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Nokia Creates Foursquare-Enabled Vending Machine. Location-based technology and vending machines seem like a natural match, but Nokia is among the first, perhaps the first, to make the connection. To celebrate Social Media Week, the mobile brand released the video above detailing how such a machine works: All you have to do is check in to the machine on Foursquare using the #NokiaConnects hashtag, share it to Twitter and then collect your prize. In essence, Nokia is giving you a treat for doing some of its social media marketing. Fittingly enough, the idea seems to have evolved from a Foursquare-enabled billboard — which ran in Germany earlier this year — that dispensed dog food.

Meanwhile, Nokia's not the only brand trying to link vending machines and social media: Pepsi demoed a machine earlier this year that lets people send free drinks to their friends via texts. What do you think of Nokia's vending machine? Let us know in the comments. Lessons From Using Foursquare In the Restaurant Industry « Social Media Musings by Tom Humbarger. Foursquare.com If you haven’t heard of foursquare and you run a restaurant, bar or other retail location, then you need to run to the foursquare website after you finish reading this blog post and start learning about it now.

This is the 3rd follow-on post in my series of 7 Social Media Must-do’s for the Restaurant Industry. What is foursquare? – Before I get started, I will provide a short description of foursquare. foursquare is a location-based game/service that lets people with GPS-enabled smartphones ‘check into’ various venues or locations. foursquare users earn points for each venue they check into and the person who has the most checkins at a location is ‘elected’ the mayor of that venue. There is a social aspect of the game as you can announce your whereabouts to your foursquare friends or broadcast it publicly via integrations with Twitter and Facebook.

A typical foursquare dashboard Why is foursquare important? Automated foursquare tweet on Twitter What else have I learned? Pennsylvania partners with foursquare for a Groundhog Day badge. Punxsutawney Phil, the star of one of the US’ quirkiest holidays, Groundhog Day, is getting his own foursquare badge courtesy of VisitPA. On Groundhog Day, February 2 — Pennsylvania time, of course — you’ll be able to unlock the “PA Groundhog Day” badge by following VisitPA and including the word “groundhog” in a shout. The badge was announced this morning during Phil’s annual appearance at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. Groundhog Day is celebrated all across the US and Canada, but it holds a special meaning for Pennsylvanians. It originated amongst the Pennsylvania German community there and the largest Groundhog Day celebration is held each year in Punxsutawney. €œThere is only one weather-forecasting groundhog: Punxsutawney Phil in the Pennsylvania Wilds. This will be the fourth badge offered by VisitPA.

What do you think of the Groundhog Day badge? Foursquare Checkin Could Land You a Trip to Space. Foursquare has partnered with 7-Eleven and the team behind Paramount Pictures' forthcoming film Super 8 to send users on a mission to space. From now until June 30, Foursquare users ages 14 and up can check in to a U.S. 7-Eleven location for a chance to win tickets to Super 8 (every 88th checkin), a Zero-G experience, which enables participants to float and move about as if they were in space on a modified Boeing 727 (every 88,888th checkin), and even a trip to space via Space Adventures' Suborbital Spaceflight program if 888,888 checkins are made.

(Maybe you'll be the second person to check in to space.) Entering is as simple as checking in at a 7-Eleven using Foursquare's apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows 7, Palm or Ovi, and clicking through the "Unlocked Special" to the registration form. In terms of prizes, it's one of the more creative Foursquare promotions we've seen to date.

Vahi.patch. In part 2 of this series, D.B.A. Barbecue's Matt Coggin, Whynatte Latte owner Jesse Altman and Foursquare co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley share insights about location-based marketing. I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses and residents in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. Last week in part 1, we covered "". This week in part 2, we'll explore how local merchants use Foursquare to create raving fans; we'll detail the business results that can be achieved; and we'll talk about advice for local businesses. Checking In I recently had dinner at in Virginia-Highland. While on Foursquare, I read the "tips" section for D.B.A. "Try the smoked wings. I went ahead and ordered them all. Also while on Foursqure, I couldn't help but start to plan how to unseat the current mayor of D.B.A., Jordan B., who has 22 check ins there during the past 60 days.

Acknowledging People Turns out, check ins, specials and tips are just the start of how D.B.A. New NFC tags from Nokia enable automatic foursquare checkins. To support their growing line of NFC-enabled phones, Nokia has launched a web store that sells NFC tags that perform a variety of functions, including automatic foursquare checkins. The tags are available in posters (in two different sizes) and stickers. Company logos and messages can be added for an extra fee. They come preprogrammed with your venue information, so all a customer has to do is tap the tag with their NFC-enabled phone and they’ll be checked in automatically. You can even set a shout that will be sent with the checkin and a post-checkin message that will be delivered to the customer. The tags are compatible with Nokia’s own N9 and C7 phones (the latter when the Anna update is released in late August).

At least for now, Nokia’s phones only feature Open NFC, which doesn’t allow for the secure payments envisioned by other handset manufacturers. The NFC Hub is currently limited to the United Kingdom, but will likely roll out to the rest of Europe over time. Texas A&M encourages students to explore campus with foursquare. Texas A&M, one of the first colleges with a foursquare branded profile, announced today a new social media scavenger hunt designed to get students to explore their 5,200 acre campus. The hunt, which takes places January 25–26, leverages the university’s presence on Twitter, Facebook and foursquare. Clues will be tweeted by the university’s main Twitter account, @TAMUtalk, up to four times a day.

Once students find the spot referenced in the clue, they check in there on foursquare during the specified time period. Prizes will include merchandise from the Texas A&M Bookstore, college apparel from Adidas and gift cards from the Texas A&M Department of University Dining. “The social media scavenger hunt is one way to leverage our social media sites to encourage students to explore our campus and make connections—while enjoying our great Aggie traditions,” said Diane C. Foursquare's Super Bowl Campaign to Test Badge Redemption Codes. This year, startups and brands are hungrier than ever to capitalize on the Super Bowl and the anticipated volume of conversations that will spill over on social sites by association. In doing just that, Foursquare will be testing out two new ideas: A global promoted venue and redemption codes attached to badges. The location-based mobile game is trading in the local appeal of its service for a day and working with the NFL on something more global in nature.

On Sunday, all Foursquare users will see the same promoted trending venue — "Super Bowl Sunday" — for the duration of the game. Foursquare will be doling out team-themed Super Bowl badges to Steelers and Packers fans who check in to the promoted venue and include the name of a team in their shouts. More importantly, every unlocked badge comes with a unique redemption code that badge holders can use for a 20% discount on select merchandise at NFLShop.com. Foursquare's 'Super Bowl Sunday' Venue Passes 200,000 Check-Ins.

Foursquare's Super Bowl Sunday experiment is underway and the check-ins are coming in fast. Approximately 30 minutes before kickoff, the geo-based social networking service had received more than 30,000 check-ins for "Super Bowl Sunday. " It encouraged users to shout "Go Packers! " or "Go Steelers! " along with the check-in to receive a special team badge. UPDATE (6:40 p.m. ET): The venue passed 40,000 check-ins at kickoff. (7 p.m. It's one of the first times Foursquare has experimented with nationwide check-ins. TechCrunch reports that Foursquare is testing Super Bowl Sunday as a "promoted venue" with the NFL, though it's just a trial and not a paid sponsorship. Will Super Bowl Sunday become the most checked-in "venue" of all time? Have you checked in yet? Nationwide Foursquare Restaurant Tally | The Feast. Restaurant Debuts $100 Grilled Cheese Sandwich A Chicago restaurant debuted a $100 grilled cheese sandwich in honor of National Grilled Cheese Month.

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