Reflecting on this year’s themes in the technology world – social, local and mobile – Martin has been especially impressed by the development of location service Foursquare.

“The potential there is finally coming to the fore through things like Google Offers, mobile payments and things like Square”, he said.

“It all seems to be coming together very nicely and shaping up to a very interesting 2012.”

In his interview Martin mentions North East originated interaction technology company ScreenReach as one of the start-ups that has caught his eye in the past year.

“It’s great to see their brilliant PayPal integration being demonstrated here”, he said.

The new feature enables people to use their smartphones to make purchases from hologram like images reflected on the shop windows even when the shop is closed.

“Window-shopping 2.0″, Martin said.

Watch the video on ViadeoTV’s YouTube channel.

Obama’s new rural bus tour will be using location-based social networking site Foursquare to amplify the president’s journey through the Midwest – a tour which has been described as ‘crucial’ for his campaign.

Via Foursquare, the public will be able to follow the president on his trip, find out more about the places he has visited and check-in to events such as Obama’s town hall meetings.

Obama’s administration has never been shy in experimenting with social media.

The latest move is yet another example of how simply diving in and learning as you go can be a successful social media strategy.

A blog post on The White House website openly admitted this.

“We’re new to Foursquare and always looking for ways to improve our online program. Tell us how we’re doing and what we can do better.”

Follow Obama on Foursquare.
Read more from the White House website.

The Leeds-based company is offering any future clients a £1,000 discount voucher in return for a Foursquare check-in.

The voucher, redeemable against the agency’s social media services, is available throughout 2011 for anyone who checks in to its new offices on Foursquare, and then Tweets the check in.

“We wanted to do something a bit different to the boring old ‘smiling-staff-in-new-offices’ photo”, Umpf owner Adrian Johnson said.

“So true to our work we’ve added a social media layer with a unique offer which we believe is the UK’s, if not the world’s, most lucrative Foursquare special.”

Winning an array of clients

Umpf was founded by former Lucre Communications Board Director Adrian Johnson in August 2009.

The company has recently won clients including American appliance giant GE, South African vineyard leasing business Barringtons International, online travel agency PublicSectorDirect.com, as well as a project for Pakistani pop princess Annie Khalid.

“The business has enjoyed a successful 12 months and we have taken on larger premises into which we hope to grow this year”, Johnson said.

After winning the new clients, Umpf has also appointed two new members of staff.

Katie Scoggins and Louise Woodward have taken the roles of Senior Account Executive and Senior Account Manager respectively. Both new recruits joined from PR agency Lucre Communications.

“Katie and Louise are the first part of our 2011 expansion plans and I’m delighted to have two of the best people in the business join the agency”, Johnson said.

Doug Wheelock, International Space Station Commander, used Foursquare mobile to unlock a badge specially made for the occasion, the Wired magazine reported.

“You are now 220 miles above Earth travelling at 17,500 mph and unlocked the NASA Explorer Badge! Show this badge and get a free scoop of astronaut ice cream”, read the message Wheelock is said to have received.

The first space check-in is a nice publicity boost for the location-based social networking site trying to convince the masses to start checking-in.

“Check-ins from around the world have been cool, but this blew my mind!”, Dennis Crowley, CEO and co-founder of Foursquare said.

“We’re psyched to partner with Nasa to help users explore the space program and the universe.”

Source: The Wired

Taking place at the University of Sheffield, Institutional Web Management Workshop 2010 (IWMW) will have a strong online presence using various Web 2.0 tools to get the best features from each.

This year, geo-location services will add to an official event blog and a Twitter hashtag.

“The intention is to geo-locate the main venues as well as places for social activities on Gowalla”, Brian says.

“This will allow people, who have the software installed on their mobile device, to choose to check-in when they arrive at a venue and see who else is around.

“This might be useful especially in large venues. For example, it allows people to make contact with others if they know their name but not what they look like.”

One clear benefit compared to Twitter hashtag is that users don’t need to actively be making comments on Twitter in order to be “seen” at the event.

Read Brian’s post about geo-location services in his blog.

Feature article

Is location-based social networking the next big thing?

Facebook and Twitter have allowed people to share details of their private lives on a completely different level to what we knew before. Now, with the geo-location services gaining momentum, the web is set to offer us the chance to let others know where we are at any particular time. Read more…

Now, the web is set to offer us the chance to let others know where we are at any particular time. Geo-location services have started to gain momentum with social media blog Mashable reporting Foursquare nearing 1 million check-ins per day in May.

Services, such as Gowalla or Foursquare, allow users to check in in a particular location – for example, part of a city or a conference venue – and see who else is there.

Should these services be adapted as widely as ‘traditional’ social networking tools, the internet would again be set to change the way people interact, taking a huge leap towards more mobile social networking.

Location-based services would also undeniably provide new opportunities for marketing – especially for small and medium-sized businesses. By being able to target people passing through a particular area they know that the ad is being received by the most relevant audience possible.

So who’s using them and why?

Brian Kelly, UK Web Focus (national Web coordination and advisory post), has been eager to explore the potential of geo-location services.

“I first started using Gowalla at Easter time this year, after using the GPS on my phone to keep a record of a walk. I realised that by just uploading the GPS trail to Google Maps didn’t add much value to it. So I subscribed to Gowalla (and Foursquare) in order to explore the potential of social geo-location sharing,” Brian explains.

According to Brian, the great benefit of geo-location services is in a networking context.

“I’m interested in the potential of social location sharing for when people go to conferences and other events – this can provide an opportunity to meet people and enhance professional activities,” he says.

Gowalla aims to make discovering and exploring new places easier.

Compared to Twitter and Facebook, there is a significant advantage of making new contacts.

“I myself have found Twitter very valuable when I have been away at conferences in meeting up with people, making new contacts, etc.  However this has required me to either be following the people or following the hashtag. Using location provides a new dimension to the ways in which such contacts can be made,” Brian says.

But doesn’t it sound a bit like 1984?

However great the benefits might be, geo-location services will inevitably raise concerns about privacy and security.

Imagine a world where your movements are recorded online. There are numerous ways in which such information could be abused, opening the door to for criminals, most obviously burglars.

“There are clear issues about privacy,” Brian admits.

“However, the use of these services in a managed and time-constrained context, such as an event, can help to minimise such concerns. Users are being advised on possible privacy issues and will have control over whether they wish to check in or not.”

The key element of choice addresses the initial concerns and makes location-based services worthwhile exploring. Just as any other social networking tool, when used with care and consideration, geo-location services have their place on the web – plugging a hole in the practicalities of our social lives.

It’s also worth mentioning that for early adopters there’s also the benefit of claiming a logical user name instead of incomprehensible combination of initials and years of birth!

Case study

Networking made simple

Brian Kelly is planning on using geo-location services to provide an easy way for people to meet and network in an event in July. Taking place at the University of Sheffield, the Institutional Web Management Workshop 2010 will have a strong online presence using various Web 2.0 tools to get the best features from each. Read more…