Mashable
Aiming to fight off “check-in” fatigue, Foursquare has signed a deal to provide local news and reviews to users of its location-based service.
Todd Wasserman reports the new partnership with Examiner.com launched Monday:
“Someone who checks in while in Manhattan will get access to reviews of local restaurants and news about nearby book signings, along with other information, says Suzie Austin, senior vice president of content and marketing for Examiner.com. ‘It’s going to appear in local checkins,’ Austin says of Examiner.com content. ‘There will be reviews, recommendations, previews of concerts coming and it will tell you the best place to get a seat.’ “
In November, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley told Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land that checking in to become the “mayor” of a location would not be enough to keep users interested. He explained that, among other things, Foursquare needed to become a “what to do” guide. Initiatives such as the Examiner.com partnership appear to follow Crowley’s script.
And, while Foursquare remains a niche product — 4 percent of online Americans use check-ins according to Pew — the combination of local news and reviews, tied to an increasingly popular location-based service, bears close watching by local publishers.
