The fight of 2009/10 was MySpace vs Facebook and it was easy to see who the winner was there.  This season 2010/11 it’s “which ‘check-in’ app will win the war: Gowalla vs Foursquare”.Both companies are working hard with local retailers to grab deals and offers as folk check in.  Your friends are your friends, but what to do when this happens….

So let me get this straight, a large retailer wants to be my friend.  I don’t think they do really.  Friendship and loyalty are based on a first encounter, a positive transaction.  A big (or little for that matter) retailer requesting friendship with no reason of foundation is just wrong.  Now, on the other hand, I might be in and out of Littlewoods so I wouldn’t mind them being my friend at all, as long as the offers are right.

When it comes to the data the retailer doesn’t really know who you are, it’s the app provider who knows who you are so the retailer can’t really send you anything that personalised.  What’s happening here is basically permission based marketing.  You’ve added me as a friend so I can market to you.  It’s the one thing that pisses of the Facebook generation.

There’s a better way, I’m just not saying what it is yet…..