This will be brief.Having just 'mayors' on foursquare isn't enough.
Why?
It's very limited.
And, it discourages participation. Seriously.
Imagine the following scenario...
I operate a busy bar in Soho and tens of people check in every day.
I have a decent mayor incentive, my mayor loves me for it and is religious about keeping his / her crown.
But, it is hard to become mayor, really hard.
Why should the people in 2nd, 3rd and 4th position, who are essentially just as loyal, not be rewarded?
I think they should.
A solution?
Create a 'deputy mayor' system and categorise the rewards accordingly.
So, the mayor would be eligible for the 'gold' reward i.e. a free bottle of champagne
And, my deputy mayors would be eligible for the 'silver' reward i.e. a glass of champagne
(Or something to that effect)
Really?
You might think that this is a little over-the-top as most venues don't even reward mayors (or have them for that matter), but in time this could be really neat.
Who knows what foursquare have planned for the platform over the coming months / years, but perhaps a tiered reward system isn't that silly.
Thoughts?
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I think that if you have enough traffic to warrant it, it's a great idea! You want to give people a reason to stay involved and reward the ones that do - I say go for it! Hope Foursquare is listening!
ReplyDeleteWe also need them policing stupid check-ins (like your own house... I mean come on) and offensive tips. I've seen X rated tips for G rated places. Discourages me from using 4square!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! And we should have Treasurer's, PR directors and quality control (that the business gets to choose, based on customers that are regulars (spenders), give frequent and social plugs for the company (integrates other social media) and complainers, or those with legitimate beefs. On the last one, the philosophy being the disgruntled advocate that was let down, but can be won back!
ReplyDeleteGreat concept, and as Christa M points out, employees are really throwing mayoral rewards for a loop. How can a customer possibly compete against somebody who is required to be there and also checks in?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post and thoughts, Adam. This idea would be especially useful at restaurants, retailers, etc., who have employees check in (so that THEIR employees are the mayor), and customers can't take advantage of any rewards (if there are any). As a consumer, that is very frustrating! I think offering a "deputy mayorship" for venues could help increase participation and keep the momentum up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great read!
-Christa
@ChristaMarzan
You just want to be deputy mayor of CTU London. You will never oust me.
ReplyDeleteHey Christa!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the employee element is big isn't it? The challenge is making it fun and fair but still simple. Interesting to see what happens :)
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Matt - it's a very good point and without being fanatical, brings the whole game element into question - I'm sure they guys at Foursquare have recognised this as a challenge and will adapt things sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteA
Frank, do you want to be my treasurer? I trust you... ;)
ReplyDeleteBeth, you make a very good point - in fact, I have stopped checking into CTU London all together lately because I'll never get the main mayor title - oh well, at least I have more check ins than the cat...or goldfish for that matter.
ReplyDeleteI was chatting with people this week who have on a micro level used the foursquare API to achieve just this.
ReplyDeleteThey have also taken the data (matching it with their own) and created their own live updating leaderboards for the different age groups / genders so that more people can benefit from the rewards.
Just depends how willing companies are to buy into this process.
Interesting idea!
ReplyDeleteIt would be good for venues where the staff check-in each day and become mayor (if there was a special, I would assume the staff would not be allowed to check-in so often) - as it would give the customer a chance to grab some limelight.
I would not be surprised if they did some kind of ranking - a top ten maybe. No doubt there is probably a third-party site out there doing this already..