Love Lost In Foursquare Breakup

As a hardcore Foursquare user, I hate to admit it but the service has lost a bit of its mojo with the recent update which split the service into two components – Foursquare and Swarm.

The new Foursquare functions similar to Yelp and expands on the service’s previous efforts to focus on local discovery and recommendations. Foursquare continues to deliver on both aspects but now relies on Swarm, its sister app for new location data.

Swarm functions much like the original Foursquare and is faster than its predecessor for check ins. Some of the components migrated over from the original service include the ability to see nearby friends, check in to various locations, and view venue specific info. Added to the service is an increased awareness of your location when you open the app, stickers to represent actions, and similar to Facebook’s recent “Nearby Friends” feature, the ability to broadcast and share your location with friends to increase the chance of impromptu meet-ups.

Core components missing from the new apps include the stat board, badges, points, and Foursquare's popular Mayorships.

The Foursquare breakup while not perfect isn’t a death sentence for the location service necessarily. It’s likely only the beginning of the next chapter.

As a longtime underdog in the social media world Foursquare has adapted and changed with the times. It has proved it can be resilient and focused on an established vision. All being said however with its increasing age, it runs the risk of losing ground to newer apps on the market. One of the most notable is Move. It was recently acquired by Facebook and tracks movement and location without the need for user driven check ins. Paradoxically, it’s powered by Foursquare for location data.

For now I’m still in, even if it means I can’t be the Mayor of my favorite spots.

Searching For Better Content

 

In a quest to expand my knowledge about content creation I attended Better Content Marketing - a Meetup hosted by Distilled Seattle. While I have a basic understanding of best practices for content creation, the event explored some of the deeper issues surrounding the process. This month focused on the growing importance of data-driven content. Using my notes I compiled an outline highlighting the night’s key takeaways below.

Understanding Content
Crap content is everywhere on the web. Whether it’s "10 ways to…” or best lists, information such as this holds little value and is rampant across the web. Brands serious about enhancing their online presence and reputation should focus on creating content that speaks to expertise. While there are a variety of avenues to reach this point, one effective way is to focus on data-driven content.

Facts Are Worth More Than Opinions
Data-driven content is fueled by information, making it harder to challenge and copy. That being said, it's labor intensive to collect information and piece together a compelling story using data. Examples of data-driven content include:

Infographs –  Seattle to San Francisco via Private Jet
Data Heavy Blog Posts – Mapping the San Franciscome
Interactive Graphics – How Search Works  
Data Heavy Sites – Charity: Water
Mini Graphs – Kindle Fire (see comparison chart near the bottom)

Building a System to Collect and Create Data-driven Content
The initial challenge of setting up framework to gather data may seem daunting but it has benefits. Once setup and executed it’s easy to share results across various platforms. Competitors also won't be able to replicate your content easily due to the steep entry cost and particular data you have access to.

For content creators with more of a technical background or friends well versed in computer languages, APIs also serve as a fantastic way to further your expertise through data. The overall goal of this endeavor is to take unused information and make it accessible. Foursquare offers a good example. Originally focused primarily on gathering location information from its users, the popular location service now exports its data to third-party applications including Path and Instagram. The location app has done a great job of making location data accessible to developers.

Paint a Story with Data
With this approach in mind brands can examine what type of data they have access to and piece together a compelling story. If unsure about a concept it’s best to crowd source potential topics via social media or take data from an established audience  - i.e. sports or politics, and repurpose it in a new way. Approaching content creation from this perspective allows brands to showcase expertise and create a strong point of view supported by data.

Kudos to the Organizers and Presenters
Thanks to Distilled Seattle for organizing and Adria Saracion  and KaneJamison for sharing their expertise during the event.

Kane's Presentation

Data Makes Your Content Harder, Better, Faster, and Stronger from Kane Jamison

[Photo courtesy of kidsturncentral]

Sunrise Reinvigorates the Calendar Management Process

After months of struggling to seamlessly integrate my various calendars, I discovered Sunrise - a calendar service created by former Foursquare employees. Using data from my Facebook, Google Calendar, Eventbrite, and LinkedIn accounts, Sunrise creates an itinerary which is emailed to me every morning in an easy to read newsletter format. This personalized email includes weather information, friends' birthdays, and upcoming appointments. Sunrise even adds a bit of visual flair into the calendar process by including photos of people I'm meeting with and clever icons that match the activity - e.g. wrapped packages for birthdays and speech bubbles for meetings.

Sunrise also recently took a step outside of the inbox by creating its own iOS app. A natural evolution of the service, the app allows users to effortlessly add new appointments, view their complete calendar, and wish friends happy birthday with a Facebook message or text. Perfect for professionals on the go, the Sunrise app creates extra value for this fantastic service. 

If you're sick of your current digital calendar, give Sunrise a try. Its  integrated approach to calendar management is a welcome change. After using the service for over a month, I've found Sunrise to be a good replacement for iCal.

To learn more about Sunrise, visit www.sunrise.am and read more about its development on the Sunrise blog. I've also included a video explaining the service below.

How do you stay organized? Do you stick to traditional paper bound calendars or does your digital assistant know more about your whereabouts than some of your closest friends?