{"id":2009,"date":"2011-01-19T10:08:07","date_gmt":"2011-01-19T17:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dragonflyeffect.com\/blog\/?p=2009"},"modified":"2011-02-07T22:33:28","modified_gmt":"2011-02-08T05:33:28","slug":"foursquare-tristan-walker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dragonflyeffect.com\/blog\/foursquare-tristan-walker\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragonfly Interview: foursquare’s Tristan Walker"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo<\/a>This week, we interviewed Tristan Walker, Stanford GSB graduate and Director of Business Development at foursquare<\/a>. He’s led partnership efforts with global media entities and retail organizations including Bravo, MTV, CNN, The New York Times, the NBA, and Starbucks. The Hollywood Reporter featured Tristan among their Digital Power Top 50 for 2010. He blogs at http:\/\/justtristan.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Andy Smith: Foursquare is now used by over 6 million people. How can people use it to mobilize good?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tristan Walker:<\/strong> Nonprofits and others who campaign for social good can take advantage of foursquare partnership programs, such as branded badges. Foursquare\u2019s badges are paid marketing tools for these organizations that can help social causes reach target consumers through their handhelds. \u2028\u2028More indirectly, we have tens of thousands of venues experimenting with Specials on foursquare, and thousands more in-process. We’re working on developing self-service tools that will make it easier for all businesses, from mom and pop stores to multi-national retail chains with thousands of locations to begin using the foursquare platform. Since our Specials platform is currently free, it\u2019s an easy tool for venues to present their own CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives, as they can drive their customers\u2019 awareness toward the nonprofits they support upon checking in.<\/p>\n

Internally, foursquare is very involved with Camp Interactive, a nonprofit organization serving inner city youth in New York City. We often share our passion for this cause with foursquare\u2019s community.<\/p>\n

According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life study, only four percent of adults online use location-based services. Why should companies and organizations invest time and energy into these services when there are larger user-bases on other networks such as Twitter and Facebook?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This number may sound small, but according to a recent report from Business Insider, the number was closer to zero percent just a year ago. As larger communities such as Twitter continue to grow, foursquare anticipates growing as well. We work in conjunction with those communities as compliments — not competitors. The more adults engaged in online communities the merrier, since this population represents those who are comfortable with the tools out there, and are likely next to pick up on location-based services.\u00a0Further, Pew also reports that Twitter had 6% of the online population using it two years after it launched. The fact that we\u2019re growing at a similar rate to Twitter is quite encouraging!<\/p>\n

What’s been your favorite social good campaign on foursquare? What strategies have successful social campaigns used? <\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite social good campaign has to be the December 2009 campaign with Pepsi and Camp Interactive; Pepsi took over foursquare\u2019s leaderboard to help Camp Interactive raise $60k in one week!\u00a0 For more details, see: http:\/\/mashable.com\/2009\/12\/07\/foursquare-charity-drive\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, what new things do you see coming for foursquare in mobilizing people to take action and become involved in creating social good? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Foursquare recently introduced the ability to share photos and comments with friends upon checking in. I think that these new features will help friends engage with each-other on a more emotional level. For instance, a campaign for cancer research might offer badge on foursquare that rewards users upon checking-in to a walk, or even at each mile along the way. By including photos in these check-ins, users can share the walk\u2019s excitement with friends on a more visual level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, we interviewed Tristan Walker, Stanford GSB graduate and Director of Business Development at foursquare. He’s led partnership efforts with global media entities and retail organizations including Bravo, MTV, CNN, The New York Times, the NBA, and Starbucks. The Hollywood Reporter featured Tristan among their Digital Power Top 50 for 2010. He blogs at … <\/p>\n

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