Tag Archives: Foursquare
Facebook Unveils New Partnerships
One of the biggest pieces of social media news this week was the keynote speech made by Mark Zuckerberg at f8. Between describing the new profile timeline and announcing their new goal of having 1 billion users by the end of October, they announced a smattering of new partnerships. Among them were The Guardian and Vevo, but the two that garnered the most attention are most definitely Spotify and Netflix. The idea for both partnerships is to allow users to share their music and movies with friends. You can publish the song that you listen to on the way into work, or connect with friends over your favorite parts of your favorite movies. While the Netflix partnership will not first be released in the US, these are both worth while to keep an eye on. These partnerships are not only great advancements for Facebook, but they are a way for Facebook to announce that new and emerging medias are here to stay, so we had all better get onboard.
Rather than just friending one another and stalking your old high school sweetheart, Facebook is encouraging users to share more about their lives, while interacting with different types of media. While this will have massive implications for the 800 million people using the service, it will also have even bigger implications for the brands using it. For the brands that are using social media, it will be more important than ever to realize the impact that other medias. By engaging consumers through services like Spotify and Netflix in congruency with Facebook, brands will have a much more engaging campaign and a much higher chance of snagging the consumers attention.
SXSWi – it’s the birth of a proto-city: a hive of integrated people experimenting with the tools in the market that, without mass local adoption, would not have any poignancy. It’s where the early adopters can temporarily form a society of mutually founded infrastructure.
Obviously I like to consider myself a fairly early adopter. I am generally picking up the newest thing in beta and giving it a try. The proto-city certainly is a unique experience where these services just work and I’m not at the mercy of my family and friends to adopt the numerous new things I throw at them every week.
This week’s post is all about these services and how they work, a kind of preview to how they would work if a mainstream audience were to pick them up. There are some old and some new, but all based around the ever growing social–mobile & desktop–sector.
The prevailing theme this year was group messaging and location based services. Typically when you look back at SXSW there is one clear launch that will take hold and change the landscape of digital: Twitter, Foursquare, Gowalla, etc. I would say that this year there was no clear winner. This may be perhaps due to development becoming easier and faster than it was a couple years ago, which would correlate to SXSW being fettered with startup after startup, creating so much noise that no single one stood out.
There’s four services that I looked at primarily while down in Austin: Convore, Beluga, Hashable, & Yobongo.
Photo Credit: CNN
After watching a talk with Dennis Crowley the founder of Foursquare, one of the big thought provoking statements he made for me was that Foursquare is about‘ getting people out into the real world’.
Later, as I watched him play a real game of Foursquare with a group of kids, it got me wondering, could location based mobile games be the answer to getting kids of their bums and out of the house again? Obviously I’m not talking about 3 years olds here, but kids who should be outside discovering the big wide world (then again, with a parents participation it could even work for 3 year olds!).
I grew up in a world of tree climbing, outdoor swimming and bike riding through the leafy suburbs of London UK, at it shaped the adventurous side of my personality that I have today. However, with the world of education, sharing and gaming becoming increasingly digital, it’s often commented on that kids don’t get outside enough to get their hands dirty and breathe in what’s around them.
HTC + Microsoft = Attentive Phone
When you think about usability on a mobile device, you primarily think of UI. Interactive on mobile is as much about the device as it is about the software, so it’s great when both work together.
Enter attentive phone.
Essentially it’s an easy, tactile way to interact with a phone call – mainly through the use of meters. Your phone is ringing on your desk, pick it up to check the number and the ringer quietens; Put your phone in your pocket or purse and the volume automatically gets louder; On a call, put the phone face down on the table and it turns the speakerphone on; or simple turn the phone while it’s ringing to silence the call.
Attentive phone is an example of the experience extending past digital interactions and as these device add better meters it stands to reason that the interaction of the device in the lifestyle of person will become more important.
The Samsung Corby II
While we may never see the Corby II in North America, it’s an example of one of the branches of Android – economy. The phone is an entry level Android device that’s meant to be fun and affordable.
Foursquare 3.0
Foursquare launched their 3rd iteration of their mobile platforms yesterday with an emphasis on recommendation, loyalty and social gaming.
A few weeks ago I browsed through my friends’ activity on social geolocation giant Foursquare, something I’ve found myself doing less and less frequently over the past few months. One check-in in particular caught my eye – the former global digital head of an industry leading social practice had checked in to “Planet Earth” with the note, “Kind of over this checking in thing. I think this should cover it.”
I don’t think he’s alone, as I’ve noticed fewer and fewer of my Foursquare and Gowalla friends checking in with the gusto they might have at this time last year. I myself certainly don’t pull up either of those apps the second I arrive in a new location like I once did, and most times I just leave my iPhone in my pocket altogether.
So why have we lost our lust for location? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because users are squeamish about telling their nearest and dearest social buddies where they are at a given time. It’s because we’re a demand generation, and we haven’t found a satisfactory answer to our most influential question: What’s in it for me?
Move over Foursquare, Facebook Places is making a move. Socialized mobile has made SM headlines for months now and is here to stay. A couple of weeks ago, Facebook announced they are launching a new application called “Deals,” a functionality that allows the user to find deals at nearby businesses. Essentially, this gives local businesses the opportunity to offer you a deal when you check in to their location.
These deals will fall in to four categories: Individual Deals offers discounts, free stuff and other rewards; Friend Deals allows you and a friend to claim something together; Loyalty Deals target regular customers and Charity Deals gives you the chance to donate to a charity.
Here are some examples of what brands are doing now.
Individual Deals: Gap gave away a pair of jeans to the first 10,000 people to check in to one of their locations.
Friend Deals: Starbucks has a custom application tab that allows you to share a “red cup” with a friend. It’s a little misleading in that you think you are sending a free drink to a friend, but really your friend still needs to check in to a Starbucks in order to receive the free offer. Either way, you still get a deal.
