Foursquare. It’s Back and Better Than Ever!

Just three years ago, I was sitting with CEO/Co-Founder Dennis Crowley at his Girls in Tech fireside chat in San Francisco where he described his vision for Foursquare.

He compared this future iteration to Clippy. You know, that silly (and annoying) paperclip from Microsoft Office living on the side of your screen. He explained that Foursquare would one day “be your personal tour guide, or Clippy for your pocket. This personal tour guide would be so in tune with your everyday behaviors, that it would recommend places to check out as you walked around the city you’re in.” Check out my video of Dennis Crowley describing the future of Foursquare on Socialcam here. 

Now, they’ve brought this idea to life! Introducing the new Foursquare, “which you can download today, learns what you like, and leads you to places you’ll love,” explains Foursquare.

Here’s how Foursquare describes the new functionalities:
Our phones should learn about us – our tastes, our social connections, and our preferences. And, using what they know, they should help us better explore the world around us. If you love vintage clothing, it should tell you that there is a hidden gem nearby. If you’re in a new city, it should tell you that your friend Katy highly recommends this hole-in-the-wall restaurant downtown. If you crave spicy food, it should advise which dishes you should order when you sit down for dinner.

Check out the video below to see it in action! 

Twitter CEO Evan Williams Fireside Chat

Last night, I had the opportunity to sit front row at a fireside chat with Twitter CEO Evan Williams. The event was put on by Girls in Tech in San Francisco at Kicklabs in the Financial District.

It was such a pleasure to meet Evan and to find out he is just as authentic as Twitter is transparent in sharing public information in real time. He had a few quips I shared through my Twitter handle, @ConsumingPR, I’d like to now share with all of you here:

– Twitter CEO @EV says their T-times, where depts present their work every week, are the linchpin to the company’s success

– Twitter CEO feels that blog posts are better than press releases for announcements (source: @hopmonkey)

– Most successful people are those who are truly themselves. Like Napoleon Dynamite! –  says Twitter CEO

– Why 140 characters? @EV says, It used to be, for SMS, 160 minus user name minus two. But that was too confusing.

– “Just unfollow,” says Twitter CEO @EV to a guy asking what to do when he reads dumb tweets.

– “A lot of things seem strategic in retrospect,” says Twitter CEO. “We didn’t plan the celeb thing on Twitter.”

– “I’m less likely to tweet when I’m drunk,” jokes Twitter CEO

Evan Williams on PR for Twitter

Where Will Twitter Be in 10 Years?