Business Bytes
Curt Finch

What Will Be Hot in 2010?

 

This year it was Twitter, and in the past, it was Facebook, YouTube and MySpace. So what new technology will form the basis of next year's craze? Early adopters predict that it will be Foursquare, described by CNN as "a virtual game in which participants earn badges for checking in at various locations; those that check in most become a venue's 'mayor.'" The application, which began as an iPhone app and offers an API for developers, is even attractive to businesses: ""Foursquare for Businesses" is a platform for retailers wishing to offer special deals to Foursquare users: Check in to frozen desert maker Tasti D-Lite at two venues in New York, for instance, and you're eligible for a discount."

Downloadable applications for the Android and iPhone platforms enable location aware postings, which Twitter is also adding in soon. Like all social networking platforms it's only useful if all your friends sign up.

It will be interesting to see if Foursquare had enough value-add to survive the large existing networks already present in Facebook and Twitter.


Curt Finch writes for a project management blog as well.

Curt Finch has more than two decades of software development and distributed workforce management experience. In 1997, Curt created the world's first internet-based timesheet application and the foundation for the current Journyx product offering. Curt has a B.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech. His book, All Your Money, is available on Amazon. @curtfinch