Business pages on Foursquare have been around for about a year and a half, but today the announcement was made that business pages are becoming self-serve. No longer will businesses have to work with the Foursquare team to create a presence, instead brands and companies will be able to create their own Foursquare page. Foursquare pages, like our SMX page, allow businesses to provide tips and check-ins to followers. The new self-serve pages also allow for multiple managers and mobile updates. New pages will be included in the searchable Page Gallery with approximately 3,00 [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare

Today Foursquare announced that their Austin-based SXSW test with American Express is going national.  The initial Austin-based partnership between Foursquare and American Express gave significant discounts to users who made purchases at local merchants using their Foursquare account tied to an AMEX card.  Many of the initial tests were very lucrative for the user checking in; a $5 off of a $5 spend being the most popular discount.  The program received rave reviews and was planned to roll out to more cities. The news today came along with some great discounts for both national co [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare

Foursquare announced today that they reached the mark of 10,000,000 members.  The popular location based check-in app has been growing quickly in both features and members. The release of Foursquare 3.0, enhanced analytics and improved specials have helped to make the free service popular with more than those just checking in. Since inception two years ago over 400,000 businesses have created a presence on Foursquare and 10,000 developers have used the Foursquare API to build their own custom apps.  Many business owners have even stated that they would pay for the service.  Along w [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare

Android has almost a 10% lead over Apple in the smartphone market share race, but its lead in check-in activity is a lot smaller according to a new comScore report out today. According to comScore, Android's overall US smartphone market share is 34.7%, compared to 25.5 for Apple. But Android's lead in check-in activity over Apple is less than three percent -- 36.6% of check-in service users are on Android, compared to 33.7% who are on Apple's platform. RIM accounts for 22% of check-in users, comScore says, while Microsoft, Palm and Symbian are all less than 5% of that audience. Almo [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Foursquare | Google: Android | Gowalla | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Stats: comScore

Major announcement today from GetGlue headquarters in New York City-- besides an update to its website, GetGlue.com, and its iPhone app, GetGlue is now integrating with Foursquare to allows users to check into both the sports event they are watching as well as the location they are watching it from. GetGlue makes it easy to share their sports related check-ins via Foursquare and Twitter and more check-ins will lead to sports-related stickers, Fan and SuperFan status, and even Guru designation. More Sports Partnerships Besides Foursquare integration, GetGlue announced partnerships with the [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Foursquare | GetGlue | Search Headlines

Consumers who've updated their Foursquare mobile apps are already using the many new features of Foursquare 3.0. Starting tomorrow (Friday, March 11), businesses that are marketing via Foursquare will also get access to a new suite of behind-the-scenes tools. Here's a look at what Foursquare has in store for local businesses. Foursquare For Business: What's New There are two primary areas where the new business tools are available: specials and analytics. Foursquare's blog post doesn't give much detail on the latter other than saying there's a new analytics dashboard and a way to see sta [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare

Today Foursquare announced "Foursquare 3.0," an enhanced version of its mobile applications that adds new content, features and options for users. There are new recommendations ("explore") that take into account your check-ins and those of your friends and network. There has also been "a major overhaul to the leaderboard." Finally the company hopes to "redefine loyalty," with a range of new offer types and tools for merchants: So, later this week, we’re rolling out six new types of foursquare Specials for merchants. Business will now be able to offer Specials to swarms, groups of frien [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Top News

Search Engine Land's SMX West search marketing conference in San Jose March 8-10 has Foursquare kicking off the first of a series of keynotes at our event. Chris Sherman and I will be talking with Foursquare's director of business development Tristan Walker (pictured to the right), about how the service has been growing and reshaping the way both companies and consumers are interacting with each other, all tied to location. Tristan's a great speaker, full of stories about how Foursquare is being used, such as a shoe treasure hunt organized by Jimmy Choo last year, to linking your grocery [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | SEM Industry: Conferences | SEM Industry: Search Marketing Expo - SMX

Twitter wasn't the only social media platform that recorded super levels of activity associated with the big game last weekend. Local check-in player Foursquare says it saw 200,000 check-ins, making this year's Super Bowl the most checked-into venue ever for the company. Green Bay Packers fans showed greater check-in activity than their rival Steelers supporters throughout the game. Foursquare recorded check-ins from all 50 states in the United States, and from 125 different countries, including 13 check-ins from the Vatican. [caption id="attachment_64397" align="aligncenter" width="500" [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare

Google has finally added full check-in capabilities to its Latitude product, following in the footsteps of Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Facebook, and others that have been doing check-ins for some time now. Latitude has been a tool that lets one user share his/her location with friends, but now it goes further and allows users to check-in to specific businesses and locations. But Google's check-in system comes with a few twists compared to similar services: Latitude can send reminders to check-in at locations when you arrive. Latitude supports automated check-ins at places you choos [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Google: Maps & Local | Gowalla | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Yelp

Foursquare is going after local businesses and major brands with an improved and expanded content section that explains how they can take advantage of Foursquare's platform. (Announced via Twitter about an hour ago.) The company's business outreach has been somewhat scattershot in the past, but the new Foursquare for Business makes a much more compelling case for big and small business owners. There are separate sections for venue owners and brands, each with a step-by-step guide to what Foursquare offers to help reach customers. Venue owners get information about creating special of [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Top News

In an apparent effort to cut down on spam, Foursquare has started limiting the number of friends and friend requests that a user can have. The About Foursquare blog explains that some companies have friended tens of thousands of Foursquare users so that, when those users check-in somewhere, the companies' tips appear more often. In other words, a lot of tips and a lot of friends checking in equals a lot of Foursquare exposure. But that won't be as easy to do going forward. A Foursquare spokesperson confirmed the friend limit to About Foursquare, but what the limit is remains a mystery. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Foursquare | SEO: Spamming

In a bid to continue momentum and broaden utility and engagement Foursquare released a new version of its iPhone app. The new app contains two big new features: photos and comments. (Android and BlackBerry are coming shortly.) Both have been on the white board for some time according to Alex Rainert, head of product for the company. Comments allow friends to have a conversation about a venue or related experience. They also allow people to coordinate activities, which previously could only be done via SMS. Comments are private among those you're connected to on Foursquare. Comments c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Top News

Most businesses tend to focus on the big channels when it comes to local SEO efforts. While it makes sense to optimize your Google Place Page and pay attention to your presence on other big local search services (e.g. Bing Local, CityGrid, DexKnows, Insider pages, Local.com, Merchant circle, Superpages, Yahoo Local, Yellow book, Yelp, YP.com, etc.), because of the fragmented nature of local search, there are plenty of other services that generate great local traffic and can provide you with SEO benefits. Here's a brief overview of some "off the grid" opportunities. Facebook Places. So Fa [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Foursquare | Google: Maps & Local | Gowalla | Local Search | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | SEO: Local | SEO: Mobile Search | Twitter | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yelp

Yelp continues to play catch-up with some of its competition in the local search landscape. The company's latest move is the announcement of "Check-in Offers." If you're familiar with the premise behind Foursquare's business users rewarding "mayors" and others who check-in to local businesses, you'll be familiar with Yelp's product. The idea is the same: Local businesses using Yelp's business tools can reward customers when they check-in via Yelp's mobile apps. Check-in offers is available now in the countries where Yelp offers a business dashboard, namely the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland. W [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Foursquare | Search Engines: Deals & Coupon Search Engines | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Top News | Yelp

Been checking in to the gym on Foursquare? That activity could earn you a free SoBe Lifewater, the next time you swipe your loyalty card at a Vons grocery store. The chain has partnered with Foursquare so that check-in activity generates rewards, provided by Pepsico. Linking Your Accounts Vons is a supermarket chain that's big in Southern California and Nevada. With the new program, Foursquare users register via a special page to link their Foursquare accounts to their VonsClub cards: After that, Vons will automatically know about your check-in activity, including badges you've earned [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Features: General | Foursquare

Foursquare's badge system got an upgrade today: a new "trophy case" plus a way for companies to be in the new Partner Badge program. A Trophy Case For Your Badges In the new trophy cases, which Foursquare blogged about today, you're now able to see all your badges plus separate them into groups, one group for Foursquare's own badges and another from partners: The screenshot above shows the top of my own trophy case and how all my badges are displayed at once. Foursquare's Badges Versus... If I click on the Foursquare tab, the view changes: Now I'm shown badges that I earned t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Features: General | Foursquare

Feeling Foursquare fatigue and perhaps wondering what's the point of checking in at times? Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley sometimes feels it too -- but he's got plans to keep you interested. More on that as well as turning Foursquare into a "product building machine," from my interview with him last week. Why Check In? I've had a few long-time Foursquare users I know tell me they're tired of the service, that they don't really find it as fun or interesting to check in any more. I've felt that way myself, at times. Maybe we're only a tiny slice of Foursquare's nearly 5 million users that [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Features: General | Foursquare | Top News

The Pew Internet Project published findings from a recent survey about usage of "location-based services" (LBS). According to the Pew data, 7 percent of mobile Internet users are on location-based services and 4 percent of all internet-using adults "use a service such as Foursquare or Gowalla that allows them to share their location with friends and to find others who are nearby." These findings appear to track and validate an earlier Forrester Research survey that found 4 percent of online adults had used location-based mobile apps such as Foursquare or Gowalla. Other surveys have found [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Foursquare | Search Engines: Deals & Coupon Search Engines | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Top News

One of the questions that came up after the formal launch of Facebook Places last night was: how will this affect Google Places (among others)? As an aside, I have to say it's really strange that these products have nearly the identical name. It's almost like Honda offering a car with a particular name and then Toyota coming out with a car with the same model name. Of course Google Places and Facebook Places are currently different animals from a consumer perspective. You don't "check in" to Google Places. But Google has other products that perform a similar function (Latitude, Buzz) that i [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Foursquare | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Mobile | Google: Place Pages | Top News