BeAloud Digital Media News » foursquare

Google Buzz stands on the shoulders of Gmail

Daniel — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:59:58 +0000

Some Gmail users can already play with Google’s new product, Google Buzz, a social networking feature built right into Gmail that allows users to share messages, links, photos, videos and also updates from Twitter, Picasa, Flickr and Google Reader.

You will automatically follow the Gmail contacts you interact with the most and a recommendation system will suggest post from people you are not following.

Google Buzz can also be accessed from Google.com home page, on mobile phones from buzz.google.com and from the Buzz layer on Google Maps for mobile. Android and iPhone users will also be able to use the voice shortcut to post buzz without typing.

Is Google Buzz a threat for Facebook and Twitter?

It’s too soon to tell, but judging from Google’s past attempts to become more “social” (except for Orkut in India and Brazil), Google Buzz success is far from being guaranteed. Moreover, Facebook’s user base and stickiness shouldn’t be taken lightly: maybe Google Buzz just entered the field too late.

Twitter instead, could initially benefit from exposure on Google Buzz, but lose the final battle when new mobile users will conveniently post buzz from their Gmail inbox or after performing a search on Google, or using Google Maps. Many desktop Gmail users always have the Inbox tab open on their browsers, the same could happen for mobile users.

Don’t ask for whom the Buzz tolls, it tolls for Bing

Google Buzz could be a game changer mostly where Google is really being innovative in search: Local, not Social.

Lately Google developed new solutions for local businesses that can advertise with enhanced listings on Local Listing Ads and make mobile users check in by scanning Favorite Places QR codes.

Being able to post buzz messages from mobile phones tagging your location and viewing posts attached to “Nearby” places could make Twitter less relevant and slow the growth of Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp. The integration of Google Buzz in real time search and reviews in Place Pages can sustain Google’s position as #1 local search engine.

While Bing Maps introduced innovative features, Microsoft could be worried about MSN Messenger users considering Google Buzz as an improved version of Google Talk and lose a share of banner ads and search revenues.

Free VoIP phone calls from Gmail
By Daniel Peiser - 26 Aug 10 - Technology
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Hummus and Foursquare: Yummy!

Guillaume — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:46:52 +0000

Foursquare became available last week in London and literally all the people with an interest in social media joined it, fighting to get badges or become mayor of a place. I signed up as soon as it was possible and I found it quite funny and enjoyable. However, my main interest on it was to see how local businesses would use it (and above all when the first company would decide to jump on the bandwagon).

The wait has not been long (which after the news that London is the Twitter capital of the world, shows how much this city is technology driven) because it happened on October 9^th, the day after the release of the product

It came from Hummus Bros, a small food chain selling delicious hummus dishes. Not surprising when you look at them on Twitter, Facebook and Yelp or at their checkout on which there is a social media friendly sign.

So what do they offer? Well if you become mayor of the place (which means you are the person checking out the most often at this spot), they give you a 2-for-1 on main courses for you & a friend. Expect to see more and more of this in London: the battle for becoming a mayor has just started. In case you want to join the fight, here is the information on how to get your weapons.

Foursquare, the new Darling of Social Media?
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Foursquare, the new Darling of Social Media?

Guillaume — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:44:31 +0000

If there is one thing that empassions the social media world, it is to predict what will be the next big thing, and in this case what will come after Twitter. And it seems this microcosm is quite excited by a mobile/GPS based application called Foursquare. The aim of this location based social network is to push people to discover new places in cities by getting points when they check their location through the application or give tips about places in order to get badges and titles (e.g. mayor of a local spot). The thing is that they are competing with your friends and other people on the network to get become mayor, completion that never stops as you can be ousted from your position.

The concept seems not that thrilling, but who thought that Twitter can get so exciting when they launched it three years ago? However, it seems that it is gaining traction in different cities in the US (In the Bay Area and New York especially) and some prominent personalities have joined the service, such Ashton Kutcher, so expect even more new members in the coming weeks. What it is interesting as well is the potential for advertising, as local businesses have started offering rewards to users being mayor of the spot where their shop is. And as you can link your activities on the platform to your Twitter account, expect to see lots of tweets about it when it hits London.

So it seems that the application has the potential to take off and really storm the social media space as some voices assert it could rival some of the services of Google and compete with Twitter and Facebook.

Hummus and Foursquare: Yummy!
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