In regards to last week’s Part 1 of “Social Goes Mobile,” it’s evident that having an unlimited amount of news and information at your fingertips has dramatically changed both social behaviors and business practices.
But why should a business owner care? Caroline Melberg explains more of exactly what mobile social media offers.

“For a location-based business, these services allow you to offer specials and promotions targeted at your ideal clients  (see, Foursquare business).  When I log into Foursquare, I see specials that are offered at locations near me, giving your business added promotion.  When I check in at your place of business, I can leave tips for my friends. Now all of my friends see where I’m checking in and what my “tip” is about your business. In effect, I’m promoting your business – for free!” said Melberg.

Melberg sees this as a great tool for businesses. “As a business owner, you’ll have access to specific information about who is checking in at your business, what they like and don’t like, and other places they visit, which gives you the ability to tailor your marketing to your ideal audience in an unprecedented manner,” said Melberg.

Using social media as a business-marketing tool is one thing, but what else do individuals have to gain from supporting these businesses via mobile? Melberg explains, “When I use Foursquare, I can earn “badges” for checking-in and other activities.  If I check-in at the same place often enough, I can become the “mayor” of that location. Many businesses offer special discounts for the mayor of their business, and they promote these specials throughout all of their marketing.  This encourages my friends to try to “unseat” me as mayor – but to do that, they need to come visit your business.”

Just FYI, these services aren’t just for location-based businesses. The Wall Street Journal has created custom badges you can earn on Foursquare by checking-in to specific locations around New York.  Also, Twitter has recently launched location-based tweets, and rumors are plentiful that Facebook will launch it’s own version of a location-based service in conjunction with your personal profile on the Facebook site.

So what do you think about social going mobile? Do you use it just to help you make plans with friends? Or do you see it as a valuable business tool?

If you’re making plans for a night out, why not let the plans come to you? It’s becoming quite evident that mobile is the new social, and location-based services are the bridge business owners are crossing to get there.  Location-based services include sites like Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt.  As an article in Friday’s Star Tribune titled “Mobile is the Night” describes, visitors to local bars and restaurants use these types of services to “check in” when they arrive, letting their friends and followers know where they are.

You might find the idea of “checking-in” at a business or restaurant idiotic – laugh if you want, Foursquare is today where Facebook was just a couple short years ago.

Foursquare has become a leading social media site and has experienced impressive growth recently.  According to a TechCrunch article on July 7th:

• Foursquare will top 2 million users this week  (That’s up from just 1 million users last fall – they average

12,900 new users per DAY).

• Foursquare lists 5.6 million venues.
• Men outnumber women on Foursquare 2 to 1.

So what makes this social media explosion such a big deal? Caroline Melberg, Marketing Maverick of the Social Media Incubator, believes that these social sites will have a lasting effect. “This mobile-savvy generation in their early 20’s is just entering the workforce and will be driving adoption of these types of services, just like they’ve done with social media,” said Melberg.

According to Melberg, the explosion of smartphones, such as the iPhone, Blackberry and Droid, is creating both the desire and ability for people to access the web while mobile, and products like the Apple iPad are furthering that ability.  People search differently when mobile (vs. at a desktop PC) because they want instant answers – to know what’s going on around them right now or to find a location immediately. “With this demand for live information, having your business front and center when consumers are ready to buy is smart business,” said Melberg.

In the Star Tribune article, Marina Maric of ASI Communications commented on the fact that she uses social media as her party planner. ‘”I don’t have to go to 40 different places to find information,” Maric said. “It sort of comes to me. That’s why I love it.”’

That’s the reason people love these types of services – news and information that is relevant to them is delivered directly to them, meaning they don’t have to hunt for it.

Make sure to look for Part 2 of “Social Goes Mobile” later this week when we dig deeper into Foursquare to see more of what it offers for business owners.

I heard a news story on KARE 11 (NBC affiliate Minneapolis) this morning that made my ears perk up! Reporter Jeff Olsen talked with University of Minnesota law professor William McGeveran who said Facebook users should continue to be cautious about what they put online and how they control who sees it. He said that properly adjusted privacy settings are important for preventing identity theft and he offered some tips for protecting yourself and your children.

As the mother of a Facebook fanatic, I continually remind my daughter to be discrete about information she shares online. As a business owner whose staff educates and manages social media for clients through the Social Media Incubator, I felt compelled to share this informative news story.

McGeveran said that you should never include the year within your birth date. He also said that fun quizzes and entertaining games are set up almost entirely to get information about you and your friends, so beware!

As most of you probably know, a group of US Senators has put pressure on Facebook to change their privacy settings, which should help. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a blog about the changes.

I recently got a message on Facebook from a close friend:

It sounded like a fun game so I did as asked and forwarded on the message to my other girlfriends. I soon started seeing tons of people pop up with their colors and my male friends getting frustrated that they didn’t know what was going on.  I didn’t think much about it at the time but as I saw more and more people talking about their colors I realized that this was a GREAT marketing scheme!

I decided to research where the original message came from and found out that it was a breast cancer awareness campaign that has an unknown originator.  The creator doesn’t really matter but what is important is that one person started a message and sent it out to their 130 female friends, who then sent it out to their 75 female friends, who each sent it to their 200 female friends….  Can you see the power of this one Facebook message?  Now that’s a far reach!

All I can say is the power of social media still amazes me!  Have you had a similar story – where on facebook status or video went viral?  Share your stories with us!