have turned Foursquare into much more than a friendly game of p [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Top News

Calling it "personalized search for the real world," Foursquare brought its mobile Explore functionality into its recently redesigned PC website roughly three weeks ago, and added some new search capabilities in the process. Those capabilities included the ability to filter places results by four categories: 1) "I haven’t been to yet" 2) "I have been to before" 3) "My friends have been to" 4) "Have Foursquare specials." The mobile-PC cross-pollination continued yesterday as Foursquare brought some of those enhanced search capabilities back to its iPhone and Android mobile apps. Now you ca [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Search Engines: Deals & Coupon Search Engines | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines

Foursquare is introducing what it calls "personalized search for the real world" on its recently redesigned website. What that means as a practical matter is the introduction of the "Explore" feature, better keyword search and several new filters that enable users to drill down in search results. We can now, without hesitation, now call Foursquare a "local search engine." You'll now see an Explore button or tab in the upper right on the website. It's obviously been on the mobile app for some time but not on the site until today. Because I was so used to seeing Explore on the mobile client I [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Top News

Foursquare has hired Andrew Hogue to beef up the company's search and search-related initiatives and capabilities. Hogue was a senior engineer with Google from 2004 through November of this year. The company recently announced it had passed 15 million users globally, 50 percent of which are outside the US. We spoke to Hogue about a range of topics last week from New York, where Foursquare is headquartered and he will be based. Hogue brings some serious engineering chops to Foursquare and it's a coup for the company to get him. Hogue told us that he was eager to work on improving Fours [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Top News

Publishers and developers: are you ready for another button (or buttons I should say)? Joining the Facebook, Twitter, +1 and StumbleUpon button family are new "save to Foursquare" and "follow Foursquare" buttons. Users who click "save to Foursquare" (next to local content) will have that place added to their To-Do Lists. Publishers that have started to implement this include Frommer’s Travel, Eater.com, Time Out NY, Time Out Boston, Time Out Chicago, Time Out NY Kids, New York Magazine, CBS Local Digital Media and AskMen.com. The difference between "save to Foursquare" and other bu [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Top News

Black Friday is only three days away, and some people are already camping out in front of stores. Judging from Foursquare check-ins from last year in the US, peak shopping will happen at 2pm, Target & Best Buy will be swamped and department stores will be busiest. These stats and more from an infographic that Foursquare released on its blog yesterday, along with tips on how to find specials through the Foursquare app: Related Stories Holiday Season Countdown Kickoffs For Online Marketers 5 Holiday Shopping Tips For Search Marketers Data Shows Retailers Need To Pace Spend To [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Infographics

Once upon a time Foursquare was a mobile app that allowed you to "check in" places and tell your friends you were there. That seems like a long time ago now. Foursquare has evolved into a local discovery tool and loyalty platform for businesses. It has effectively won in its "check-in" segment and has moved on to bigger and better things. It's no longer simply a mobile app either. The Foursquare website was effectively an afterthought for a long time. But now a redesign makes Foursquare.com a full-blown destination and generally a much more interesting and useful place to explore. Th [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Top News

There have been many stories in the past of criminals (of one sort or another) using Google, Foursquare and Facebook to target people who many not be home or, in the case of Google Earth and Street View, which homes to target. A recent survey of 50 convicted burglars by UK security firm Friedland Response and reported by the UK's Sky News argues that Google and social media tools are being used extensively to target people. Nearly 80 percent of the 50 ex-burglars surveyed strongly believed that Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare were being used by current criminals, and nearly 75 percent s [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Features: Analysis | Foursquare | Google: Earth | Google: Street View | Top News | Twitter

About a year ago, I was feeling Foursquare fatigue. Why on earth was I checking in? The badges were harder to get, and I wasn't going to ever "win" in some places. But now I win all the time, through tips and specials that have been added. Welcome to the new Foursquare. It's not like Foursquare has suddenly made these changes. There's been a constant stream of announcements about new features on the Foursquare blog. We've even reported on some of them, such as the ability to create lists or to explore what's around you. Rather, from a personal perspective, all the new features have alte [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Top News

Over the past few years Foursquare has been rapidly evolving, and their newly announced "lists" feature looks like a very promising new addition. Touted as being "super easy to use," Foursquare lists can be created from a users profile page with assistance from Foursquare, built from scratch or added while browsing Foursquare. Lists can be shared with friends or with the entire Foursquare community. Other members can not only see the lists, but add suggestions or alternative locations as well. Lists are deemed as being "alive" and can change and improve with the more information that [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare