I'm Mayor!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/fashion/19foursquare.html?pagewanted=1&sq=four%20square&st=cse&scp=6

I actually recently became a member of foursquare along with Sarah to learn more about different social medias out there. Foursquare is an interesting social network. As a member you can sign in to the area that you are currently at. If you do it enough you could even become mayor of that area. "Even more baffling is why users have become so emotionally invested in being a mayor, as there are few, if any, tangible benefits. While some bars award free beer and some shops give small discounts as a marketing ploy, the majority do not"( Who Elected Me Mayor? I Did). I personally haven't become crazed like that; I will admit I do feel a bit of it when I travel across campus using it and feeling anxious if I could take over as mayor, but that feeling dies soon after.

After reading different articles (before choosing the one above) it was to my surprise that businesses push their employers to use foursquare, they also look into foursqaure to see where people are and what they want. "With the new tool, businesses will be able to see a range of real-time data about Foursquare usage, including who has “checked in” to the place via Foursquare, when they arrived, the male-to-female customer ratio and which times of day are more active for certain customers. Business owners will also be able to offer instant promotions to try to engage new customers and keep current ones"(Foursquare Introduces New Tools for Businesses). Some businesses go as far as giving out incentives to frequent costumers.