I have been playing with the location based game Foursquare over the past week, in preparation for talking about how Museums can use mobile technology.
Foursquare is a location-based game which describes itself as being ‘All about helping you find new ways to explore the city, discovering new places, doing new things and meeting new people.’
Foursquare basically lets you leave tips for friends and strangers in your favorite places, when someone else comes to that place, they can read the tips that you have left through Foursquare on their mobile phone.
Foursquare is growing in popularity and many museums and galleries are listed on the application. A lot of these institutions are taking steps to engage with those who use Foursquare and having spent a little more time using this application I want to share a couple of tips.
The image above is taken from the Foursquare account of The Pollak Library in the United States. The library has used the ‘TO-DO’ function on Foursquare to tell people more about what they offer, for example ‘ebooks’.
This is a really nice idea which I think could work brilliantly to create treasure hunts through museums, where the visitor has to tick off a list of twenty items in the collection which they have to track down in your collection.
The other route which I have found many institutions taking to encourage people to check in with them is to offer prizes to anyone who becomes a major (this happens when you check in the most in any one location). With Pratt Library, I believe they offered a tote bag as a prize.
Foursquare is being hyped as the next big thing, so it is worth checking out and thinking how you can engage with it’s users.
Have you used Foursquare for your museum, what tips do you have?
we’re looking at it, possibly in conjunction with other sites in the city for a treasure hunt or similar game…
saw this Ferris Bueller link from Art Institute Chicago & immediately saw the appeal (though that may be showing my age!) http://bit.ly/9lThog
I can’t offer any advice, but this seems is currently a popularly retweeted and topical warning from @mashable: Are We All Asking to Be Robbed? – http://bit.ly/bgKUhe
Thanks for noticing and mentioning us! I just discovered your blog (and love it), while preparing for a presentation to museum and local history groups on the use of Foursquare.
Our library is actually called The Pollak Library, we serve the campus of California State University Fullerton. Pollak Library South is the name of one of our library wings — the original wing — on the main campus.
Colleen Greene
Systems Librarian, The Pollak Library
Hi Nick
Sure, but then most people go to work everyday and isn’t coming out of my front door, walking along my street and getting on public transport with a laptop bag more of an indication to burglars that I am not in my house?
I worry more about getting my iPhone or Laptop out on the tube or when walking down the street, after all that data is far more important to me then a five year old DVD player or a toaster.
Jim
Helen
That is excellent! It’s just right for my age too…
Jim
Colleen
Thanks for leaving a comment, I have corrected the name of your institution now. I’ll also be mentioning it at a conference in the UK next week, so your reputation is spreading far and wide.
Thanks
Jim
I think Foursquare looks really intruiging. We’ve got ourselves a location on there, but that’s it for the moment… My concern was that it doesn’t seem to be as widely used in the UK as it is in the States. Do you know of any UK museums using it successfully?
Hi Sarah
I’ve found many UK museums listed on foursquare, but I am not sure that any are offering incentives for people to check in.
I think it’s more important that museums are aware of the site, and check what people are writing about them.
If Foursquare doesn’t take off in the UK, I am sure something similar will.
Jim
As a point of interest, I did fill in Foursquare’s contact form for listing an official “incentive” for our museum on there. That was a few weeks ago, and I’ve had no response from them… I thought that was a bit odd, since there are other UK businesses on there!