Foursquare

Today on my Delta flight home to Atlanta, I finally uncovered the secret to unlocking the GogoInflight Internet Mile High Badge on Foursquare. Here's how:

1. Login your Foursquare account.

2. Just to be safe, add GogoInflight as your friend at http://foursquare.com/gogoinflight.

3. When you are above 10,000 feet, you will have to use the GogoInfight Wifi and this has a small fee, unless you have a promo code or offer.

4. Once you have access, search for Foursquare.com in the Google search box on the Gogo Inflight home page. I used my laptop to do this, not my smartphone.

4. In the search results, choose the other devices option under Foursquare.com which is located at http://m.foursquare.com.

5. Give a shout out to GogoInfight Wireless and you will earn your badge.

If you'd like to know how to unlock all of the other badges, visit http://www.4squarebadges.com/foursquare-badge-list.

 We’ve had an opportunity to meet at other conferences. Since Matt and I work in the same industry, yet in different countries, I’m amazed at how our challenges in social media are similar.

Check out this video from Simply Zesty with the latest statistics regarding social media use in the United Kingdom:

Any surprising stats?

To avoid the MLM blues, focus on the reasons why you are engaging in social media. Seek out others that could use your expertise and for opportunities to pay-it-forward. The best time to remember your goals is when you log into a specific platform. Don't waste precious time worrying about others. I’m pleasantly surprised at how many social media leaders are genuinely willing to share their experiences and best practices.

If you only participate in social media or any other business with a “What’s in it for me?” attitude, you become your own worst enemy and will eventually fail. Use the tools that best suit your professional aspirations and look for moments to help others along the way.

From a social recruiting perspective, companies who are experiencing a talent shortage should take notice and value their employees that have influence online.

It isn’t always about one’s volume and reach.  For instance, a VP of HR could have a small network on LinkedIn of 100 trusted connections.  When this person emails a member of their network for an employee referral, the response is swift and the candidate quality of hire is high. Even if you have a large network, it isn’t effective if you lack credibility. Long gone are the days when a recruiter could blast out a job description via email with the subject line, “Who do you know?”

Recruiters with active pipelines of candidates and referral sources have an advantage, if they have positive influence over its members.

To increase your online influence, you must work hard offline too. Take the time to truly re-evaluate your network and to see if you are attracting ideal peers, thought leaders and trusted contacts.  Start moving out of your online networking comfort zone and meet those you value in person. You must be able to make a solid first impression and build trust quickly through your actions, not just your words.

Also, remember to rely on your close friends that will provide you with honest feedback to help you reach your professional goals. The social networks may change; yet, those who have influence continue to be successful.

In the social recruiting world, we have many influencers. Who has influenced you?

Photo Credits: Leigh Caraccioli

I'm grateful that my paths crossed with Nate St. Pierre. Nate created a global community called, It Starts With Us. His goal was to simply, "Change the World". Each week, Nate provides a 15 minute assignment focused on helping others in a fun way. Since its conception, Nate demonstrates his servant leadership skills and humble personality that continues to attract others to this worldwide movement.

The It Starts With Us team grows and gives encouragement to those who need hope. Nate also created a Love Bomb team that supports others online too. Opportunities to help strangers truly put your own blessings into perspective.

The impact of the It Starts With Us revolution is hard to ignore. Nate complied an e-book to share some of these stories from the weekly missions last year. They are heartwarming and demonstrate the power that we have to change the world in just 15 minutes a week. Follow Nate on Twitter at @ItStartsWithUs and view the other world changing tweets at #ISWU.

Below are is the slide deck from my Social Recruiting Summit presentation at Best Buy on Social Integration. I'm grateful for the support from ERE.net, Shannon Seery Gude, VP of Digital & Social Strategy at Bernard HODES Group and Heather Polivka, Director of Employment Marketing with UnitedHealth Group. I was overwhlemed by the support of my friends and family, including my Dad who was in the audience.

It was an honor to be a keynote speaker and provide insights into the ways social media could enhance their brands and marketing efforts.

Thank you to ISBN, the sponsors of the conference, and Meeting Expectations, especially Jean Yahres for this opportunity and experience.

Many of the global Fortune 100 companies now recognize the value in frequent and continuous online engagement. Some are using more than one platform and learning to understand the existing online preferences of their targeted talent pools. From a recruiting perspective, if you are actively involved in conversations with ideal candidates, it increases the effectiveness of your organization's employer brand strategy and recruitment marketing efforts.

Take advantage of the social networking platforms available globally to highlight the positive aspects of your employer brand and truly interact with candidates.

Social Networking Around the World - Jenny DeVaughn

The new Foursquare is a location based social networking resource that you access from your phone. Its users check into actual locations. You get points for checking into locations and may even become the Mayor of a venue. For example, I'm the Mayor of the Starbucks on 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta. Users are awarded badges for checking into certain venues or for accomplishing a certain task. If you check into 5 different Starbucks locations, you get a special badge and a free drink.

Here are some benefits of playing Foursquare:

1. In-Person Networking
Foursquare can find users that you follow on Twitter or your friend on Facebook who are also using Foursquare. You have the ability to also follow their checkins, as long as they approve of you as a friend on Foursquare. At SXSW, it was a great way to track which panels and parties people were attending.  I could use Google Maps, which is embedded into Foursquare to meet up with ideal contacts. 

2. Top of Mind Awareness
Maintaining multiple relationships over time is difficult. Foursquare allows me to show my contacts in other cities my activities when I check into venues, including my workplace. You can combat the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. You can connect your Foursquare account to Twitter or Facebook to update your status when you checkin, become the mayor of a location or receive a badge.

3. VIP Treatment
Many businesses offer specials when you check-in for the first time or as the mayor of their business. You also get to know other regulars that support that same local venue. Companies can create a feed of the checkins at their locations too. Your customers are announcing with pride that they are at your location. Wouldn't you like to reward them? You can also use a widget to highlight these visitors on your website: http://www.placewidget.com.

4. Real-Time Reviews
You can add tips and also read advice from others who have visited the same location. Users can also connect directly to Yelp to read additional reviews in detail. As a consumer, you will make informed buying decisions. Businesses learn ways to improve their operations and relationships with customers.

Dennis Crowley, Co-Founder of Foursquare at SXSWIf you are still in doubt, keep in mind these accomplishments that Foursquare achieved in the past year:

Over 500,000 users
Over 1,000,000 badges have been awarded
Over 1.4 million venues with 1200 offering specials
Over 15.5 million checkins

Foursquare and other geotagging options will continue to evolve and become a part of every company's social strategy.



This is a list of the different types of social media musicians that we encounter online. Keep in mind that each type is a generalization. Reflect on your social media career to determine which category you may fit in.

One Hit Wonder
One of your blog posts was featured on Digg. The spike in traffic to your website was mind-numbing. During that week, you had a 300% increase in subscriptions to your blog. Many conferences and events booked you as a featured speaker. However, a few months later, you found it hard to come up with new ideas and your blog has gone stale. Your start-up idea didn’t get the funding it needed and now you have become a recluse. You’ll be featured this year at SXSW on a "Where Are They Now?" panel. You had what it took to produce a hit and there’s still time for a comeback.

Karaoke Singer
The best form of flattery is imitation. By only retweeting consistently what other thought leaders say, you rarely come up with your own opinions. You lurk within the social networks, play it safe and haven’t developed a platform of your own yet. Instead of realizing your own goals, you may be unknowingly supporting someone else’s dreams. Push yourself out of your comfort zone, find your voice and express your own signature style.

Unsigned Talent
You have fresh and creative thoughts. Unfortunately, you can’t seem to attract the right fans to your message collectively at the right time. You are a starving social media musician on a corner near the entrance to a subway station. The video you uploaded to YouTube didn’t go viral as planned.  You have a handful of followers who are often removed by Twitter for suspicious activity. Find your true niche and determine what you are willing to sacrifice to find success. You dream of winning a Social Media American Idol contest. It may be time to get a manager (aka a mentor) to help you start moving in the right direction.

Boy Band
You work on a team and appeal to a specific audience who adores you. Even though this path may have a shelf life, you and your colleagues are currently reaping all of the rewards. There is strength in numbers. Your organization's reputation is larger than your individual brand.  You enjoy the VIP treatment, even though most people don’t know your full name. Make sure that you have an exit strategy to reinvent yourself as a solo artist, just in case.

Rock Star
You have thousands of followers who enjoy all of your tweets and comment frequently at your blog. For the past few years, you have worked hard consistently and persistently to build your unique brand. You have written a few books and are currently on a world tour. Fans and groupies attend events that you speak at to learn from you. You give back to your community and help others reach their goals in your industry. You have many projects that you are passionate about in the works. Continue to ask questions, stay innovative and engage in several one-on-one conversations. Congrats and keep up the good work!

All social media musicians must take the time to reflect. Revise your professional goals, learn from your failures and determine the social media legacy you wish to leave behind. Although the past affects all of us, you can create new opportunities and success for yourself.