No longer just For Squares

Last week Four Square became exciting for me.

I have been diligently checking in for months, I'm the 'Mayor' of a few cool places but so what? What's in for me and what's in for the places I visit?

In Europe and the US its going gangbusters and reminds me of the way twitter took off a couple of years ago: three figure monthly growth, large spikes in unique site visits and so on.





Facebook has recognised the huge potential of geo-location services and is trying to incorporate features into its model with some success.

So I'm drinking at one of my mayoral shires in the CBD and I notice some of my twitter friends I haven't heard from in a while have checked in nearby on four square. We 'shout' at each other on four square and meet up at one of our haunts nearby.

Isn't this fun now? I think.

What is its potential in Australia? Well in Europe and the US its replacing card based loyalty schemes and is being used for push marketing to some effect.

I reckon it would rock if some co-branding was tested on the platform. If I'm loving checking in so much at your venue what other places should I visit? What deals have you got for me elsewhere? Better yet - can I redeem four square loyalty points at other businesses that you partner with?

I've just wandered all over town looking for those acid yellow Puma Clydes I wanted, where can I get a drink that's as cool as my shoes?

There's even potential to create virtual environments on four square where brands throw up virtual 'geo-zones' over locations for events or even permanently.

Your brand sponsors a concert or festival? Throw up a 'zone' on four square for people to check into. They get points and rewards and you get the market share for the locality on four square.

Now THAT's exciting.