Foursquare is definitely doing big things for SXSW this year. Their launch of Foursquare 3.0 is extremely important in the evolution of the service, bringing automated recommendations. This means that, instead of just letting you tell people where you are, Foursquare now tells you where to go. This is a pretty big deal and something both Google and Facebook are interested in getting into. RWW even calls this Foursquare’s Google moment.
Recommendations is big, but that’s not all Foursquare has added. They’ve integrated a new Specials management system that makes it easier for merchants to manage and monitor their Specials right from the mobile app. You can add multiple specials for all your venues and view analytics about the special using the new analytics dashboard. There is a whole new world of Specials out there, from swarms to mayorships, and they can now all be managed from the palm of your hand.
There is also a partnership with American Express which gives card holders an incentive to spend money with certain merchants:
The main idea, says Crowley, is to remove friction from redeeming merchant rewards. Foursquare users need only register their American Express cards and tap to unlock the special in the app. The “spend $5, save $5? credit is then automatically applied to the cardholder’s account when the credit card is swiped by the merchant. – via Mashable
Foursquare is also making 18 badges available for SXSW 11 this year, which mostly correspond to events going on durin the conference. Badges include everything from Karaoke RV to a SXSW Hangover. There is a Foursquare party on Saturday March 12th at the Cedar Street Courtyard and a concert featuring Big Boi on the 14th. If you follow Big Boi on Foursquare, you get a chance to get a Golden Ticket Badge, good for a free concert ticket.
via Foursquare