Foursquare's existing app gives check-ins the boot as it prepares for an overhaul.
Foursquare has made good on its plans to spin off location-based check-ins to a separate app, called Swarm.
The new Swarm app is available now for iOS and Android. It allows users to check into nearby points of interest and see which other friends are nearby, just like with the existing Foursquare app.
One thing that has changed, however, is the "mayorship" system, which previously rewarded Foursquare users for frequently visiting a business. Instead of having a single mayor for each location, Swarm's mayorships will be based on circles of friends, so each location can have multiple mayors.
But Swarm offers some new features as well. "Neighborhood sharing" lets friends know when the user is nearby without having to check into a specific location. Users can also create "plans," allowing friends to coordinate on what they plan to do later.
Currently, similar check-in and friend-finding functionality is available through the existing Foursquare app, but that'll change this summer. Foursquare plans to remove check-ins from its main app, which will evolve into a recommendation service for nearby places of interest.
In other words, Foursquare will become a more solitary experience, aimed at telling users where they should go to eat, drink or pass the time. But it'll be powered, in part, by the social aspects of Swarm, which is focused on sharing whereabouts with friends.
By splitting its app in two, Foursquare is following the "unbundling" trend toward single-purpose social apps, rather than having one app that tries to do everything. Facebook has been leading the way on this front, having bought kept the photo sharing app Instagram and the messaging app WhatsApp as separate services after their respective acquisitions. The strategy is a response to standalone apps such as Line and Snapchat, which have managed to steal time and attention away from larger social networks.
In a blog post, Foursquare said many of the "playful" aspects of Swarm, such as mayorships and stickers, are still a work in progress. The company also said that it's still working on a Windows Phone version, which should be ready later this summer.
In the third and final episode of our 3-part CMO50 video series exploring modern marketing and why it’s become a matter of trust, we’re delighted to be joined by Telstra’s former CMO and now digital services and sales executive, Jeremy Nicholas, and Adobe VP Marketing Asia-Pacific and Japan, Duncan Egan.
Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.
Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?
As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.
