Foursquare Announcements Coming at SXSW

This week, we posted an article about some comments Foursquare co-founder Denni...
Foursquare Announcements Coming at SXSW
Written by Chris Crum
  • This week, we posted an article about some comments Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley made about competing with Facebook. He responded to this, and we exchanged a few tweets. Bottom line: expect multiple announcements from the company at SXSW. 

    In a recent interview on CNBC, Crowley said, "They’re [Facebook] a huge platform and a big competitor, but we look at the things we’re doing, and they’re really kind of fundamentally different than what Facebook is doing. Facebook has really figured out how people share information online and convene online, and what Foursquare’s all about is what happens at the end of the day, when you close the lid on your laptop and you go out in the real world. Those are the experiences in which we’re trying to bring people together around."

    "Not so much the end of the day, but a lot of what’s been happening on social media and social networking over the last five or six years…it all happens on your computer," he added. "Now, the majority of people are walking around with smartphones, with GPS, with network connectivity. We think – how do you take all the great things about social media and bring it out into the real world? When the screen is in your pocket and not right in front of your face all the time."

    In the previous article, I made the comment, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Facebook is mobile too." I pointed to Facebook’s over 200 million mobile users, and what have you. Foursquare has a reported 6 million.

    And our conversation with Crowley begins:

    @webpronews Per your article, making content available on mobile devices is diff than specifically designing around mobile exp & use cases.less than a minute ago via web

    @dens Do you expect FB not to design around mobile experiences and use cases?less than a minute ago via web

    @WebProNews I think FB has a well understood use case: sharing online w/ friends. The 4SQ use case is diff: making real world easier to use.less than a minute ago via web

    @dens FB Places use cases: Share where you are, connect w/ friends nearby, find local deals. Some overlap for local businesses no?less than a minute ago via web

    I should point out, that was a reference to Facebook’s headings on its Facebook Places page:
    Facebook Places Use Cases

    @WebProNews Ha, let’s talk after SXSW 🙂less than a minute ago via web

    @dens Awesome. Announcement coming?less than a minute ago via web

     

    @WebProNews Announcement? As in just one??? That was soooo 2010! We’re 50 people now! #staytunedless than a minute ago via web

    We’re hoping Crowley shares a bit more. Either way, SXSW is coming up. The Interactive portion of the event begins March 11.

    OMFG! SXSW IS LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AWAY! NEW APP + NEW BADGES + PARTIES + CONCERT + MOAR FOURSQUARE. DETAILS COMING. OKTHXBAI.less than a minute ago via Twitter for Mac

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