In this video, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley sits down with Advertising Age to discuss the future of Foursquare. Topics include:

• Why Facebook Places will not be a Foursquare killer and the possibility of Foursquare-Facebook intergration.
• Self-service tools for advertisers.
• Hints at tweaks to Foursquare’s game mechanics, specifically additional ways to compete beyond mayorship.
• Forthcoming refresh for Foursquare mobile apps.

Everyone has probably seen a flier posted in their town by someone who has lost their pet. They usually feature a picture of the dog or cat, a short description, and location where the animal was last seen. This old school way of locating your lost pet is the perfect recipe for a mobile reboot.

Enter the PetRescuers iPhone app from HomeAgain. With this app you can easily search to see if there are any lost pets in your area, pretty handy if you’ve found a stray. When you load the app you can search for lost pets by list or map view, click the name to learn about the pet, and even what to do if you’ve found an animal. Much more effective than a ‘missing’ poster, if you ask me. The app also features reunion stories from pet owners, for the warm & fuzzy in all of us.

The only downside is that the app will only include animals that have been microchipped and are registered using the HomeAgain services. The owner must login to their account to report the pet missing in order for it to show up on your app. I’d love to see an organization like Petfinder offer something similar for all animals, even those without a microchip.

Take two former Amazon employees. Place in them the urge to develop apps (brought on by their other previous employment at Pelago). Now mix in a heaping portion of Foursquare and a healthy amount of Stickybits. What do you get? The newest social media interactive shopping experience; Barcode Hero.

Barcode Hero is an iPhone app (coming soon for Android) that helps users compare and discover new products all while earning points, dukedoms, and kingships. After downloading the app, users then will scan items at a store, bringing up a wealth of information and tips that others have left on that product. The company hopes to ultimately eliminate “offline” shopping by having every purchasing decision go through some sort of online channel.

Wait, there is more! Like many social sites before it, Barcode Hero lets you follow your friends, so you know just what it is they are scanning and likely purchasing. Now, don’t get too excited, the fun doesn’t stop there. Scanning items in the same category will earn you points. Earn the most points in a specific category and you will be crowned with the King or Queen title. If you are not quite King status, but have earned a minimum of 25 points, you will then be donned a Duke or Duchess.

Sounds like a fun and original idea, right? My first thought after learning about Barcode Hero was, “are you kidding me”? Seriously, if Foursquare and Stickybits had social media offspring, it would be Barcode Hero. The one aspect Barcode Hero does incorporate that sets it apart from its competitors is the ability to compare prices and info from top online retailers.

That is essentially what bothers me the most about this app. If comparing prices is your money-making feature that differentiates you from the rest, roll with it. Why bother trying to throw in the stuff that works for everyone else, for the sole reason that it works for everyone else. I rather have a really great comparison pricing app, than a mediocre ugly stepchild of Foursquare, Stickybits, and Amazon. Maybe it is just me, but I feel that Barcode Hero could be doing a lot more with a lot less in this case.

There is one redeeming quality I found while reading over the FAQs on the site. Barcode Hero promises to take away titles you don’t really want with an email to them. Knowing that somewhere out there a poor, innocent soul was accidentally anointed King of Hemorrhoid Medication, while just trying to find the best deal for their nagging ailment is enough to make Barcode Hero okay in my book. It’s the little things in life, right?

When I first heard that Campbell’s had launched a promotion using stickybits I was super excited. (I wrote a post a few months back about stickybits and how I thought it was going to be the next big thing.) This is the first major campaign that I’ve seen using my favorite new tagging app, so of course I had to investigate.

The promo is in support of new label packaging for Campbell’s Soup, so the stickybits tie in is perfect since it utilizes the UPC printed on the label. (Unlike JagTag or a QR code, for example, where you use a special type of bar code.) There are two ways to enter, one is via the Campbell’s Soup Scan Sweepstakes page on Facebook, the other is via the stickybits app for iPhone or Android devices.

The Facebook portion of the sweepstakes is pretty straightforward, once you sign your privacy away to the app. All you have to do is enter your name & email address for a chance to win $500. You can also upload a picture of a new Campbell’s Soup label for a chance to gain more entries. An entry is able to receive up to an additional 100 entries for each vote they receive on the picture that they have uploaded. The votes have no bearing on the winner, it just gives you more chances to be randomly selected.

From the Facebook page you are also educated about the stickybits portion of the sweepstakes. This is where things get a little fuzzy. It tells you to download the app, head to the grocery store to scan a can, attach a ‘bit’, and upload a photo. Sounds simple enough, but I ran into a few problems. I headed over to the local Publix with Hal (I’ll split the winnings with you if I win!) where we each scanned a soup label. I was having difficulties, probably due to my unsteady hand, but Hal got it to work pretty quickly. This is what you see when you scan a bar code:

This is where the problem starts. It looks like you should be able to click on the graphic to enter, but that isn’t the case. Figuring we had what we needed at the store, we headed back to the office, only to find that the scan wasn’t saved in Hal’s app because he hadn’t yet created a stickybits account. This is never mentioned in the Facebook steps for the promotion.

I tried again with my phone, after I read the rules so that I knew how to enter using stickybits. I scanned a new can, received this same image, attached a ‘bit’, and uploaded it to Facebook using the Facebook connect feature inside the stickybits app. I’m still not sure if my entry this way was valid, as I never saw any kind of confirmation or place to enter my contact info (as it states I will in the rules), but since I’ve already entered via Facebook it isn’t the end of the world. However, if someone were only going to enter the contest using stickybits it is very confusing. It is also unclear if you receive additional entries for people giving your ‘bit’ a thumbs up within the stickybits app.

The conclusion of this is that I applaud Campbell’s for venturing into uncharted waters with stickybits. The promotion will likely be fine since they have a way to enter using Facebook. I’m not sold on the stickybits execution as it is confusing for the average person to figure out, especially if they are downloading the app for the first time because of the promotion.

I know we have been a little heavy on the Jersey Shore posts lately but I had to cover the Spread Snooki app for all of our loyal followers. Be honest, where would your life be if you couldn’t photo bomb your pictures with the Princess of Poughkeepsie? For as little as 99 cents, you too can Snookify your life just like I did (as long as you own an iPhone).

This app isn’t going change your life or anything, but I can guarantee you’ll have some fun with it. Just think about popping Snooki into your family photo, or taking her on vacation with you. You’ll have several different version of Snooki to add in, just select your Snooki, pick a photo or take a new one, move her around to the best spot, and voila! Spread Snooki with your friends! My only complaint with the app is that there is no way to size Snooki, to make her fit the scale of your photo. If MTV could add that it would be a whole lot better.

Since the app is also being used to promote the phenomenon that is Jersey Shore, you can also link to iTunes from within the app to purchase/download episodes of the show. (Or you could just watch one of the thousands of reruns on MTV) You can also share your photos from the app to Twitter, Facebook, Email, or just save them to your phone.

I had a little fun with the app this morning, here’s what I came up with:

Hanging at the Louis Vuitton store in Paris.

Chillin with Austin & his hedgehog.

Riding on the outside of a streetcar in San Francisco, such a daredevil.

Rocking our poofs for a self portrait at the Eiffel Tower.

Over looking a beach in St. Lucia.

Fist pumping with the Wienermobile in Savannah.

Obnoxious tourist in London.

Posing outside of LOVE in Las Vegas.

Last night app developer Flipboard launched their self-titled social magazine app for the iPad. Flipboard communicates with your social media accounts, aggregating the best videos and articles that your friends and followers are mentioning and linking to. This content can then be viewed through Flipboard in a magazine style layout. Flipboard presents an interesting concept that may widely catch on with iPad user’s daily habits.  The interface design and layout makes it an attractive download to add to your app collection. Plus it’s free, and I’ll try anything that is free once (ok, maybe not everything). View the video above to learn more.

ChumpDump on Prezi

Isn’t it about time you cleaned up your following list? If you are like most, chances are you follow a few people that are not worth the time. Working to clean up your timeline can take some serious effort, especially if you auto-follow everyone who follows you because you are a “nice person”. A new app for the iPhone and the Android Market called “ChumpDump” brings a little fun to the table when choosing who to un-follow.

The premise is simple; each day all of your friends on Twitter are thrown in a lottery. ChumpDump then presents you with someone you are following, and you are given the choice whether to “dump” or “save” them. If you choose to dump that person, you gain karma points. After earning enough karma, you can turn the lottery mode off, allowing you to un-follow whomever you may choose on demand. People who have been dumped, appropriately labeled “dumpies”, will go up for adoption in the ChumpDump world, allowing for others to decide if you were too hasty in your dumping.

Oprah once said, “think about any attachments that are depleting your emotional reserves. Consider letting them go”. She was obviously speaking about Twitter. Life is too short to have to read the mind-numbingly boring tweets from your old college buddy. Sometimes, you just need to let go.

If you question the potential popularity of ChumpDump, a quote from their website will alleviate your woes. “We like games and everyone loves the lottery, so we’ve given you a daily lottery game to play every day of the week”. Well said, genius minds behind ChumpDump.

Several weeks ago, members of the Boston sports media received cryptic t-shirts that read: Help Vince!. There was little, to no, explanation. Yesterday, the meaning of the words on the shirt was finally revealed. Vince Wilfork, defensive lineman for the New England Patriots, has had his Super Bowl ring “stolen” by a Jets fan. The Patriots are asking their fans to “Help Vince” find his ring through a series of challenges.

The promotion was launched in conjunction with SCVNGR (based in Cambridge, MA), an up-start, location based game for your iPhone or Android device. On the surface the app sounds similar to other location based applications such as Foursquare or Gowalla. What SCVNGR does better, is to offer more of a game based element in the form of challenges, which can be part of a bigger Trek. By completing these you earn points, the more you explore, the more points you receive. They offer a much better scavenger hunt platform than their more well known location based competitors. Groups are able to customize Treks and users can earn points for checking in, snapping a picture, scanning a QR code, etc.

In the case of the Patriots promotion, fans are asked to complete challenges all over New England. The top scorer will win lunch with a Patriots player, including 3 friends, after the close of the 2010-2011 football season. The Patriots are also using their Twitter feed to push clues out to their followers, as well as traditional media outlets to gain attention.

The result of this effort by the Patriots is renewed buzz & interest about the team leading up to the start of the new football season. They are also able to encourage the rivalry with the Jets, and promote interesting places across New England. Fans will no doubt go crazy trying to complete challenges spreading interest with their friends. Seems like a win win for everyone, especially SCVNGR which is just making a name for itself.

Inside SCVNGR Treks:

Patriots challenges nearby:

Activities by others:

Leader board:

Many thanks to Colleen for taking these screenshots for me. Moving from MA to the south limited my location based ability!

With the massive success of the Ford Fiesta’s social media marketing movement (which we wrote about here), Ford has decided to move the campaign into the retail arena. When owners come to pick up their Fiesta, they’ll get an interactive USB drive which holds their owner’s manual and a portal to Fiesta’s social networking community, podcasts, enthusiast clubs and merchandise. They’re calling it part of the “unpackaging experience” and it’s all due to a new effort by Ford to make the car delivery a true experience.

New owners start their unpacking experience by watching a video on the Ford dealership kiosks featuring the Ford Fiesta agents from the online social media experience. Then, they get their pictures taken with the car so they can be uploaded to the community site, and once inside, they plug their USB device into the car’s USB port which starts 19 minutes in podcasts that explain the car’s features.

Of course, it doesn’t end there. When they get home, they can use the USB drive to download the Fiesta Community app. The app comes with the Fiestapedia, a simple Photoshop application to photoshop pics of their new Fiesta, and of course, lots of links to the online community. It reminds me of Saturn’s successful community building and focus on the dealer experience before social media was even a buzzword, and should go well with the latest addition to the Fiesta’s marketing strategy: traditional TV ads.

It’s interesting to see a car campaign where the TV commercial is the afterthought and not the center of the campaign. It’s also nice to see one that doesn’t just show shots of the car zooming about on a closed course while some guy with a deeply masculine voice intones its virtues. According to Matt Vandyke, director of U.S. marketing communications for Ford, the previous strategy of “blast-bust” where there’s one huge marketing push before the vehicle enters the marketplace wasn’t working. Vandyke claims that Fiesta’s social marketing strategy, “five times more efficient than anything we’ve done before.” And he promises that, “It’s something you’ll see us doing with other vehicles going forward.”

The strange and magical internet lands have been abuzz for weeks in anticipation of the third season of HBO’s hit series ‘True Blood’, which kicks off Sunday. The show has amassed a cult-like following and its fans (affectionately referred to as Truebies) have never been shy about using social media to declare their love for the show.

It seems HBO is now looking to harness the power of this conversation with the latest addition to the True Blood digital portfolio, a site they call Bloodcopy. Positioning itself as “The Official True Blood Conversation”, the site uses Comcast’s Tunerfish to aggregate and host the online conversation about True Blood.

First, Bloodcopy allows fans to tweet about True Blood without having to leave the site. This is done via a tweet window in the top right section of the page (users must first grant Bloodcopy permission to access/update their Twitterfeed). The tweet window is preloaded with the suggested hashtag, #TrueBlood, and even includes its own link shortener.

The main content area, by default, aggregates all tweets about True Blood, however, there are options for more specific feeds such as tweets by the official True Blood profile and tweets by Truebie characters (twiction accounts run by various fans). There is even a feed for designated superfans—a nice touch and a great way to recognize and reward uberfans.

There are two smaller columns down the left hand side of the page: one for tweets by the Host and one for “Blood Topics”, which displays a tag cloud of trending topics of conversation across all tweets related to True Blood.

At the bottom of the page is featured True Blood content from other sites within the True Blood digital portfolio, such as links to video, the Facebook Fan Page, etc.

All in all, I must say ‘well done’. It will be interesting to see if Bloodcopy is able to successfully create and maintain a Brand Bowl-like experience around viewing the show. This is definitely one we’re going to keep our eyes on.