I’m a huge fan of social media because to me, it’s fun! I love innovation and learning new technologies as well as playing with the latest gadgets. I couldn’t wait to get an iPhone and then the iPad. So, when I hear about the newest in social media I run to check it out. I downloaded the http://foursquare.com/ app to my iPhone to become the mayor of all of the great locations around town. As a matter of fact I was called out on Twitter for being the mayor of my local McDonalds.
Foursquare is fun, especially if I have others in my immediate area that I can “compete” with but there aren’t a lot of ways to interact and there isn’t much to do besides checkin. I then learned about My Town by http://www.booyah.com/ I downloaded the app to my iPhone, hat tip to Jeremy Langhans from Starbucks HQ!
This app offers checkins at different locations but also offers the opportunity to buy the properties, upgrade them, decorate them and build things. You can collect rent on your properties, make friends and visit their properties. My 9 year old daughter enjoys playing the game and encourages me to checkin and buy her favorite places. She has helped me collect rents as well as upgrade properties. I now own 20 properties including: 4 airports, Disney’s Magic Kingdom as well as 2 Starbucks, and 2 bookstores.
So what does this really have to do with everyday life and how can I use My Town to recruit, source, market or brand? Well, I haven’t figured that out yet but just like with Twitter and Facebook I’m having fun “playing” the game while I wait to see if this catches on and what the rest of the world will do with this innovative technology.
Right now Foursquare is becoming more and more popular and companies, like Starbucks are offering “special” discounts to their Mayors as well as using the platform to market specific messages to those who are in the area or frequent their establishment. Maybe My Town will follow the same tactic. But even if they don’t it is entertaining, for now!
