Facebook "friends" Gowalla to bolster location features

It's no secret that Facebook, despite its social media prowess, has struggled in the location-based social networking. It's Facebook Places feature has been underwhelming to say the least, and is far from a Foursquare-killer.

In what appears to be an effort to possibly grow that location-based service, Facebook announced today that it bought out Gowalla. Facebook has already said that the Gowalla management team will be integrated into Facebook's staff, and the service will be shut down in January.

Seeing as how Gowalla is was the third biggest player in the location-based game, it's safe to say that it is now a two-horse race between Facebook and Foursquare.

However, Gowalla made it clear that Facebook didn't buy any user data, and that existing users will be able to export their information before the shutdown.

It will be interesting to see what direction both companies go now that they are dominating the market, given that the social media buzz hasn't been surrounding location-based marketing for some time now.

The Answers Social Media Infographics Provide (And The Questions They Raise)

Social media has obviously revolutionized the way brands connect with consumers. And with the hundreds of thousands of ways that marketers have planted themselves in our digital lives, sometimes it's nice to step back and admire the magnitude of social media marketing.

This infographic on Mashable examines some of the larger examples of effective campaigns based on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and location-based services like Foursquare. There are plenty of numbers on the infographic, but here's a quick sampling:

• 12 million YouTube views for the "Will It Blend?" iPad video over 4 months
• 86.5 million impressions for Coca-Cola's promoted trending topic in June 2010
• 11% consumers say they would buy something offered only to Facebook fans.
• 184,000 people participated in a 3-month Buffalo Wild Wings SCVNGR campaign

Of course, stats like this stir mixed emotions from people like me who work on the marketing/PR side of social media. On one hand, these numbers prove the impact social media marketing can have, as well as the sheer potential that exists online.

However, looking only at social media marketing's biggest successes (or failures for that matter) tend to skew the perception of brands looking to get into social media.

A company who only sees these grandiose examples of pages with thousands of fans or videos may come to expect that incredibly high level of success as normal. And when a campaign falls short of those lofty expectations, they may not see the value in social media even if the campaign was objectively successful.

The problem, however, can be solved by clearly defining the client's expectations before the campaign is agreed to. This should also include discussing the client's idea of success and, if need be, an honest assessment of what the client should expect from their social media efforts.

32% of Local Businesses Use Facebook Places

Due to its low price point (free), Facebook is obviously a route that many small, local businesses have wanted to pursue in a still-recovering economy.

But Facebook-adoption rates among those local businesses is actually much higher than I would've guessed, with a recent MerchantCircle report showing that 70% of local businesses are using the world's largest social network.

While 70% may not seem like a completely overwhelming number given how prevalent Facebook is nowadays, it's still a 20% increase from last year. That's a significant jump, and a sign of where small business marketing priorities are.

Another interesting stat from the report is that 32% of local businesses are utilizing the Facebook Places check-in feature, while 9% use Foursquare. At first glance, this appears to be simply Facebook Places outpacing Foursquare. However, I see two takeaways here:

1. Facebook's stature and popularity are paving the way for new users to enter the location-based arena, making Facebook Places a desirable option for location-based marketing.
2. Marketing and business interest in location-based marketing is much larger than general consumer interest. All of the statistics I've seen on location-based networking point to an adoption rate right around 5-8%, which is less than the usage rate by local businesses and much less than their use of Facebook Places.

All in all, this is great news for location-based networking as a whole. If the numbers in this report are correct, about 40% of local businesses are utilized location-based services. So although the general population isn't using it as much, that number could grow.

Foursquare's Nip/Tuck

Not content to stop at just adding new badges, Foursquare continues to roll out updates. This time, they've cleaned up their website with what they themselves called "a little nip and tuck."

The emphasis of the update centers on friend management. The home page now features a Twitter-style stream of your friends' recent checkins and accomplishments. There's also a big "Find Friends" button at the top of the page.

This "Find Friends" feature is perhaps the biggest update to the website, and the most needed. This feature allows you to pull contacts from Gmail, Facebook and Twitter to add as Foursquare friends. Location-based networks like this are much more fun with more friends and a larger network, so streamlining the process of adding friends should bolster users' networks and foster more frequent use.

Managing your network is also a lot easier on the website now, because you can see which friends you have in common with other friends or potential friends. This alleviates the hesitation of adding Foursquare friends you don't know at all.

This is a good move by Foursquare because before this, there hasn't been much use for the website with so much focus on its mobile utility. Also, a more popular website opens up more monetization and advertising options should Foursquare choose to go down that road.

So although these updates are in their early stages, the overall opinion of this little location-based facelift seems to be very positive. Hopefully, this streamlined and improved friend management platform will give the Foursquare website a much-needed identity and purpose.

Only 4% Online Adults Use Location-Based Services

The unfortunate side effect of following social media news as closely as many of us do is that we sometimes forget that not everybody uses, understands, or even cares about it to extent that we do.

For instance, looking around the social media news headlines you'd think that location-based services like Foursquare or Gowalla are dominating the social sphere. However, a very surprising report from the Pew Research Center shows that these services have a long way to go before they can be considered mainstream staples.

The title of the report, "4% of online Americans use location-based services," pretty much says it all. The rest of the study dives further into the numbers, but all of the statistics point to the same conclusion that these location-based services aren't being utilized across multiple demographics.

The report breaks down the use of these services by several categories, and if you piece together the highest percentages, the ideal geolocation user is an 18-29 year old (8%) Hispanic (10%) male (6%). But even the highest percentages are lackluster, given that the study covered online adults.

But this low usage rate is by no means a sign that location-based services are doomed to fail, it only means that they are not mainstream as of right now. However, these statistics should be taken into account by companies looking to launch any sort of location-based campaign, because the numbers show that it may have some trouble reaching a large majority of the online population.

Foursquare Adds a Dose of Duper with New Swarm Badges

When I first signed up for Foursquare, my sole mission was to unlock the once-elusive Super Swarm Badge. I still remember hitting refresh over and over as I watched the number of other people checking in slowly grow until at last it peaked at 253 people.

But the pride I felt for that 250-person accomplishment dwindled with each subsequent check in at a baseball game (with 300 other people), concert (400 other people) or music festival (with over 600 people checking in).

Every one of those massive check ins made my just-barely-qualifying 253 person check in seem downright puny, and I longed for Foursquare to add some new Swarm badges.

Finally, my location-based prayers have been answered with the introduction of Super Duper and Epic Swarm Badges. The Super Duper Swarm Badge is for groups of 500 users checking in at the same place and the Epic Swarm Badge is for when 1,000 or more users get together.

With a user base just hitting 4 million and growing fast, it seemed it would only be a matter of time before we saw larger Swarm Badges.

Now I just need a ticket to SXSW and I'll be all set, because you can be sure Foursquare is anxious to make a big return to the event that launched it to the forefront of location-based social networking.

Time for a Pep-Talk, Foursquare

Listen Foursquare, I know you've been keeping an eye on the launch of Facebook Places and you probably haven't liked the headlines you've seen, with everyone out there is saying your days are numbered. But you need to take a deep breath...and exhale. Good, now let's talk this out.

First off, remember that you're top dog in the location-based arena, and it's because of your success that Facebook is taking location-based sharing seriously as a social networking medium (and even paying homage to you with their Facebook Places logo). So my advice? Stay positive, look in the mirror, and give yourself a Jessica-style pep talk.

Sure, Facebook Places has 500 million users at their disposal. And yeah, they've done a solid job of integrating the new service into their site. I know you've tried to avoid competing directly with Facebook, but the sleeping giant has woken up and yes, it will give you some tough competition.

But you do have a few things going for you. I like how you partnered with Facebook right out of the gate. Do I think dedicated Foursquare users will use it? Probably not, but it's smart to have the option.

More importantly, even though Facebook will introduce geolocation to a wider audience, the early adopters and the truly engaged users have already established loyalty with an existing location-based network, which for most people is you.

So remember Foursquare, just because Facebook is checking in to the location-based networking doesn't necessarily mean you'll be surrendering you're mayorship on that market anytime soon.

Location-Based Fan Interaction

NFL training camps are now underway, which means that football season is tantalizingly close. And for Minnesota Vikings fans who want to watch their favorite players prepare to start the season, that means making the trek down to Mankato, MN where the Vikings have held training camp for decades.

And to help capitalize on this annual flood of purple and gold, the Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau has created a SCVNGR promotion called Jared's Journey (after Vikings star player Jared Allen). Jared's Journey will challenge fans to explore the community, completing challenges and earning prizes along the way.

This is a win-win for everybody. The Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau gets people into parts of Mankato that might otherwise be missed by football fans while building buzz for the upcoming football season, which is great for the Vikings.

And although the Vikings aren't the first NFL team to use SCVNGR to help connect with fans, they are one of the early adopters of this location-based fan interaction. Regardless of the success of the promotion, it will give the team valuable experience for future social media promotions.

Even more importantly, this gives a football geek like me a chance to talk about my favorite team.

Yelp-ing You Find Deals

Despite being relatively young, Foursquare has quickly surpassed competing location-based networks like Gowalla and Yelp.

Neither one seems content to go down without a fight, however. Yelp especially has tried to evolve, including the introduction of badges and a ruling system similiar to Foursquare mayorships. And yesterday, Yelp announced they are testing a deal-a-day coupon feature similiar to Groupon.

I really like this move, seeing as how Yelp is already well-established as a location-based network. That means that branching out into a deal-a-day service seems like a smart fit, because they can offer more localized deals without running into as many of the logistical problems that a startup company would.

Innovation is key in this type of social media market, and Yelp is the first of the three big location-based networks to adopt this sort of hybrid location/coupon method.

More importantly, this not only provides competition for Groupon, but could do wonders to help it compete with Gowalla and Foursquare for the location-based crown.

3 Takeaways From Today's Java Meet Up 612

This morning Sara and I went to the Java Meet Up 612 (@jmu612) in Minneapolis for a discussion about social gaming's impact on marketing, with guest speakers Christopher Lower and Mark Hurlburt.

It was a great discussion, with a few eye opening statistics and points made. And since I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd share some of them here.

53% of adults, 81% of people ages 18-29, and 97% of teens are self-described gamers.

The numbers here don't lie. If you've wondered whether or not gaming is a viable marketing tool, the sheer number of people who utilize it shows its potential.

The average gamer is a 29 year old woman.

That's who you would get if you were to combine the average demographics for gamers. This stat surprised me the most, because I assumed the average gamer would be younger and likely a male.

This just goes to show that gamers who grew up with gaming have continued playing into adulthood. Also, the fact that the demographic has shifted to women illustrates the impact of social gaming.

90% of Foursquare tips, comments and reviews are positive.

This one was obviously more specific than the other stats, but Foursquare is the hottest trend in social gaming right now and needed to be addressed. There's all sorts of reasons why that number may be as high as it is, but it definitely sheds light on the possible applications of Foursquare in marketing.

There was a lot of other great insight and stats offered at the Java Meet Up 612 today, way more than I can cover in one post. I'd highly suggest going to the next one, as well as checking out their @jmu612 Twitter Feed.

Clinging To Those Mayorships

We all know about Foursquare's meteoric rise to fame, but here's something that was a bit a shock. According to Compete.com, the number of unique visitors in May dropped by 400,000.

Now I'm sure those numbers will vary between different web analytics services, not to mention the fact that it doesn't take into account actual users or registrations.

But Foursquare might be feeling the pressure, especially looking at their latest move.

The location-based social network sent out window clings to businesses to display in their storefronts, reminding people to check in. The most prominent franchise set to display these window clings is the Whole Foods grocery chain.

I can't say whether or not this latest promotion is a reaction to their drop in numbers, but the timing makes sense. Now we'll just have to wait and see how well this offline move helps the online startup.

Follow the Leader (or Mayor)

Over the weekend, Yelp announced that they would be adding the ability to earn badges and "rule" a location if you check into it more than anyone else.

Sound familiar? Well it should, because it seems that Yelp is borrowing heavily from their main competitor: Foursquare.

Some people will view these latest changes by Yelp as competitive, while others will just look at it as copycat tactics.

But what I see is the idea of "badges" and "mayorship/ruling" becoming not only an integral part of location-based social networking, but that Foursquare will be the monitored more and more by current location-based services and future startups as well.

We saw this same thing in 2006.

That was when Facebook was launched globally, utilizing a few major social media concepts like "friending" and "status updates" that the general public really seemed to connect with.

The meteoric rise of Facebook that followed caused every other struggling social network to start copying what Facebook was doing in hopes of achieving that same level of success.

Just like that, Facebook became the gold standard of friend-based social networking.

Fast-forward to 2010, and Yelp's transparent attempt to surpass their biggest rival could actually solidify Foursquare as the top location-based social network, giving it that same gold standard status Facebook acheived in 2006.

Bueller...Bueller...Bueller...

If you read the title of this post with a deadpan tone, then you know exactly what movie I'm talking about.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off was an awesome movie about a kid and his friends who ditch school and spend the day in Chicago seeing the sights and having a blast.

Seriously, what kid didn't want to be Ferris Bueller?

Well even though the movie came out in 1986, fans can still experience their own day off Ferris-style in Chicago.

Chicago's Tourism Department, called Explore Chicago, has put together a really cool promotion that lets Foursquare users to earn a badge for reliving the events in Ferris Bueller's Day Off by checking in at designated spots listed on the Explore Chicago website.

If a user checks in to all of the listed locations, they'll earn Explore Chicago's On Location Foursquare Badge.

The only other prerequisite is that the user follows Explore Chicago on Foursquare, which is a smart move that should increase their Foursquare traffic and following.

Maybe it's just because I'm such a big fan of the movie, but I think this is a very clever promotion that users will actually want to participate in. And if the badge isn't incentive enough, there's always the bragging rights of being more Ferris Bueller-y than your friends.

Feeding Your App-etite

Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp are by far the big dogs in the location-based yard, with Foursquare being the obvious alpha male out of the group.

And while all three have been picking up some partnerships with big name clients over the past few months, the business side of location-based marketing is still being tweaked as marketers and programmers jockey for position in this fast-growing network.

A majority of this tweaking has been in the restaurant and food industry, as more and more eateries have been offering promotions and discounts to customers using these services.

But the new Snapfinger app for the iPhone and Android may be a legitimate location-based competitor, mostly because of the niche it has carved out for itself.

While Foursquare and Yelp provide information and reviews for restaurants and fast food joints, Snapfinger allows you to order take out from your phone as well.

The big news though is that the company just recieved $7 million in investments to broaden the number of franchises they work with (which already includes Applebee's, Subway and Outback Steakhouse) to include independent eateries.

So will Snapfinger overtake Foursquare? No, since it's a different type of location-based service with a different purpose. However, this new investment and more partnerships could push Snapfinger towards the forefront of this emerging market.

Workplace Mayors - Winners or Losers?

Yesterday Foursquare mayorship surfaced as part of our office “social media updates” also known as “guess what just happened.” The blog post looked at who held mayorship at large magazines. For example, outreach editor Zach Seward is holding on to Wall Street Journal mayorship, while Condé Nast’s mayorship lies with Shaun Gough, art director.

Which got us thinking, how much value is there in being mayor of your workplace? Potentially, Kaitlin and Shaun could use their mayorships to demonstrate their social media engagement or to simply brag to their friends.

And that begs the question: What do workplace mayorships mean to you? Are you proud to be mayor of your office or is it just another mayorship? Have you entered a competitive winner-takes-all battle with your coworkers or do you have a mayor-by-default since only one of you is using the program?

And lastly - Would you ever consider putting a mayorship on your resume?

Zuckerberg Checks In To Foursquare Headquarters

With Foursquare racing past the 40 millionth check-in mark a few days ago, it's time to state the obvious: Geolocation is here to stay awhile.

And when you're as hot of a commodity as Foursquare is, you're likely to have a few suitors looking to buy you out.

So, it wasn't much of a surprise that Facebook was possibly looking to add Foursquare into its online empire. We knew Facebook was looking to add some sort of geolocation feature to its site, and on Sunday appeared to have started the programming process to make it happen.

And the latest news suggests that this possible Facebook-Foursquare union is more likely than originally thought.

Over the weekend, Mark Zuckerberg met with Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley, although what that meeting consisted of or led to is unknown.

I myself would like to see Foursquare avoid Facebook's Internet takeover.

Unfortunately, the truth is Foursquare probably won't survive on its own, so if they're looking to sell, Facebook has the money and the influence to make it happen.