A: You never know how people feel about something if they don’t react or let you know, but from the conversations that have been sparked by my use of Foursquare and broadcasting my location, it’s been 90% favorable. I’m sure some people could care less that I’m getting a sandwich at Subway, or a coffee at Starbucks – and I’d agree with them. I check in frequently, but don’t always broadcast my whereabouts. When I do, I try and include some value-add; either a testimonial about why I am where I am, or what I like about what I’m doing there…. and at times, what I dislike. My friends on Twitter or other social networks then pitch in what they agree with or not, as well as letting my know something that I may not have noticed. That’s what makes it great: mobile and location-based knowledge exchange.

A: I use any application for learning – whether it be about the technology itself or about what the application delivers to me. I have very few applications on my iPhone that would be categorized as “entertainment.” With Foursquare, it’s a bit of both. I’m learning about the etiquette of using the tool, what information it provides to me and how location-based applications might evolve. I have learned a great deal from sharing information because it tends to take me in a direction that bares many returns in the form of new relationships and valued information. I’m using Foursquare to share some places that I enjoy with friends, to learn more about my networks and the places they frequent and to get a sense of what we can do with location-based data. What’s great about Toronto, for example, is that it has a great network of foodies who share their favourite places to both buy and enjoy food – learning a new place to enjoy a glass of wine or a great meal is valuable information for me.

A) If I go somewhere frequently, it’s likely I end up talking about it frequently as well – passively or actively. It’s also likely that I spend a considerable amount of money there. These are valued and influential customers and they should be known to you. As has always been the case at bars and diners, these locals are treated with a warm welcome, maybe a free coffee and a handshake on the way out the door – they’re friends of your establishment. A dedicated customer doesn’t need a coupon to visit, so you need to look beyond that. Be sure to shake their hand, let them know more about what you’re up to and make sure they’re the first to know about what’s important to them. Above all, thank them for supporting you. How you do that entirely depends on your business, your relationship with customers and what your goals are. Applications like Foursquare can help you identify more of your valued customers and from there, you can build more personal relationships.