I caught myself in conversation the other day using verbs that didn’t exist when I was a kid. I “googled” an image, then “photoshopped” it right before I “skyped” with my brother in Australia. “Have You Boscoved Today” is a slogan for a major North American retailer, using this very idea. Technology is not only changing the landscape of our industry but the language as well. But is this ever-evolving technology more to our social detriment than we realize? Are we becoming so enmeshed online that we can’t function offline?

Last week we talked about The Social Network… IRL. Taking the Twittersphere a step further into real life by engaging prospective clients face-to-face. Windows 7 creatively used this message as a recent sales platform, addressing the repercussions of digital distractions. As a traditional girl in a digital world, I’ve been faced with my own online challenges. But what I’ve found is that, when used properly (and in moderation,) these advances in technology are tremendous, making communication more effective and efficient than ever before…

My concern is with the future generations. Seeing teenagers more involved with video games and chat rooms than playing games and chatting with each other makes me cringe. The Foursquare app has replaced the recess version of my youth. Call me old-fashioned but I fear an online existence could mar the social function of our children… Doesn’t anyone remember Small Wonder?! Some of my fondest childhood memories are of running, jumping and climbing… Now those are verbs I can relate to!

What do you think are the possible sociological effects of a digital world?

It’s the same old song – the New Year started off with a bang… You updated your facebook business page, attended a few social media workshops and webinars, wrote several blog posts and even tweeted them! Well, now we’re three months in and already your blog has cobwebs, you haven’t tweeted in weeks and the last place you checked in on foursquare was New Year’s Day brunch!

You keep asking yourself, who has the time for this?! The answer is, even social media junkies hit a wall at some point. It’s information overload (even for the experts;-) So how do you get back on track and furthermore, how do you maintain a consistent social media program so you’re not constantly falling off the wagon?

First and foremost, make sure you’re using the best tools for your business as well as a social media management tool. Then, create an action plan. I found equating this concept to an exercise regimen seemed like a “fitting” analogy;-) By applying the same principles you would to get in shape, I made a checklist for getting your social media strategy toned in no time!

Here’s the skinny:

• Set a realistic goal – as with exercise, too much too soon is just setting yourself up for failure. Decide on a weekly schedule and stick to it, no excuses.
• Write it down – by putting things in writing you are making yourself accountable. Like counting calories, become aware of what it takes to reach your goal and keep track of it.
• Don’t punish yourself – we all make mistakes but there’s always tomorrow. So if you miss a post, don’t stress. Just make sure to get back on track as soon as possible.
• Reward yourself – when you DO stick to your program, give yourself a just reward (and since you’re NOT on a diet – chocolate is completely acceptable in this case;-)
• Everything in moderation – extreme exercise can derail even the toughest athlete. Make sure you’re doing social media in moderation and you’re sure to be a winner!
• Buddy up – in the case of social media, don’t take it all on yourself. Ask for blog topics from friends and co-workers, schedule tweets, use lists and, if possible, divide and conquer. If that’s not an option, use your online pals as inspiration to keep going – they love to help each other out!

What are some other tips to keep your social media program up and running?

After about 2 months on foursquare, I am finding that I am really starting to enjoy it and am learning a lot more about how the tool works for the consumer. What I am not seeing (yet) is more businesses really capitalize on the tool themselves. There are a couple that are really doing it well, but only the large companies, and even then, it is few and far between. I understand that it is still a new tool – and it still is growing – but the businesses that can capitalize on it quickly will definitely see the benefits. If I were a consumer facing, brick and mortar business like a restaurant or retail store, these are the 5 things I would to today on foursquare:

1. Make sure my account was set up properly. There are so many locations on there that do not even have their addresses entered into their listing. If people can’t check in the right way, they won’t check in at all.
2. Give every single person who checks in a message. Welcome them to the store/restaurant and give EVERY one a small gift. Tell them to show their server their foursquare message for a free well drink or show it at check out from your store for 5% off their purchase. These two things would cost the store/restaurant almost nothing, and would seriously make the visitor want to come back again and again.
3. Really rewards mayors. A couple bucks off is nothing…give your mayor a reason to want to really hold onto that mayorship. How about a free appetizer or dessert? Or 15% off one item in the store? Now THAT is a reason for the mayors to be fighting over your location.
4. Make sure everyone in your location understands foursquare. If you are going to make it work, your entire staff needs to understand it and support it. Make sure that your employees know what to do when someone comes in that is the mayor or how to handle a check in.
5. Set up a “special nearby” notification. If people check into stores nearby, you want them to know you have special offers, so make sure to set it up for all your locations and capture that traffic!

What other ways can you see businesses using foursquare (as it is now) more effectively?

I tried foursquare. Then I left foursquare. And after a lot of thought and cajoling by a few friends, I decided to go back to foursquare…

Why?

Because although I don’t feel it is quite there for the individual, it will be. Businesses will start getting it better and the functionality will improve (at least I hope!). I see huge potential with foursquare and I regret not joining twitter sooner, so I don’t want to make the same mistake here. The biggest concern I have is privacy, but with how much information is available already about me, I figure this can’t really much worse.

Since I’m trying it again, here are the things I am hoping to see:

1. Benefits for a first time checkin from the business. “It’s your first time here, enjoy 5% off”. Giving someone a benefit at their first trip will increase the likelihood they come back and you’ll have more repeat customers.
2. Reward people for bringing people. Multiple checkin’s for one person who brings in first timers with them? They’re doing marketing for you, reward them!
3. On the mobile app – links to the companies website, twitter or facebook to connect them in other ways. This will help the companies to build a stronger network.
4. Something between first time and mayorship…maybe rewarding people at different levels, 5 checkins, 3 in a week, etc…
5. The ability to checkin at a place without claiming location to everyone. For example, it would be great to be able to checkin at Starbucks and have the exact location know where you are but not send the exact location to your friends, just that you are at a Starbucks.

All in all, I am holding out to see results, and am willing to go with it for a little longer. What can it hurt?

What would you like to see improve with foursquare? Have you found benefits for the individual?

With twitter and blogging, I was first in line. I got it instantly, and loved them. I completely understood when and why to use them, and was involved in every aspect that I could. With Facebook, I was slower to join the trend, a little concerned about connecting business with personal life. But, after some convincing, I delved into Facebook as well, and now have seen the light.

I have tried tons of other social media tools, some I have kept around (linkedin, stumbleupon) and others have faded to the background (friendfeed, digg, reddit). The problem I find is that I am very wary of adding a new tool to my arsenal without really understanding what it can do for business. We have enough on our plates already, that adding another tool must also add to our business instead of taking our precious time. Twitter, Facebook and blogging are all strong examples of adding vs. taking. They deliver stronger connections and great business results. Since Twitter, I have struggled to find a new site that can add value like these three.

About 8 months ago, a new site launched. They called it Foursquare (no, not the game you played in elementary school), and it is a geo-targetting tool to allow users to ‘check-in’ to the locations that they visit.

When I heard about this site, I was very wary. First, it was only launched in a few places. Second, it was only launched as an application for the iphone. This left me (a blackberry user) a little put off. But, never one to shut something down without research, I learned more about it and watched friends use it. After a few months of seeing people “check-in” at locations and earn ‘badges’ for being at places a lot, I still didn’t see a huge value. If the company or place I was at was on twitter, I could basically do the same thing just referencing their twitter name. While I didn’t earn ‘badges’, I didn’t feel like I was missing much. But recently, as foursquare has become more popular, and more and more businesses are getting involved, I have noticed something new. When some of my friends that use it check in at places, they get a surprise – a free drink, 5% off their bill, etc…and ones that check into the same place a lot? The rewards are even better. Also, they have now released an application for the blackberry, making it accessible to me, and more intriguing to try.

So, after seeing the results that some friends have had from using it, and talking with a few businesses about their experience with it, I have decided to download it for my blackberry. Over the next week, I will be testing it out, checking in everywhere I go and seeing how it works. Next Monday, I will write about my experiences and let you know what I think.

If you have tried it, what do you think? If you haven’t, I invite you to try it with me and share your thoughts next week!