When I last wrote about Sprout Social in May 2011, I’d been using it for a couple of months. And while I found a use for it, I only used it sporadically because it really wasn’t offering anything truly unique. But for $92/year it wasn’t breaking the bank either.  There was a long list of “Meh.” Well, either my blog has some pull, or the survey they sent over the summer was put to good use because Sprout Social is growing up. I think its headed into the social CRM space, which we desperately need in the smaller-than-enterprise world. But when I asked that question, I got an indirect response at best (see Friday’s blog post).

Sprout Social did have some implementation challenges when they released their new features, so I wanted to wait until the dust cleared to write about it. It appears as though the dust has settled and its a new day in social media management. There are some very handy and cool features in the new Sprout Social, here are my faves:

Contact History

This is one reason why I think Sprout Social is trying to move into the social CRM space (I’m hoping and praying they do). This feature allows you to see Twitter conversations with a particular contact, from this dashboard you can add them to lists, add additional contact info, see @mentions. Its a great resource for putting a particular contact into context.

In the picture at right, I’m looking at the conversations I’ve had with Gwen Woltz, SMCHI (Social Media Club Hawaii) Professional and Communications Committee member. She and I do 90% of our communication with one another via Twitter. And it shows. But what’s even cooler, is that ALL of our conversations back to the beginning (9 mos ago). That’s right, way, way after I can’t find the conversation anywhere else, I have it here for reference. This is super ideal for companies who are trying to keep track of their Twitter conversations and has serious CRM implications. Now, if we could only match those darn Facebook conversations, we’d be golden.

Discovery:

Here you can sort your followers in different ways. You can see who you’ve had conversations with recently (or more specifically people who you’ve mentioned or who have mentioned you). I’m not really sure how accurate this is as I THINK it still incorporates Twitter DMs and since DMs have devolved into a “spam” inbox, I wouldn’t call it a place where a lot of conversations take place. I’m not ENTIRELY sure that sums up the “Conversation” potential, but I understand what they are trying to do here and I appreciate it. I also like that I can filter to “influential only”  I bet the filtering options are going to increase… and I hope they add location filtering soon.

Also under “Discovery” are some ways to clean out your Twitter followers (inactives, don’t follow back, etc.). You do have to “unfollow” one at a time, but its still a handy tool if you’ve reached that mysterious Twitter ratio of followers vs. followed.

Twitter Comparison:

Ever wonder how you compare to your biggest competitor? Twitter comparison gives you a place to start.  I really recommend treading lightly here. While this is an addictive tool, its also hard to bring it back to an actual business objective. Do you really CARE how many followers you have compared to someone else? If you do, I hope it relates specifically back to your brand valuation. That said, I’m excited to welcome 262 new followers on Twitter last week…but that looks pretty lame next to Mari Smith’s 3400+. I actually think the more interesting comparisons here are engagements over mentions, that has the beginnings of an interesting KPI.

General Reports:

One of the things I originally liked about Sprout Social is the easy at a glance interface. The Reports segment remains easy to review and glance, but its got some new added features. Including Top tweets and Facebook Page posts. I love seeing that information as it helps me better understand what captures the imagination of my audience.

Here too you can see from a single dashboard the Google Analytics info, Twitter info and Facebook pages info. I also appreciate the ability to set custom dates and export information.  New to the reports is the ability to connect locations through Gowalla or Foursquare. If you’re a retailer or restaurant, this is a very, very handy add-on, and its available at the $39/month level.

Google Reader Feeds:

Many months ago when I filled out that survey Sprout Social sent me, I specifically remember a question about what it would take to be the only tool I use to post. While I’m still not using Sprout Social to post, the addition of my Google Reader feeds to its interface is mighty helpful, and again, its the interface that makes it manageable here.

Sprout Social InBox and Scheduling:

This is really where they’ve put forth some serious effort. Its easy to sort and share messages from different platforms, this interface is actually much easier than Hootsuite’s, and like Hootsuite, there are team member tasks and assignment options. This doesn’t replace Hootsuite for me yet, because I like to be able to see my streams, I like to know what my contacts are talking about. But with SocialSprout’s key word.

All in all, the Sprout Social team has made some big improvements to the platform…and without surprise, those big improvements come with some heftier price tags. I’d love to see some demos to determine if the Small Biz and Deluxe plans offer enough value to justify the expense for the average small business owner. And I’m not sure that agency package is all that compelling for the price tag. Regardless, I like the updates to Sprout Social and I can see myself using it more at the price point I’m paying, but I also noticed that the level at which I currently pay is going up by about 15%. That’s a big increase, so when it comes time to renew, I’ll reevaluate how often I’m using the tool and decide for myself then how much I need it for myself and my clients.

TELL ME: If you use Sprout Social, what’s you’re favorite new feature? And what feature are these types of tools most missing?

PS: HAPPY (American)  THANKSGIVING! See you on the flip side of the official start of the holidays here in the USA!

As if Twitter and Facebook don’t have businesses and users scrambling to keep up, a new type of site is cropping up that engages audiences through Question and Answer format. Naturally, each has a unique twist to it, but if you are a business, what should you be doing with these sites? For most of the sites I’m going to talk about (except LinkedIn), there really isn’t a ton of critical mass, BUT, and this “but” is bigger than my own “butt” businesses should pay attention to these sites. Here’s why:

These sites engender honest, uninterrupted conversation. And the conversation can be shared, easily tracked and followed. People can search for questions or conversations on a particular topic.  Plus, in the case of Quora and Namesake you can tell a lot about the person whose opinion you are reading without having to do a lot of homework. Call me lazy. Go ahead. But I appreciate a little “at a glance” info. Each site in its own way is attempting to create credibility for the author/writer, in particular areas. At some point, I’m sure that PeerIndex will be utilizing Namesake as they are Quora right now, to get a feel for the “human” aspect of a digital personality, including area’s of expertise and influence. If Namesake gets some media love and some critical mass, it has a role to play in the influence market as well.  Right now, neither site seems to be influencing SEO all that heavily, but if you know SEO better than me (and I only know enough to be dangerous), then please feel free to weigh in on my claim. Regardless, if these sites do get critical mass, I’d be surprised if they don’t jump into the SEO game more heavily.

Also, if your product is at ALL geared towards early adopters, techies or social media users, its time to jump on the bandwagon and watch these sites develop. The folks on them now are still early adopters and in the case of Quora, which was all the rage in Silicon Valley before the masses got their hands on it, there are some interesting and (offline and online) influential people using it already. Finally, like all sites, its nice to have an audience when you need or want one, so develop connections on these sites now. Sure, its dynamic, sure, it changes, but its good to have a presence before you need one.

I thought it would be worthy to address some of the opportunities I see for these sites as they relate to business.

Quora:

A brand search on Quora.

A media darling a couple of months back, Quora is at its most basic, a question and answer site. But as with many social tools, its much more sophisticated than “just” a question and answer site. One of the primary differences in Quora is that well written, thought-out (read: longer) answers are appreciated and encouraged by the audience. The culture tends to be more formal, think: boardroom not bar. Sloppy ideas and concepts only the reputation and “being human” isn’t about being a jacka**. This also isn’t really a “follow me I’ll follow you” culture. Find those whose opinions you really value and follow them.

Quora also has social integration: Twitter, Facebook and the ability to share questions and answers through those portals. If you blog using WordPress or Tumblr, you can also post questions and answers to your blog. Potentially interesting, if your asking questions that are of interest to the blog audience. Its worth noting that the Quora audience may be veeeery different from your blog audience.

As I mentioned, early on, Silicon Valley peeps embraced the site and at that time, the conversations could become quite philosophical and technical. That isn’t AS true about the site even since I started using it last fall sometime. But that doesn’t make it less relevant for a couple of purposes:

Product Development: If you have an idea in your head and you’d like to bounce it off some smart folks, this might be a good place to do it. The feedback is likely to be more critical and analytical and less the “great job” type, so put on your big boy pants and get ready for constructive criticism.There are some VC participants on Quora..if your idea is smart, you come off as credible and you get a little lucky, you might even find yourself with more than an idea: funding.

Research: From getting different perspectives on trends and tools to doing a little competitive analysis, Quora is a gold mine. I use it to spur my creative juices for blog post ideas. Usually after scanning some questions, I’ll have developed a topic worth writing about. If your company has a blog, this is a great tool. Also, questions are open to everyone so it won’t be just your followers answering. Also, you can ask Questions and tweet  your question or put it on Facebook. If your audience digs Quora, they’ll dig that.

Listening: Do a search on your company and key topics or key words, here regularly. It will be interesting to see the discussions that are occurring. If there are discussions about your Brand, Quora isn’t QUITE like Twitter where the users expect to hear back from a brand, but if you do decide to respond, do so point by point with your smartest answers and by the way: be transparent. This audience will sniff it out if you aren’t transparent and the conversation will die. What’s the point in being the conversation killer? Better to create some discussion than to alienate an audience.

Create Conversation: In Quora, if a topic hasn’t been created about your company or brand, its a good idea to start one before someone else does. In an open, user-based site like Quora, users can edit your business description. But if you give a factual, non-salesy description, users are less likely to edit. Along those lines, its a good idea to create some advocates early on who will follow your brand or company as a topic – that way as conversations emerge,  there are already key users of the site who can speak to the experience of using your product – hopefully in a good way.

Celebrity CEO: Depending on your business, this is a great place for a CEO to have a presence. Every time I suggest CEO involvement with social media, everyone bristles, but this is one spot your CEO can appreciate. Unlike LinkedIn, where your CEO is reluctant to jump in because its just too much information, the CEO can carefully craft an image on Quora, by asking and answering questions of peers. If your CEO is the face of your brand, then its probably a good idea for them to have a presence and dialouge on Quora. But before turning a CEO loose on the Quora community, make sure he “gets it” that not every single comment has to be a “message”.

Namesake:

This is a more conversational question-answer site. The questions range from smart to silly. Answers range from smart to stupid.  So far the culture here is more like your living room than a boardroom. Its casual,

Namesake Search for "Hashable"

friendly, fairly inclusive. None the less, its still very much an early adopter crowd. T One of the distinguishing features of Namesake is the ability for other to “endorse” you in areas of your expertise. You choose the categories, people will decide to independently verify your expertise. his site is definitely developed for the user, not necessarily for business; however, that’s not to say that there aren’t business uses:

Influencers: Yep. There’s that word again. But if you’re looking for people influential on a topic, this is an interesting place to start. Namesake doesn’t guarantee that the influencers have a huge audience, but it DOES suggest that others have been willing to vouch for this person’s expertise.  The primary shortfall to this is that not very many people are ON Namesake yet, so there are probably some very talented people who don’t have a ton of endorsements.  Also, this is one of those “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” social moment, so endorsements could become tricky. However, with up to 5 expertise choices, people can always vote for the one you added to be human. But, you can search for a skill and talent and find those who are the “top” experts and as Namesake gets critical mass, this could be an outstanding resource.

Listening: Again, its worth popping in now and then to see if there are conversations about your brand or product. You may or may choose not to participate, but you should at least know what the conversations are. Don’t forget to checkin and listen for key topics or key words relevant to your community or your business.

Create Conversation: I could easily see community managers participating here with enthusiasts of not just their brand, but things their enthusiastic enjoy too. By jumping into other conversations a community manager gives themselves and even more persona, provides awareness of the community to others without self promoting. This last part is really important. Self promotion is just icky. Be cool.

So where does LinkedIN fit into these sites?

I think LinkedIn continues to be relevant. WallStreet certainly gave it the thumbs up this week. From a business perspective, LinkedIn remains a strong employee recruiting tool. And as  the economy turns around, recruiting will once again rise. Businesses should still give themselves a company presence and representatives can and should still participate in groups and conversations. The problem with LinkedIn is that its gone from being a genuine resource to a breeding ground for self-promoters. Having watched LinkedIn devolve into “Link to my website” I think Quora and Namesake users may be protective of their space and weary of self promotion. There are still social media opportunities on LinkedIn, but lots has been written about that and I wanted to share with you some ways to utilize some emerging opportunities.

So – what say you? Are you using Quora or Namesake? Do you agree with my assessment of these conversation site’s role in business?

Last week, I moderated a panel at the Hawaii Social Media Summit (#SMSHI) of Hawaii’s social media business users about their outsourcing – what they do and don’t outsource and what their best practices are.  It was an interesting conversation and their experiences are largely reflective of a Facebook Poll I recently initiated. The conversation is an interesting one with varying and strong opinions! While the poll I took is certainly no where near scientific, I think it raises some interesting points. As you might imagine – I have some opinions on these as they relate to small and medium businesses, so I thought I would share with you the results, a sampling of the conversation and my thoughts on each of the items.

There were a total of 52 votes, I did not limit the number of votes that each person could make. To get the party started, I voted for Strategy and Analytics. Here’s how the rest of the votes broke down and my thoughts about them.

22/52 Technical Integration: I totally agree with most of the respondents, having your social media program integrated with the rest of your digital presence is vitally important and its both smart and easy to outsource since there is usually no need for a permanent employee for this purpose. A business might choose to put a consultant on retainer, but unless you are really aggressively changing your digital presence regularly, then a consultant is the ideal choice.

13/52 Analytics: Since I already said I voted for this, you won’t be surprised to hear that I am baffled by the fact that this only received 13 votes.  Here’s why I am baffled,  over and over again, I get questions on what metrics should be used. Our panelists last week acknowledged that they too are struggling to identify which metrics work for them. The answer to what you should measure depends on what your goals are, but many social media consultants can help you identify which metrics are best for you and how to measure them. Unless you are a large business who can afford a Radian6 or similar tool, the gathering of this data can be cross channel and time consuming. I find most small business skip this crucial step and then become frustrated when they don’t know more about the success (or failure) of their social media program. A critical examination of metrics by a social media consultant can give you valuavle take-aways on changes you might make in your social media program, what’s working and what isn’t. If nothing else, you can outsource the initial set-up and development of your analytical program and take it from there. Whatever you do though, do skip the measurement of social media. But if you do skip it, please don’t say that social media doesn’t work for you…because my next question will be how do you know? I’d encourage small and medium businesses to at least consider creating a metrics dashboard with a consultant. Your internal social media person will thank you – even if they are running the reports on an ongoing basis. You don’t need to hire someone full time for this and since most companies don’t have a full-time social media person, this is an ideal outsourcing component.

11/52 Strategy: Again, one of my votes. Again, I am as confused as an epileptic dog in a maze. Maybe its because strategy isn’t fully appreciated. Maybe its because strategy seems too “fuzzy” but for me and my clients, strategy is the starting point. Without a well defined strategy, how do you know what you will implement and how you will measure? Social media is deceptively sophisticated and incredibly dynamic. Yes, you may change your strategy, but at least have one.The reason this is a great element to outsource is a social media consultant can give you examples of other strategies and work with you to develop one that suits your needs. Everyone’s strategy will be different, but its great to have some ideas to start with. You will then have a road map and metrics from which to measure the success of your social media program.

3/52 Implementation: The irony of this category is that its the single most popular thing that small businesses want to outsource – yet, its not the ideal element to outsource. Its also the most time consuming, which is why so many companies want to outsource. Listening. Engaging. Conversing. They all take time. I’ve seen estimates from 5 hour/week or more.  Having someone else speak for your brand (even if they are smart, savvy and exhibit good judgment) is challenging unless you (business) are really able to spend the time to immerse the outsourced social media person in your brand. Further, you should be willing to develop a process and a flow to assist the consultant in making comments and decisions on the spot, as that is what social media requires. Immersing a consultant in the right culture and voice of your brand is not easy. Can it be done? Yes. But my own personal experience in this area makes me give the following recommendation: if you must outsource this section, consider it a 3-6 month pilot until your internal users are up to speed on best practices and tools. What I normally do is have myself and a staffer work the social media dashboard together so we can discuss the opportunities and choices. Then I closely monitor and make recommendations. I personally love this graphic that breaks it down nicely:

1/52 SEO: I’m baffled by how few people saw SEO as a viable outsourcing choice. While I don’t personally do SEO, I work with several SEO pros in conjunction with social media programs and I have to say, I think this is one of the few areas where there isn’t much grey area. While SEO maintainance may be ongoing, an SEO expert’s job is to stay up to date on the every changing search antilogarithms, put your SEO consultant on a monthly retainer and call it a day. Few companies should have internal SEO and there are some incredibly talented SEO consultants available.

1/52 Content Development: I believe this one area that doesn’t get its social media respect. Developing content is an ongoing process and whether you choose to develop content or curate it, you’ll need to have a plan that fits in with your strategy.  Many small businesses need suggestions on what types of content (words, pictures, video etc.) and also the best way to utilize them to create discussion. Further, development of voice and tone is often something that many small and medium businesses haven’t done yet, so a social media consultant can help you develop your voice. What content to create, how to use it and best practices with content are all elements a consultant can help you with. When it comes to implementing it, I again suggest an internal advocate (or two).

1/52: Building Quality Followers: While only one person voted for this, I tend to agree, that this element can be outsourced, initially. I’ll even lump this in with working with influencers, both the identification and the outreach of them. But, ongoing development of followers will be contingent on your implementation among other factors, and unless your consultant has control over the implementation of these factors, its not a great choice.

So – what do you think? What do you think is most successfully outsourced? Leave us your thoughts..and if you haven’t already, take the Facebook Poll

PS:

Here are some sources about outsourcing I shared on my #SMSHI Twitter Stream last week:

Should #smallbiz consider outsourcing social media @AlohaSMM weighs in with some great stats: http://ow.ly/4zOzN

Another viewpoint: things you CAN outsource in social media http://ow.ly/4yWcs via @baekdal #SMSHI

Should you outsource your social media efforts? (via @mashable) #smshi http://ow.ly/4yV4Q

5 reasons not to outsource your social media http://ow.ly/4yVYf via @iMediaTweet #SMSHI

Corporate social media outsourcing has doubled according to @smexaminer ‘s mkting report – from 14% in 2010 to 20% in 2011 #SMSHI

Great advice from @TobyDiva regarding for biz & agencies re: outsourcing social media #smshi #smallbiz http://ow.ly/4yVbR

Design/Development, Content Creation & Analytics top 3 most commonly outsourced #sm elements via @smexaminer ‘s mkting report #SMSHI

Look how far social media has come! Our baby is growing up! Here are my predictions for trends that will matter in 2011.

Listening: Now hear this (ironic, right?!): Listening is the first rule of social media. No matter where you are in your social media strategy, listening should be your top priority. This means watching what your current and potential customer are saying. What are they talking about? What’s important to them?

All friends and fans are not created equal: According to the Forrester Technographics profiling tool MOST consumers are lurkers in the social media sphere. So don’t feel back if you have hundreds of “fans” but few comments. The key is to identify the INFLUENCERS.  Few actually create their own content. But, content creators have a higher chance of being a key influencer. Identifying key influencers and creating relationships with them will be an increasingly important step. But as I reference in my article about bloggers, this will become an increasingly delicate relationship as bloggers gain more authority and command more respect. All power social media experts will be approached at one point or another, who and how they work with the brand will largely be determined by how they are approached.

ROI Metrics worth tracking: Sentiment, Klout, Impact: As social media continues to mature, the demand for ROI will increase. While these metrics will be different than traditional marketing metrics, they will continue to be relevant in their own right. Its easy to say that the only way to measure social influence is by tracking conversions, but this doesn’t tell the whole story. Again, social media is about relationships, the key measurement metrics measure more deeply how effective your relationships are and help you better understand what you can do in the future with your social media programs.  Some metrics that are available for tracking have more relevance than others.

Sentiment: What are people saying about you? Is it positive, negative or neutral. Contrary to popular belief, whether you choose to listen or not, people are saying things about you. And, if they are saying negative things, then you have a real opportunity!

Klout: This is the measurement of the ability you have to influence others to take action. Not only does it take into account the number of followers, but more importantly the likelihood that these users are engaged and will either share or take action based on your postings. This is perhaps the most important social media measurement and helps identify influencers in the social media sphere.

Impact: Slightly different from Klout in that it also takes into account your generosity towards others along with unique references to your brand and/or Twitter handle.

Social media marketing isn’t a silo, its a farm: I often say this: social media doesn’t work in a vaccum. Don’t expect that social media alone is enough to create engagement.  Don’t expect that simply by throwing up a Facebook page, you’ll receive thousands of fans. You’ll want your PR people, Advertising people, Email Marketing people, and social media people all working together. No doubt this will require effort and commitment. While some integration is easy (i.e.: using Facebook OpenGraph to integrate with your email and blog) other times it will require more strategy and planning (i.e. creating an editorial calendar for your blog that supports current PR initiatives). Marketing initiatives are designed to drive new customers should be reflected on the landing page of your Facebook page. Email programs to existing customers should be reflected in Facebook postings. YouTube videos that are designed to raise brand awareness should have a component that allows current customers to share their experiences. Creating an ad campaign around social media (ala Old Spice) took the collective will and brainpower of more than just an ad agency. Any way you look at it, your team should be just that, a team. A team that respects one another, that brings out the best in one another and supports one another’s initiatives.

Using Social Media as a Customer Service Tool: Two big brands really set the bar for this: Zappos and ComCast both use Twitter to very effectively communicate with customers. Both have received accolades and kudos from marketers and more importantly, customers for their willingness to respond to their customers in the medium of their choosing. But you don’t have to be a gigantic company to follow their lead, in fact, increasingly, customers will expect you to follow their lead. Get listening. Get empowering your staff. Get going.

Social Phone Apps: Ignore smart phone apps at your peril. Now that Apple doesn’t have the corner on smart phones, more and more people have them. Even Blackberries have apps. But you don’t necessarily have to create an app (it might not be the best tool for you), but you should be aware of those which are and start thinking like your customer – what would YOU wish you could do with your company/product/service while your waiting for a bus?

Tweet Chats: Still under utilized, but headed in the right direction. Associations, nonprofits, events, B2b and even some B2C products can all benefit from regular TweetChats. The key will be creating interesting topics, inviting experts (and hopefully influencers) to participate.

Distinguishing What Tools Work Best for What Strategy: Not every social media tool is right for you. Or, are they? Begin by analyzing your objectives then identify the tool that works right for you. The tools will likely be based on where your current (or potential) customers are already, what level they like to engage and what you hope to gain from communicating with them.

Hey Man, Where ARE You?: From Yelp to FourSquare to Gowalla and Facebook Places all have unique elements that appeal to different people. And they are growing both in usage and engagement. Get to understanding these tools and you’ll see that they aren’t just for retail and restaurant outlets anymore.

No one cares about your Press Release: Corporate blogging is about creating content that is important and relevant to your readers/customers/potential customers. If your using your blog simply to post press releases, you’re really missing an opportunity. If you MUST post press releases on your blog, make them relevant to the reader, not the press. Create a separate section for press releases. Your blog is a reflection of your corporate culture and your customers. Make it interesting, intriguing and relevant. If you can’t think of how to make content your customers would find interesting, its time to go back to Rule #1: Listening.

Ommmm. Release. Breathe: allow your fans to express themselves honestly. Release control.  It takes guts to not intervene on every blog post, discussion board, Facebook posting and Tweet, but learn to understand the difference. If you are lucky enough to have a Facebook where people engage and interact with your brand – then let them! When your fans start to feel as though the page is “theirs” then you’ve reached a pinnacle of engagement and your over-hyped, over-marketing messaging will only serve to turn them off.

Geolocation is the “site” of a big “turf” war forcing marketers and techies and users to take sides.
The two apex companies in this segment right now: Gowalla and Foursquare are taking shots and keeping their developers up all night. Both of these games have users embracing games/applications with increasing enthusiasm. Meanwhile techies and marketers are twitterpated with the possibilities. For marketers, the opportunity for trackable partnerships is endless, from coupons and promotions to custom partnerships with either company. Small business promotions can be remarkably affordable.  Further, (since Gowalla released version 1.2 last fall) both of the games are social, both with friends and other social applications like Twitter and Facebook.  From a techie perspective, the expansion opportunities are endless and with open API’s on both, expect to see lots of applications. Unlike other social applications both have a concept whose use within retail and restaurant space is immediate and obvious.

The skirmish between the two companies has been fairly visible, both from the corporate and end user camps. The basic premise of both is the same and both companies have been around since 2009 when they launched at the proudly geeky SXSWi (South by Southwest Interactive). Both entice their user to check-in on the application where ever the user happens to be by offering status rewards and even coupons. Using GPS, the applications pinpoint within relative accuracy where you are and confirm that you are actually “checking in” from the right location. Digital and coupon rewards are offered for various reasons including frequent check-ins to encourage users to continue playing.   While they are similar, they offer distinct experiences for the end user, which is important to businesses looking to take advantage of these unique traffic driving applications.
Foursquare, the current popular favorite, gives “badges” (graphic images) to represent achievements such as most check-ins or first check-in. Foursquare rewards regular visits by identifying the most frequent visitors as the “Mayor”, then they take it to the next level by making you “Super Mayor” if you are the “Mayor” of 10 or more locations. New this year are promotions and badges which can be “unlocked” after a certain number of visits to the location, making marketers jump with joy. From the techie perspective, Foursquare recently had to adjust its programming to prevent users from cheating their location and cheating their badges. Some users don’t like the “Mayor” concept, because it creates “ugly” competition, but marketer (those paying for services) will continue to appreciate this feature.
In addition to awarding “pins” for achievements, Gowalla adds an additional “gaming” elements and gives the player “items” which can be traded and exchanged with friends. Dropping off items at locations has endless promotional and gaming possibilities and users seem to like the “collection” aspect of the game. “Trips” are another uniquely Gowalla component, trips are comprised of a series of locations that share something in common. It could be a pub crawl or visits to certain locations within say, a zoo as  they’ve done with the zoo in Fort Worth, TX. Gowalla’s latest update included letting users update photos of the location. National Geographic and the Washington Post announced branded “trips”with Gowalla just this week. Custom “items” can be created and dropped off at locations for users to pick up, giving marketers tingles.
But while the two companies are fighting for supremacy, the solidarity among users seems to be gelling. Let’s not forget that both of these companies make money by offering promotions and what essentially amounts to digital couponing for businesses large and small, so its more than bragging rights at stake here. Foursquare seems to be winning over the masses with over 400,000 users and corporations such as Starbucks (with a specialized badge) and Zagat and while Gowalla has bagged the Travel Channel with “Food Wars” pins and announced in January that it was approaching 100,000 users. Up until recently, Gowalla could have been considered a technical darling with a more graphically pleasing and friendlier interface, but its recent API snafus may change that.
As usual, the choice of which to partner with isn’t as easy as it sounds. From a marketing partnership, the number of users might seem to make Foursquare the no-brainer, but Gowalla seems to be returning to its gaming roots with an emphasis on adventure with its National Geograhic partnership. So it may well be like many other social media tools, the tool of choice, may depend on your type of business. Restaurants and retail may gravitate towards Foursquare while services and adventure related companies may find Gowalla the better partner.  The question of who else will get into the geolocation market (Twitter? Facebook? Google?) remains prescient and relevant to those looking down the line at the future of this unique marketing tool.
No doubt as soon as this article is launched, there will be changes in the geolocation clash.

What do YOU think? Are you a user? A marketer? A techie? Which do you prefer and why?