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Foursquare Updates iOS App

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Image representing Foursquare as depicted in C...

Location based social networking service Foursquare has released a new update to its iOS app that features changes on both its front end and also its internal infrastructure, the changes have also made the Foursquare app more compatible with the iPhone 5’s bigger screen.

The new Foursquare app has improved speed in browsing because of the changes made in its code.  Also, the new update has made changes in the way the app behaves, for example, by providing every user with unique results. All of the search results will be tailored towards the preferences and behavior of the user, a far cry from the general results that it once generated. [Read more…]

FourSquare to Stop Using Google Maps

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Among location based social networks, Foursquare is arguably the most popular so a move like what it did at the Mobile World Congress will surely be noticed and talked about.

In the said event, Foursquare not only announced that it will start using predictive technology to offer suggestions to its Foursquare members but that it will also explore new corporate partnerships as it tries to strengthen its hold on the location market. One of these new partnerships was announced in the event. FourSquare announced that it will stop using Google Maps and will instead start using OpenStreetMaps. [Read more…]

Lunchwalla Checks-In at Foursquare Not Gowalla

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For awhile I thought Lunchwalla which we featured not so long ago was related to Gowalla. So, It was quite surprising to know that the site which lets you organize everyday social events like breakfast, lunch, dinner, movies and more has integrated with Foursquare. So this means that aside from voting in on what to do, you can now check-in when you get to the events you helped organized.

If you’re a regular Foursquare user and have also used Lunchwalla before, this integration would complement each other now. Meaning, all the check-ins you make on the events you organized or helped organized through Lunchwalla will be counted to your quest for mayorship of the place where the event was held. This is in addition to the fact that your check-in appears on your Foursquare profile which you can also display as an update to your Facebook profile. It’s like hitting three social networking sites with one check-in.

Best of all, if you’ve got hooked into Lunchwalla since we’ve featured it on this blog, you must be earning Lunchwalla points right now.  Of course, you still remember that those Lunchwalla points can earn you some schwags from participating merchants, right?

And while we’re at it, the Foursquare – Lunchwalla integration also lets you import your Foursquare friends into your Lunchwalla contacts list. So, planning events and coordinating them with your friends is now easier.

Incidentally, Lunchwalla is holding a gig right now which might earn you free tickets to see Iron Man 2. So, if you haven’t checked Lunchwalla yet, this gig might entice you to start using Lunchwalla.

Who Says Foursquare Has No Business Potential?

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Don’t look now folks, but pretty soon,  your favorite restaurants and other business establishments might soon be offering various discounts, freebies and other promotional gigs in cooperation with Foursquare. Yes Foursquare, you it right?  This is because Foursquare has just launched a business strategy that encourages establishment owners to use its service to engage mobile customers with specials and give them the ability to track how their venues is performing over time – through venue analytics.

Foursquare Business provides simple self-service tools that would allow you, as a business manager, to cook up with various kinds of special gigs that would attract customers to your business establishments. Specifically Foursquare Business will let you created the following specials:

  • Mayor specials can be unlocked only by the Mayor of your venue (the user who has checked in the most in the last 60 days).
  • Count-based specials are unlocked when a user checks in a certain number of times.
  • Frequency-based specials are unlocked every so many check-ins.
  • Wildcard specials are always unlocked, but your staff has to verify some extra conditions before awarding the special.

What’s cool about this is that Foursquare has mobile apps in three major mobile platforms – Android, iPhone and BlackBerry. And Foursquare can use this mobile apps to send notices to potential customers nearby to possibly invite them to check out your Foursquare promotional gigs.

To use Foursquare’s business tools, all you need to do is claim your venue. Once you’ve done that you can have access to various Foursquare venue analytics tools that will let you view:

  • most recent visitors
  • most frequent visitors
  • the times of day people check in
  • total number of unique visitors
  • a histogram of check-ins per day

So, what are you waiting for? Get into Foursquare and claim your venue now before somebody else takes it.