Location Based

Location based social media isn't something that I think about very often, but I actually use it a lot more than I realized. There are services like yelp or Google places that provide reviews of different businesses and are usually one of the first links to pop up when you do a Google search of a business. Suffice it to say, location based social media is extremely useful and relevant in our world. Two of the most popular platforms within this realm are Yelp and Foursquare; the following links will help us compare and contrast the two:

http://marketingland.com/yelp-versus-foursquare-got-78227

http://readwrite.com/2013/04/22/5-reasons-foursquare-lost-the-social-local-mobile-revolution

The first link points out the pros and cons for each platform. Yelp has over 53 million reviews posted on their page, thus offering a large variety of opinions for people to look over. Yelp reviews also appear on the first page of a Google search, which increases the traffic to their site and the amount of reviews/opinions people are offering. On the flip side though, Yelp is also known for pressuring businesses into using their services. The reviews left for businesses also require a longer form, while Foursquare encourages short, sentence long reviews. Another great thing about Foursquare is that it encourages users to connect with each other, though it is harder to find a Foursquare review through an organic search. 

The second link points out that Yelp makes it much easier to find what they are looking for and filter to meet their needs than Foursquare does. While Foursquare is useful it's business intent isn't always clear. Another difference between the two is that Foursquare will inform you that people you know and our friends with recommend the place, while Yelp informs you about anyone who's posted. Neither are necessarily better, just different. 

Both of these platforms are incredibly useful, I have definitely benefited from them and think that they are an very important part of social media.