The Scramble to Become Mayor! Information about Foursquare

Foursquare is a location based social media phone application and website where users can find friends, earn badges, and learn about the businesses and locations in the area. You can participate in Foursquare by downloading the free application on your smart phone, sending an SMS message to 50500, or using your computer’s web browser to access the website foursquare.com/mobile.

The core Foursquare demographics are young, urban, and tech-savvy however the demographic is constantly growing. Earlier this month Foursquare reached 7.5 million users up roughly 935% from March 2010.

Venues

A business participates in Foursquare by creating/claiming their venue. Visit Capture The Market’s venue here. Your venue is a place where you can provide your contact information, provide a Deal for the Mayor of your venue, add Tips. You can also link your Foursquare venue to your Facebook Business Page and/or your Twitter account.

Users
Users check-in to the various venues to earn badges, earn points, and become the Mayor of a location. A User’s smart phone uses GPS to provide a list of nearby locations to choose from. Users without a smart phone and send an SMS message to check-in to a location. Users can add Tips about the locations to recommend actions or offer opinions about the location to friends and other users or To-Dos or reminders for their next visit.

Future Events

Come August 1, 2011, v1 of the Foursquare API will be deactivated and replaced completely by v2. Though this is essentially on the developer side of things, you would benefit from verifying that on August 1 you are using the most updated version of your phone application. Learn more here.

Be sure to comment with any questions, or contact me at rachel@capturethemarket.com for a one sheet with more detailed information about Foursquare.

Visit with Your Video Girls! - Booth #140 - Apartment Association of Greater Dallas Trade Show!

Come by Market Hall in Dallas, Texas today to visit with your Video Girls: Beth, Kimberly, Janet, Rachel, and Diana! The AAGD Trade Show starts at 3pm and goes until 8pm.

We look forward to seeing you at Booth #140!

Be sure to stop by Booth #140 & 

enter the drawing for a $100 gift card!

Why is Everyone Always Wearing GREEN?!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Today is the celebrated around the world as St. Patrick's Day: religious feast day marking the anniversary of St. Patrick's death in the fifth century.

The History
In the 5th century Britain, a 16 year old boy named Maewyn Succat was kidnapped by Irish marauders and remained a shepard's slave for 6 years in Ireland. He later escaped, guided by visions of faith, back to Britain where he became a priest and took the name Patrick. Patrick returned to Ireland in 432 A.D. on a mission to bring Christianity to the island. Patrick died on March 17, 461 A.D.


video courtesy of Tampa Bay's Channel 10 News


Celebrations of the Day!

Those of you in the New York City area, go visit the parade and be a part of the world's oldest civilian parade and the largest parade in the United States.

Anyone near Chicago should stop by and see the celebratory dyeing of the Chicago River! Though the origins may be unsavory, today Chicago dumps 40 pounds of green dye into the river for hours of celebratory green water.

Does your city follow the"dye the river green" tradition?

What traditions do you follow on Saint Patrick's Day?


My Traditions:
I wear as much green as possible: clothing, nail polish, eye shadow.

I bake a dessert for my friends and/or family. A group of my friends and I gather for dinner every Thursday, rotating houses every week, and for tonight I've made an Irish Coffee Pie: seen to the right. View the recipe here.

Hope you all have a great Thursday and a great Saint Patrick's Day!

QR Codes: A Scan Above the Rest

Quick Response Codes (QR Codes) are slowly gaining popularity among US businesses. You can buy Qrapping paper, scan tags at Macy’s for a ‘Backstage Pass,’ scan a real estate sign for the property’s listing information and photos, use your phone as an airline boarding pass, or pay for your morning Starbucks.

QR codes are used in almost all media: in magazines, brochures, business cards, on video, on signs, on tags and labels, and on cars, trucks, or trailers. QR codes are versatile as they can perform a variety of functions:

• link to a website or landing page
• allow for instant payment
• play a video
• display photos or text
• provide driving directions
• link to coupons and special offers
• trigger phone functions: making a call, opening email or text messaging (IM or SMS)
• activate an online function: ‘liking’ a Facebook Page or following a Twitter feed

 QR code usage in the United States has increased 1,200% from July to December 2010. QR codes are becoming more customizable in terms of including adding logos and changing the color or size. QR codes are universal and can be scanned using an iPhone, Blackberry, Android, or other Smartphone provided the user has downloaded one of the many free QR readers. Microsoft has released an MS tag which can only be read by a Microsoft Tag Reader, but allows for more creative designs.

Examples of Today

Google Places will provide you with a window decal which includes a QR code to your company’s website, hours of operation, or current specials once you register your local business.

A QR code present at the end of this online movie trailer links the user to their Facebook Page where the user can Fan or Like the page, read the latest news releases, or comment on the movie.

Ralph Lauren uses a QR code to direct viewers to their mobile website where they can browse merchandise, sign up for newsletters, or purchase an item.

Many airlines are using QR codes as a digital boarding pass for passengers on domestic and international flights.

Look for QR codes in your life, and let us know what you discover!  What is your opinion of QR Codes? How and where are you interacting with QR Codes?

Why Wait? Upgrade Your Facebook Page TODAY!

Facebook is switching all Facebook Pages to the new format on March 10, 2011. Embrace the new style! Here are some tips on how to best optimize on the changes.

Show Off Your Community

Choose which photos you want displayed at the top of your page.  Hide any photos which vary from your design to leave your page with the best photos on top to interest visitors. The order of the pictures will randomize with each refresh of the page.

 

Customize Your Navigation

Your navigation links (formerly tabs) are now located under your profile picture (left side of the page). You can customize the names for each link by clicking ‘Edit Page,’ then clicking ‘Apps,’ then clicking the respective ‘Go To App’ for the link you want to edit, and editing the ‘Box Title’ content to the desired name.

Solidify Your Branding

The new format lists wall posts in a seemingly random order. Remedy this by clicking ‘Edit Page’ and changing the ‘Wall Tab Shows’ drop down menu to ‘Only Posts by Page.’ Only posts by your page will display on the first page of your wall. This will keep your updates, deals, and information directly in front of the reader.

Change Your Posting Persona

You are now able to interact with areas of Facebook as your Brand. Clicking the “Use Facebook As” link will switch you between your human name and your brand’s name. Using this feature, you can upload pictures, comment, and ‘Like’ pages and posts as your Brand.

Claim Your Facebook Presence

Merge your Facebook Business Page with your listing on Facebook Places. Once the pages are merged, you can offer deals, provide a map of your location, track who is ‘checking in’ to your community, and how often residents and potential residents are visiting your community.

Customize Your URL

You can now create a customized URL for your Business Page. A short and branded URL is easy to remember and more likely to result in Page visits. To create your custom URL click ‘Edit Page,’ then click ‘Basic Information,’ and then click ‘Create a username for this page?’

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