IsaGeeks

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You’ve probably heard of Foursquare by now – it’s that “next big thing” everyone’s always talking about. Well, sort of. It’s actually the current big thing, having just hit 100,000,000 check-ins (yes, one hundred million). So whether you use it or not, it’s worth learning about.

So what is Foursquare? It’s a social media site, not unlike Twitter, Facebook or FriendFeed. The difference is that posts are about where you are physically in the world, not just what you’re doing or thinking at that moment. It is a geosocial networking site. There are a number of these sites, but Foursquare is, so far, the most popular.

Here’s how it works: You go to the store to buy some pants. While you’re there, you pull out your phone and open the Foursquare app. The app uses your phone’s GPS to locate you, and show you the stores that are in your area. From that list, you pick the one you’re at, and check in. If the place you’re at doesn’t exist yet, you can create it. (And if you don’t have a smart phone, you can text in your location, but that’s a whole other kettle of fish – see Foursquare’s site for more details on that.)

If you check into a venue enough times, you become it’s “mayor.” Some companies, like Starbucks or The Wynn in Las Vegas, reward Foursquare check-ins and mayorships. They use it as another means of keeping in touch with their customers. You can also get specially made electronic “badges” for special kinds of check-ins, or checking into venues.

You can also share your check by cross-posting to Facebook or Twitter. If you’re out on the town a lot, it’s a great way to kill three birds with one stone: It gives you a subject to post about, and it puts it up on the two biggest social networks in town automatically.

As far as promoting your Isagenix business, this would work best for parties or gatherings where you are at a location. Unlike most online marketing where you don’t have to be anywhere for your marketing to work, this is entirely based on where. So if you’re somewhere in the real world where people can come and hear you talk about the product or the business, Foursquare becomes a great (and cool) way to let them know you’re in the neighborhood.

Other Geosocial Media Networks:

Brightkite.com

Loopt.com

Gowalla.com

And if you’re going to Celebration this year, don’t be shy about checking in when you get to the San Diego Convention Center!  There just might be some free stuff in it…we’re just sayin’.