Foursquare is fun just by itself, but it can also be a networking tool.

I generally don’t publish my Foursquare check-ins to Twitter. I figure my Twitter followers really don’t care when I visit Starbucks or Panera. But maybe they do care if I’m meeting with someone interesting. Or the person I’m meeting with might appreciate the @Mention. Free promotion is never a bad thing.

Here are some examples of times I will publish my check-in to Twitter.

If I am meeting with someone who has a Twitter handle, I’ll include that in my check-in message. If what we are talking about might be relevant, I’ll add that as well. Maybe you’ve been wanting to meet that person. Now you can contact me to ask for an introduction.

What if the place I’m visiting is particularly interesting or has great food? Instead of just checking in, I can add a comment about why I think the place is great. Might as well drive a little business their way.

Events are the best. When I go to nGAGE DC, I can promote the event, Lounge 201, the host, and a particularly interesting person I’m meeting with.

That makes for a very valuable check-in and worth the publish to Twitter.

So give it some thought when you check in on Foursquare. Who or what can you promote with your shout-out?

Ironically, a few hours after I wrote this post, I saw a different opinion on Foursquare by Jonathan Arehart. Head over and read it too for a balanced perspective and some good discussion in the comments.

Tags: Giving, social media

This entry was posted on Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 7:18 am and is filed under social media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.