How Foursquare could become the ultimate travel companion. Perhaps the most useful social media tool when I was Foursquare. have often thought that the greatest value you can get from Foursquare is not in gaining Mayorships or points, but in leaving reviews and information around a town for others to pick up. Then, when I’m in a new town looking for a place to eat or drink, I could just switch on Foursquare and find somewhere to go based on the tips (or reviews) left by others). Also, as Foursquare grows it will become important that I can filter tips. MORE >>

Tumblr: 76 million blogs. via  Tumblr. Foursquare: over 25 million users. Facebook Reaches One Billion Users, Foursquare Tops 25 Million Users. This week marked big milestones for both Facebook and Foursquare, with user numbers growing to over 1 billion and 25 million, respectively. On Monday,  Foursquare co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley also had big news: the geo-location platform now boasts 25 million users, 5 million check-ins a day and 1 million registered merchants, reported  SmartBlog on Social Media. Facebook: 1 billion active users. MORE >>

Yes, it raises privacy issues (again), especially when a friend checks-in for you without your permission, but my focus is what it means form the (former) leaders in the marketplace, Foursquare and Gowalla. From a branding pointing of view, there is one place that Foursquare and Gowalla do not want to be – in Facebook’s shadow. Yes, Foursquare or Gowalla did a stellar job of defining and carving out the marketplace. But as it stands, Foursquare and Gowalla simply offer similar products and services without the added benefits of Facebook. Facebook. MORE >>

On one hand, you have to constantly update Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Foursquare; slowing down on any of them can hurt exposure though the various ranking systems (such as Facebook EdgeRank) associated with them. YouTube, Pinterest, Flickr, Tumblr, blogs – they all require different types and frequencies of attention to keep them relevant as well. The Flickr App goes to Facebook and Twitter as a link, not an image, but for some reason is able to post directly to Tumblr. It’s not just the “heavy update” channels that cause challenges. MORE >>

Florida Atlantic University Foursquare check-ins : In September 2011, Florida Atlantic University launched a host of social media initiatives for students, faculty, and staff, including Gmail-based student email and an FAU mobile application for smartphones. The school also created a Foursquare account that allows students to check in at locations around campus, connect with one another, and share information about the school. Additionally, the school is very active on Foursquare, with more than 17,000 followers who have checked in at dozens of campus locations. MORE >>