Will Your Business Be Around in Five Years? Socialnomics


October 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Have you asked the question, will my business be around in five years?  What will it take to stay in the game?

Meet Erik Qualman: called a Digital Dale Carnegie and author of the best selling book Socialnomics. Erik describes how social media transforms the way we live and do business. He shares how survival of business today needs to be addressed and what  any business is going to have to do to keep playing in this volatile market.  He will be my guest on blogtalkradio Friday, October 14, 2011 9:00 a.m. PDT.  Set a reminder here and call in with questions 347-994-1903 or join us in the chat room.

A frequently requested International speaker, Qualman has been highlighted in numerous media outlets including: Business Week, The New York Times, WSJ, Mashable, USA Today, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, CBS Nightly News, and The Huffington Post. He has been fortunate to share the stage with Julie Andrews, Al Gore, Tony Hawk Sarah Palin, Jose Socrates (Prime Minister of Portugal), Alan Mulally (Ford CEO), Lee Scott (CEO/Chairman Walmart), and many others

Currently Qualman is an MBA Professor at the Hult International Business School. For the past 16 years Qualman has helped grow the digital capabilities of many companies including Cadillac, EarthLink, EF Education, Yahoo, Travelzoo and AT&T. He is the founder and owner of  socialnomics.com which PC Magazine ranked as a Top 10 Social Media Blog.  He sits on the Advisory Boards of Manumatix, ShopVisible and Bazaarvoice Inc. Qualman holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from The University of Texas.  He was Academic All-Big Ten in basketball at Michigan State University and still finds time to follow his beloved Spartans while living in Boston with his wife and daughter.

Qualman has recently advised/given keynotes with the following: Coach, Facebook, UGG Australia, Starbucks, M&M/Mars, Cartier, Montblanc, TEDx, Polo, UGG Australia, Nokia, Google, and more. Qualman gave the commencement address to the 2011 graduating class of McCombs Business School (University of Texas). 

Meet Erik on Cosmic Cow Pie Blogtalkradio show Friday, October 14, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. PDT.  Set a reminder here and tune into the show with the link.  Call in with questions 347-994-1903 or join us in the chat room as we discuss Socialnomics and what business needs to do to survive as the Cosmic Shift Happens™.

Qualman produced "Social Media Revolution" which is one of the most watched social media videos in the world. He has a great story about having to take down the 1st version of the video and you will hear it on the blogtalkradio show.  If you do any sharing of social media this youtube link tells the story in an easy to follow format.  Fast Company Magazine listed him as a Top 100 Digital Influencer so be sure you tune in.

Don't miss our discussion with Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics as we talk about:

  • Digital Dale Carnegie… where did that come from?
  • What he talked about with the employees at facebook?
  • Why was he on the stage with Julie Andrews, Al Gore and Sarah Palin?
  • What are the best social media venues to be participating in as a business?
  • What is going to happen to businesses that do not get on the social media bandwagon?
  • What three things should a business be doing today to survive?

What people are saying about Erik Qualman's book:

“In Socialnomics, Qualman brilliantly prescribes that the key to social media success is doing rather than deliberating. This is a must read for anyone trying to leverage the social graph rather than be squashed by it.” – Steve Kaufer, CEO, TripAdvisor

“Erik Qualman has a very bright future.” – Angelo Pizzo, Award-winning writer and producer of Hoosiers and Rudy.

“Qualman makes a powerful case that social media has forever changed the way we live and do business. Socialnomics helps make sense of it all.” – Dr. Stuart, Levy, Professor, George Washington University

“Social Media isn’t just for the Next Generation – it’s for every generation. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a media professional, a college student or a mom, social media will shape your future. Don’t be overwhelmed by it; read Qualman’s book instead.” – Jane Wooldridge, Award-winning journalist, The Miami Herald

Talk to Erik on blogtalkradio 347-994-1903 October 14th 9:00 a.m. PDT or join us live in the chat room.

Connect with Erik Qualman:

facebook

twitter

Socialnomics.net

e-mail

 

Filed Under: Books, Cosmic Shift Happens, Social Media, Socialnomics Tagged With: , , , ,

Steve Jobs 1955-2011


October 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Steve Jobs has touched you in one way or another and whether you like Apple products or not.  He changed the way the world communicates.

In my humble opinion, he is one of the greatest inventors of my lifetime.  He is right in there with Edison and Ford…  they all changed the way the world worked! 

The man was a visionary beyond one's wildest dreams and his thoughts became realities.

Steve Jobs and his example to the world to think outside of yourself will be dearly missed. 

Reading about his life, processing his quotes, reflecting on what he did with is life he will continue to change lives and act as a role model to people around the globe! 

Steve Jobs' Greatest Quotes

 

 

View more presentations from Effect Works

Open this link to learn 21 interesting facts about Steve Jobs and his life!

Steve Jobs was the master of presentations.  The slideshare "Presentation Secrets Of Steve Jobs" had a huge impact on me and how I create PowerPoint presentations today.

Of course my favorite section in any presentation is to have a "HOLY COW PIE" Moment!  If you have never watched how Steve jobs prepared for a launch please go through these slides I guarantee you will learn something!

The Presentation Secrets Of Steve Jobs

 

 

As I reflect on how Apple and Steve Jobs has changed the way I communicate I feel such gratitude for this man who did want to make a difference in the world. 

Our Apple history started with a Mac Classic in 1989 and loved how we could manipulate graphics with the software that was so user friendly. As the real estate industry evolved  the software programs were not developed for Apple computers so we had to default to the PC world. Our heart was always with the Mac family.  In 2077 my daughter gave me an iPod nano and I was in heaven with music in my ears!  The next step was to the iPhone and then the IPad2.  The iMac with the 27 inch screen has spoiled me so much that I almost feel like I am part of or actually inside the virtual world with screen quality beyond comparison. 

I remember playing the Mac game "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego" with our daughter as she was growing up.   Because of that game on our recent voyage around the world we created the game "Where in the world is Carra Riley?" to share our journey.  Steve Jobs you have touched our lives in so many ways and we are grateful to the gift you gave the world!

Steve Jobs did not just leave a "dent" he took us all to a new level!  You will be missed and are so valued! 
 

Filed Under: Steve Jobs Tagged With: , ,

Has the Social Media Ship Sailed? Part 1 of 3


October 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Has The Social Media Ship Sailed Part 1 of 3

The Ship Has Not Sailed! Get On Board!

Part 1 of 3 part series.

Social media is here to stay and can help you save money communicating with thousands…… but at what expense?

The answer is: your most limited commodity TIME, so is it worth it to you?

Ask youself several questions before you make a quick decision.

  1. Where are people looking for ANY type of help? Is google their BFF? (Best Friend Forever)
  2. When someone has a question about ANYTHING how do they find the answer?
  3. When YOU have a question about anything where do you go?
  4. If you are driving around and see a sign on a house for sale what do you do to find out the price? What do your customers do?
  5. Do you point your phone at the house and go to the Zillow or Truilia app on your phone or iPad?
  6. Do you read the QR code? Only you have the answer to this question.
  7. When you are watching the news do they tell you to go to their facebook page to talk about a community issue?
  8. Do you see ads where twitter is featured?
  9. Do you have a .mobi site?
  10. Have you seen commercials where they direct you to youtube to see the rest of the story

Watch the youtube video below and think about how it makes you feel? The first commercial actually starts on television with a beautiful Persian cat and a Tiffany heart on the cats collar asking Lisa to marry the Shawn and the cat. The end of the television commercial says "see the rest of the story on youtube at Fancy Feast." Below is part of an on going series of commercials.

Connect to the Fancy Feast youtube channel and watch the "wedding planner to the stars" Colin Cowie describe how they are going to engage viewers with selecting Lisa's dress, jewelry and her bouquet. Colin invites the viewer back to keep the story going. Think about how Purina is engaging cat lovers and helping them become "raving" fans by having them participate in the next commercial and it's outcome.

Check out the screen shot from the youtube Fancy Feast site. In the center you see a box on the right that says…watch with your friends start a Google+ hang out. Part 3 of this series will cover more on Google+. Look at the number of views 3,040,045 and look at 1,203 subscribers to watch Purina Fancy Feast youtube videos. There have been 308 comments that have been positive. What is Purina paying for a youtube channel? The same as you and me -0- right now!

 

How does this apply to marketing any product or service? 

 

Video is where the consumer wants to be. The last few movies I have seen at the theater are giving websites for more information on the ads I now have to watch on the big screen while waiting for the new movie trailers. Just saw a 15 second "Go Daddy" commercial on Monday night football with Danica Patrick and the end line was" see the rest of the story on godaddy.com." Upon navigating to GoDaddy.com I found Danica and a QR code saying "Use a QR reader on your mobile device to reveal your savings." QR codes and their importance will be part 2 of the "Ship Has Not Sailed" series.

Creating a blog with video is a direction you need to be working toward to share your product or service message.

Think about how you could start a story about weekly deals in your community and have your viewers subscribe because they will want to see the deal of the week or your personal featured listing. Mix it up so they want to get your weekly video or blog post with the video. It does not matter if it your listing or not it just has to have value to the consumer: Price, terms, condition or location. Of course you will need to get permission in writing from the listing agent and seller to video the house and post on youtube.

Think about how consumers would enjoy watching your videos and sharing with their friends. Make it fun! The possiblities are endless!

State Farm is reaching the younger Generation with video on their youtube channel too! Start watching commercials instead of fast forwarding. See how others are paving the way for you to be a participant in social media and be where Big Business is driving the consumer.

Big business is educating the consumer to look to social media for more information. You can be there with little cost except your time and content ideas.

If you are not present and accounted for in social media, you might drown…. so get on that ship before it gets out too far!

You do not have to reinvent the wheel. it might seem like you are spinning in the Cosmic Cow Pie right now with all the avenues open for you to get in the game. Take deep breaths and more important, some specific time to connect the dots.

  • Take some time to plan what is most important in your market area.
  • Ask, what does the consumer want then fill that niche.
  • Create a specific strategy that will work for you and your target market.
  • Brainstorm with a mastermind group so you can bo on top of your social media game and incorporate your ideas in a fun way to get the consumer to be sharing your blog posts with their friends.
  • Research the activerain site for all the tools you will need to succeed.
  • Consider some outside help to create your game plan. (I work on an hourly or one time basis to get started or a custom plan)

Success is about taking the time to make your plan and then work it. Many of the tools you need to work your plan are available for FREE on the Internet and right here at activerain. You might need to invest in some software to make your project work but it is nothing like the money you are going to lose in sales by not being part of this Cosmic Shift™ and having your plan in place to meet the people where they are and know what they are experiencing in cyberspace.

Social media is still in it's infancy. Social media is changing the world forever! Its power is not yet fully understood. What is crystal clear is the fact we will not be going back to last century marketing or politics or business as usual. Invest your time to learn the new methods of marketing and meet your customers where they are giving them valuable content that makes sense, entertains them and meets their needs.

It's a new day and the ship has not sailed so pack your old way of thinking and get on board!

Filed Under: Social Media, Youtube evolution Tagged With: , , , ,

Google+ A Place To Hangout


July 20, 2011 By 6 Comments

Google+ offers the perfect place to hangout in cyberspace.

Still wondering if google+ is somewhere you want to go? There are so many social media venues it really is difficult to decide where to spend your time. One thing you might want to consider is the fact that google is the 800 pound gorilla in the room so playing in their back yard and posting your links on their sites just could bring some extra juice to the SEO table. Just some organic food/juice for thought!

I spent considerable time on the site this past week and find it very exciting. I am talking to people globally and they are all willing to share and help since it is still in beta testing mode and we are all learning together. As a hybrid between facebook and twitter I think you will find google+ fun and soon to be profitable there is an ease in sharing with people open to learning about what it is you have to offer.

Hangout is the name of the feature where you can video chat with many people at once on google+. The originator of the group invites people by e-mail or opens it to the public and it can be posted on your stream that you are in a hangout. You can discuss specific topics or just roll. As you are reading this think about how you could talk with potential buyers or sellers about real estate in your market. Consider hosting a lender at your computer like a talk show guest to talk about new loan programs or even a HUD representative talking about the programs to save owners from foreclosure. The topic list is endless so just open your mind and think VIRTUAL information where buyers and sellers can meet you in the comfort of their home or office. They can read all about you on your google profile and connect with you all over cyberspace. Your guest speakers can be with you in person or on their own computer in their office.

July 18, 2011 I participated in a "hang out" for writers. We had people from Russia, Ireland, Pakistan, Boston University, Washington State and Germany. We all were writing for about 50 minutes. It was fun to hear the clicking of the keys as everyone was madly writing then after 50 minutes we opened the mic and talked to one another. During the work time the chat room was open so you could chat with anyone who just wanted to instant message. Below is a screen shot of what hangout looks like. The chat room is on the left and the video in the center. At the bottom you can see the people that were in the hangout room. On the right you can see my google+ stream.

To get started in the hangout room you have to install google voice and video chat on your computer and you are all set to go! This video shows how simple it is.

Check out all the hangouts taking place at any given time. Just click on the link and once you have installed your google voice you can jump right in and participate.

As a "vintage player" I was respectful of the conversation and tried not to be disruptive. I turned off my video to see about taking a screen shot on my new imac thinking I had turned off the sound too… lesson #1 mute the mic if you are going to talk outside of the chat room they could not see me but they heard me… yikes learning curve! There is a video mute and a mic mute!

Enjoy some of our fun engagement that took place in the course of about 15 minutes.

Thank you to Rebecca Blain, who is a contract writer and set this up to encourage people to write.

Talking about writers in general and their persona's.

"I don't agree with alcoholism but I love Hemingway."

Cleo Lomax blogger, mother and writer had her baby in a swing sleeping and her son sleeping in her lap as you can see in the first screen shot. She was able to connect with the virtual world while watching her kids and engaging with other writers… WE got to see her in her living room and she really shared some great insight as to other writings being discussed like Twilight and Harry Potter.

"What ever I read influences my writing so I try to keep my reading on the same vein as my writing."

Game of Thornes "Not the best thing to do unless you want to kill all your characters "

Moshin.. writes on political topics… Pakistan.

We all got an invite to the youtube you can all watch the video with Tim getting a masters degree in music education. He was to do an interpretation of this video.

Monica had her light saver from her profile photo and showed it to us as her profile picture is dark.

Felix from Ireland said: "This is like work watching everyone write then discussing things." Felix is customer support for gaming industry at Big Fish Games! He wanted no favors for Big Fish Game requests!

Book character discussion led to: Be tolerant of loss… as soon as you meet a character be prepared to die. Plot development.. this is like a writing class with the people sharing their writing journey.

Monica has a boyfriend who is writing a book on bird sounds…. he has a visual representation of the sound…. he takes the audio and converts it to print. My comments were "why wouldn't he do an e-book with the sounds as an audio link so people "birders" can listen?" The answer was…. the scientific community processes through print and the project is complicated..

An idea arose from the concept of audio waves for Felix from Ireland a science fiction writer… he says: "How cool is that… navigating through space on bird vibes."

You read it hear first.

Do you see how creative you can get with the hangouts. The perfect place to brain storm with people from across the world. We had theme ideas flowing and input on music enlisting the brain power of friends at google+.

What about a press conference on a hang out at google+ share the breaking news and events from your office?

Celebrities are doing it! You should too! Mark Hoppus from Blink 182. Just so you know, is very active and already has hosted a Google Hangout with fans;

Think about using google+ to present your product or service.  You can create a presentationon youtube and share it with everyone in the hangout or present photos from picasa then discuss it. Remember youtube, picasa and google are all connected. If you have been putting it off, go right now to get a youtube account and a picasa account for your photos. Connecting "juice" from the same tree is going to ROCK your SEO!

Why not share google+ with your customers and explain how they might use hangouts in their business? You may not need  "go to webinar" for some topics just have people hangout with you. Maybe google will add screen sharing…. who knows.. but for now and informal presentation to get together no matter what business you have can lead to real time connections.

If you need an invitation to google+ just let me know. I will need your e-mail to send an invitation.

Hangout on google+ for free. Invite your clients to the office and bring in their lap tops to get them set up on google+ so you can all "hangout" with the cool kids!

Filed Under: Carra's Thoughts, Cosmic Shift Happens, google+, google+, Vintage Participants Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cosmic Shift Happens™ Launches!


May 10, 2011 By 2 Comments

Cosmic Shift Happens™ Launches May 12, 2011

The “Cosmic Shift Happens™” e-book  includes valuable content from INTERNATIONAL digital citizens consistently contributing to educate the public through their blogging and social media efforts. This e-book has been “crowd-sourced” with individuals working in cyberspace from around the world.  The term “crowd-sourced” refers to the fact that a group of people collaborated, sharing ideas to create the e-book.

As the Cosmic Shift Happens™ this book will help anyone take control of social media and have fun! Find tips on how to engage in cyberspace and how to keep your head screwed on straight in the virtual world!  The e-book should help readers ease the anxiety of engaging in cyberspace and feel comfortable about some of the things that could happen out there.

Being aware of what may come up takes away fear and gives a feeling of power!

Meet the crowd and see what they have to say!

 

Meet The Crowd

“Cosmic Shift Happens™” an  international collaborative e-book was written by:

Carra Riley

Williams, AZ

Writer, Speaker, Small Business and Real Estate Consultant


Joeann Fossland

Tucson, AZ

Cybergrandma, Enthusiast, Coach to Extraordinary Clients, International Speaker

Brad Hanks

Denver, CO

CEO of Brad Hanks Seminars, Senior Instructor for the Colorado Association of REALTORS, Master Instructor for CRB, and “Chief Evangelical Officer” of Connecting People With Success


Karin Hanna

Gold Coast, Australia

Author, Coach, and Social Media Genie

Sadie-Michaela Harris

Plénée-Jugon, France

French-based “go to person” for all things Local, Mobile, and Social, Founder of Lifestyle Management France and iLocal Search, Bi-Lingual Small Business Consultant and Speaker

Anna “Banana” Kruchten

Phoenix, AZ

Owner/Broker of Phoenix Property Shoppe Arizona Realtor®, Speaker, Author, Coach, and Trainer

Carolyn McAndrew

Perth, Austraia

Social Media Expert, Event Planner, Writer, Publisher, Designer

John Panico

Gainesville, GA

Social Media Consultant

Mary R. Roberts

Lake Havasu City, AZ Arizona REALTOR®
Keller Williams Arizona Living Realty

Margaret Rome

Baltimore, MD

Broker/Owner HomeRome Realty Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome, and Author

Bernice Ross

Austin, TX

CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, Author, and co-host of RealEstateCoachRadio.com

Darity Wesley

San Diego, CA

Privacy Guru, Speaker, Lawyer, Business Consultant

CJ Yeoman

Houston, TX

Communicator, Writer, editor

Faces of our crowd may have been seen around the virtual world and can be trusted. Each of them have participated in creating a resource e-book which will help newcomers to the digital world feel better about engaging in cyberspace. Feel free to connect with all the participants on their social media sites and read what they have to share.

Come join the fun for our e-launch on blogtalkradio!

Get a FREE chapter of Cosmic Shift Happens™ right NOW and then join us on blogtalkradio May 12, 2011 at 7:00 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time where we will be talking about navigating cyberspace.  Call into the show to talk at 347-857-3056.  We will be the guests on Cheryl Resnicks blogtalkradio show “Unforgettable Facebook Connections.”

Connecting around the world as the Cosmic Shift Happens™.

Twitter

Filed Under: Books, Cosmic Shift Happens, Stress Reduction Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Connecting The Dots Around The World With Coffee


January 23, 2011 By 10 Comments

Confronting The Coffee Crises:

On our way to Brazil, the largest coffee exporter in the world, we had the opportunity to listen to Lee Gross explain his Masters research on small scale coffee production in the Dominican Republic. We are traveling down the Amazon River on the ML Explorer with the Spring 2011 Semester At Sea voyage learning new concepts from the theme: Thinking Globally to Acting Locally on a daily basis.

Lee Gross sharing research on Spring 2011 Semester At Sea

The information Lee shared was really an awakening for me to really embrace the concept of supporting  “Certified Fair Trade” products.

I must admit I have been on the outside looking in with really understanding the importance of using my consumer dollar to support the environment and small scale farming families. Lee’s presentation “connected the dots” for me in understanding why we should buy “Certified Fair Trade” products.
Interesting facts about coffee production:
• 25 million families are “sustained” by coffee and its connected production products
• Shade grown coffee helps with soil conservation, provides habitat for bird life and consumptive fruits to families
• Brazil produces 1/3 of the world’s coffee
• Small production farms would be the size of a backyard in an American subdivision.
• Coffee is handpicked by millions of laborers and grows in remote mountainous areas. The largest cost to bring the coffee to market is the transportation by mule to the cooperative and export overseas
• Coffee is harvested only one time a year which creates a cash flow problem for small farmers
• Coffee is the 2nd most traded commodity in the world behind OIL
• Most small coffee growers receive $1 to $1.40 per pound
• President John F. Kennedy started the ICA International Coffee Agreement regulating coffee prices
• In 1989 the ICA was terminated which has resulted in an extremely volatile coffee market
• It takes 5-7 years from planting a coffee tree to harvest
• Farmers have all the risk with weather, disease and pests
• 63% of the coffee market is controlled by 5 big corporations: ie. Kraft, Proctor & Gamble, Nestles, Tchibo. who in 2001 at the heart of the coffee crisis experienced significant earnings
• Coffee can be differentiated through specialty coffee organizations, which purchase the highest quality coffee i.e. Starbucks, Green Mountain, Cooperative Coffees, Peats Coffee. Coffee can also be differentiated by purchasing single origin coffees
• Fair Trade is a certification, which ensures that farmers are paid a minimum price ($1.38-$1.50) plus a social premium for good practices, democracy in organization and additional premiums for organic production. Coffee by any roaster can be Fair Trade certified
• Certified Fair Trades growers have to produce products under specific condition to obtain the certification
• Many developing countries spend more in military expenses than in the education of their people
• There is no incentive to grow organic so only the consumer can help the farmers by paying more for certified products
• Organic certifications certify the productions method
• Fair Trade certifications certify the process of trade (i.e. labor practices, minimum price, transparency, etc.
• Many farmers do not have title to their land and cannot obtain loans
How can you help make a difference in supporting small farmers?  Follow the links below for a cliff note lesson!

1. Read about the Certified Fair Trade products, Specialty Coffees and Relationship Coffees. Don’t buy coffee in a can. Know where it comes from and that workers were paid a fair price. Buy certified and single origin coffees. Be a conscious consumer, your dollar speaks!

2. Be willing to pay more to help the environment and sustainability of the world. Support companies who can ensure transparency in process, social and environmental best practices.
3. Learn more about injustice happening everywhere and share with your friends.

Coffee bean sorting

When I posted information about the class and helping small coffee growers on facebook the first person to comment was my friend Sadie Harris from France. She has been buying Certified Fair Trade products for years and makes a conscious effort to support the movement. Many Europeans are acutely aware of how this impacts the world. Traveling around the world, learning from educators in all fields of sustainability is certainly helping me connect more dots!  We are taking the global lessons and applying them to our local practices!

One person DOES make a difference and if that person shares with one other person who becomes aware of the environment and injustice then modifies their buying behavior the world can change. Remember to Buy Certified Fair Trade Products!

I am excited to hear back from you!  Read all the links and then let us know how it touched your life and what you are doing to share?

This post took days to finish with the bad Internet connection so thank you for your patience!  More to come Connecting The Dots Around The World!  Be sure to check out the contest to visit one of the seven wonders of the world!

Filed Under: Attitude adjustment, Connecting The Dots Around The World, Cosmic Shift Happens, Lee Gross, Semester At Sea Spring 2011, Where in the world is Carra RIley Tagged With: , , ,

Get In The Game!


April 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Get In The Game!

The world is “shifting” into a digital arena and as the change takes place businesses are going to be able to maximize their marketing efforts through cyber connections.  Participating in digital venues is going to help anyone connect with new customers and clients. This new “social space” creates a new set of problems however you need to “Get In The Game” to survive the shift!

What is foursquare?  From the foursquare site:

foursquare is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.

“We aim to build things to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but that encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways……. We wanted foursquare to be as much about sharing experience as it as about connecting with friends and discovering new places. Every foursquare user has the ability to create both “Tips” and “To-Dos” for places. Tips are generally things you’d recommend to other To-Dos are more “notes to self”

The game requires the participant to register with foursquare.com then you have the option to connect and share with your friends via Twitter and facebook.  You have the choice to share on your social networks or just through the foursquare site. Your friends will know where you are, they will see when you receive a badge or become mayor of a specific location.  You connect with friends on foursquare just like facebook.

To get known in a community an individual might want to check in every where you visit in your business locale. The more you check in, the more mayorships you will claim in your community. Being the Mayor at many locations in a specific area will give you more name or branding recognition.  Foursquare has added 100,000′s of members in the last month so the digital shift is taking place and you should “get in the game” and claim your territory and an advocate of local businesses!

Local businesses might not even know about foursquare so if you are the one to show them how it works and how they can participate you can be a local HERO as well as a Mayor in sharing the Cosmic Shift and how it Happens.

Many businesses are offering foursquare discounts.  When someone participating in foursquare tweets or updates where they are and what they just got as a foursquare member. All their friends are aware of what they are doing and may want to take advantage of the savings or promotion.  Word of mouth advertising has always created the best results and the “Cosmic Shift” in communication is taking this to a 21st century digital level.

Being Mayor of an establishment does have it’s privileges!


@ Adios Cafe: A FREE coffee on your 10th check in and the Mayor gets a FREE breakfast each month! (tax & tip not included)


@ Carrabba’s Italian Grill: Show that you’re the Mayor of Carrabba’s and enjoy a complimentary dessert with the purchase of an entrée. Grazie!

@ 15th Ave Coffee & Tea: Show us that you’ve checked in with Foursquare and get $1 macchiatos before 4pm and $2 off beer and wine after 4pm. The Mayor gets a free pastry!

@ 1 for 1 Pizza – Greek Station: Free Slice & drink on your 10th checkin. Free Large Pizza, 1 topping on your 20th checkin!

Jennifer Van Grove has written a very specific article on  How 5 Brands Are Mastering the Game of Foursquare to attract new business and study the behavior of their existing customers.

The Wynn in Las Vegas is using foursquare to  “refine our approach to service and learn more about our guests.”.  When you check in on foursquare at The Wynn you are offered a glass of champagne at the Blush Boutique nightclub on the house.  The Wynn is reaching out to guests who check in at hotel restaurants indicating their dedication to making The Wynn experience extraordinary… “a recent hotel guest was checked-in at one of the hotel’s restaurants, so she (Jade Bailey, the Estrategy Development Manager for the Wynn and Encore hotels) reached out to the restaurant manager and passed along the photo of the guest. The restaurant manager then made it a point to greet and attend to the guest in question.”

All the upscale attention of the Wynn Hotel tied to the “foursquare”  shows this is a GAME you need to be in!

The City of Chicago is using foursquare to make city exploration fun!  ”What we know of Chicago and what Chicago really is are two different realities, however, and that’s where the ExploreChicago Foursquare initiative comes into play. The city’s badge-style approach — themed around Chicago’s unique way of life — to encourage visitors and residents to unlock the history and culture of Chicago is truly avant-garde. Foursquare users can tap into hidden treasures in 77 different neighborhoods, explore 552 parks, and dine at more than 7,000 Chicago restaurants……. enthralled by how city partners on the initiative — like the Art Institute of Chicago — are inspired by the potential to bring the city to life and are actively promoting their participation in the game.“

This is a GAME for real players!  Are you in yet?

5 Reasons to “Get In The Game” of foursquare.

  1. Business connections within a community. Supporting the local businesses and letting them get to  know you and all your social media connections. Let your friends know you are at a local business and share some tips about the things you like.
  2. Visibility. As more and more people sign up to participate across the WORLD they will be checking in at many of the same places you frequent.  They can connect with you and see your profiles on both Twitter and facebook with a click of the mouse.
  3. Showing your brand and activity in a particular neighborhood.  In becoming the Mayor of many places in a community you show how active you are in the area actually just doing what you do on a daily basis.  You are just adding the foursquare game into your social media mix. But this game could result in great business connections as you support the local merchants.
  4. Interesting facebook and Twitter updates. As you go through the day doing your business you can check-in around town and the information can be posted to facebook and twitter so your activity level on those venues is active while you are working. Social Media is about being “social” so what a fun way to connect with clients and local business.
  5. Social Capital. As you connect and communicate with local business owners sharing your satisfaction with their business you are building social capital.  They in turn could be supporting you and your business.

Are you ready to “Get In The Game” as the Cosmic Shift Happens?

Cosmic Shift Happens™ part 2 of 5

Cosmic Shift Happens™ part 1 of 5

Filed Under: Carra Riley, Carra's Thoughts, Social Media, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,