Tag Archives: local search

Foursquare Gets a Facelift, Focuses on Personalization

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Foursquare Facelift

A couple of months ago, Foursquare decided to create the Swarm app for checking-in and displaying nearby friends. The most recent update removes the check-in functionality of the main app and concentrates on making Foursquare a more personal experience.

Foursquare started in 2009 as a game. You could let the entire world (or just your friends) know where you are at a particular moment, and the more places you checked-in, the more points you obtained. Racing with friends to obtain supremacy week after week, or becoming the mayor of a particular spot was very fun, and actually encouraged you to visit more places or to become a regular in a location of your choice. This year, in May, Foursquare decided to focus on reviews, and created another app for checking-in, while still retaining some of that functionality in the main app. The new Foursquare, however, has none of that functionality, comes with a new logo, and made a goal from providing personalized recommendations of places you might like.

With the new update, the recommendations are tailored according to each user’s taste. As soon as the users “add tastes, follow experts, or even just walk around for a few days,” the app starts getting an idea about what other places they would like to visit. Foursquare and Swarm now complement each other perfectly, but can be used independently, as well.

Foursquare is also proud of its ever increasing userbase. In its most recent blog post, the company announced that it went past the 50 million user threshold, which is pretty impressive, considering the somehow limited functionality that this app used to have prior to the split.

Locations used to be the most important aspect about being a Foursquare user, but now communities have a lot more emphasis. It’s important what others think of a place, and it’s equally important who you’re tagging while checking-in. What some users don’t realize is that Foursquare is an ideal tool for keeping track of the places you’ve visited, especially if you’re in a foreign city or country that you might visit again in the future. Knowing where you felt good or bad will definitely help you make better decisions in the future.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Foursquare’s Swarm app that shows nearby friends and lets you check-in, and how Microsoft invested $15M in Foursquare to get a slice of mobile data.

Google brings carousel layout to local search results on the desktop

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Google brings carousel layout to local search results on the desktop

Google users may have already spotted the carousel design on search results while browsing on Nexus slates or the iPad, but, as of today, you can also expect this layout to show up on the desktop version of the site. Essentially, this new feature blends results in a much sleeker way, allowing you to view what you're looking for (hotels, bars, etc.) in more presentable fashion and in congregation with Google Maps. The only caveat is that it's only available in the US and in English at the moment, however the search giant did say we can expect "more features and languages over time."

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Foursquare launches local search for all, goes after the likes of Yelp and Google

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Foursquare just launched a redesigned desktop interface that everyone, not just members, can use for local listings and business recommendations. The company has been on this trajectory for awhile now, especially with the latest Explore map that provides a more tailored search experience for logged-in users. This is all in line with co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley's promise that Foursquare is more than just a simple social service; that it serves as a discovery and recommendation engine much like Yelp or Google. Leveraging over 3 billion check-ins and 30 million tips from its community of nearly 25 million members, the New York-based firm is confident it can offer reliable recommendations to the general public. It's still beneficial to join up -- you get personalized filters and access to that handy mobile app -- but it's no longer necessary if you just want know where to get a quick sushi fix.

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Foursquare launches local search for all, goes after the likes of Yelp and Google originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google shocker: American web company says web boosted American economy by $500 billion

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Who knew that a company which makes a lot of money on the web would be keen to pitch the web as important to the US economy? Google thinks it's as natural as breathing, as it just took significant credit for fueling real-world shopping. About 97 percent of Americans reportedly searched online for a local business -- it's safe to say Google was involved in a lot of those hunts -- and spent an average of nearly $2,000 per person at brick-and-mortar stores last year. The search giant extrapolates to argue that the web pumped about $500 billion into the US economy, even while excluding internet-only sales. That's certainly a staggering number that shows how much of a cornerstone the internet has become for American business, although it comes across as slightly insecure: a company that's reportedly under tight scrutiny from regulators might be eager to show just how much good it's doing for the public in tough economic times.

Google shocker: American web company says web boosted American economy by $500 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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