We really have to let the entire world know what we are up to. If we are not being seen or being seen to being present then where are we? The meaning to be loud and proud has broken on the net through social media. I say this is cool! And damnit you will listen and if you don’t like it, leave a comment. This is about Facebook which has calmed down a lot but still leaves a lot of space for angry taunts, people justifying their freedom of speech and yet being held directly liable for the things they say online. Ok i have gone off on a major tangent here but the social networking tools we use are getting more personal and more in depth in our lives today.

We spend hours updating our profile, looking for things to buy online. Trying to find a certain something or someone special and we think that the more we put ourselves out there, the further we cast our nets over different networks it will satisfy our desire for attention, or to just see how far we can reach. And yes this is partly true and partly exploitative. But while we’re talking about the use of social networks here is my 2 cents on a new tool that has got everyone IM’ing, messaging, texting, blogging, tweeting, skyping and hopefully blasting your brand through cyberspace faster than ever before.

Lets get down to the business. The business is Geo Tagging and it is not new on Facebook where they have been able to target you because of your personal information. Foursquare is a new level for advertisers who were trying to keyword assign their brand through SEO. Geotagging has brought that down a level to exactly where your GPS says you are. Knowing your position can lead to many potential advantages, firstly for business such as bars, restaurants and other services (news items, recovery and rescue, rallies, protests etc). Foursquare is at the stage where all businesses can advertise their services but how do they get people to use the application to benefit them? Special offers are the one and only way of getting the traffic to increase. Offering a special discount will introduce more people usually not associated with your service.

So we understand that when you “check-in” to Foursquare that a bunch of ads will pop up advertising their business and you can comment on your experience with them. Giving them more quality advertising because the source is genuinely legitimate. Let me get negative for a moment here, I guess the second step which has been seen on Myspace and Facebook is trying to control the cheaters signing up and exploiting the system for who is going to be “Mayor” and how many fake users. Bot operated smartphones will be able to “check in” multiple times to spam their business across the Foursquare community. This however is a test for the spam guards which will surely appear should Foursquare grow into a mammoth business or bought out by one of the big players.

Lets explain how it all works for you.

However I have seen over the net that some cities such as London are yet to fully appreciate all the Foursquare has to offer. The local businesses have yet to grasp the potential form this social media tool and hopefully in the future where consumers and businesses use this it shall become a new phenomenon.

Lets hope this grows into something where we can all try out new things in the outside world. As the computer gets smaller and smaller, iPhones, iPads and other smartphones will replace our desktops or just become mobile while we wait in line or chat with friends. The huge potential for growth only shows good returns and better information on a community scale.