Facebook | Dean Elazab's blog

Why Gowalla was smart by playing together

December 3, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

Gowalla's new icon

Gowalla has always been seen as foursquare’s lesser. The Austin based startup wanted to create a check in network that was created socially, instead of done by the developers like Foursquare’s network. While this was an admiral goal, Gowalla just never seemed to pick up as much steam. In the middle of this conflict Facebook decided to launch Places, their check in network. Now Facebook had the most users because of its engrained user base, and Gowalla sank to third. I’m sure the team was having a meeting where they decided that the best thing to do for their company was to stop trying to fight the battle alone, but to work with its competition.

Gowalla announced its third big iteration, and it changed everything. They implemented the API’s of both Facebook and Foursquare into their application. Now users can check in inside of the Gowalla app and be able to send that to all of their networks. Gowalla shifted from just another check in service to the one app you need to stay in contact with your friends locally. This is accentuated by the new activity feed, which can pull your friends check ins from all the services, not just Gowalla.

This new approach will help Gowalla gain a larger user base because of its convenience. Users will no longer have to open multiple apps and do multiple check ins just to show their fragmented friend lists where they are.

Gowalla will still need to get more press and users, which has always been its problem. While this update is being talked about in the tech space, it has yet to really reach mainstream media. Gowalla is number 30 in the list of social network apps on the iPhone with Foursquare at 21 and Facebook still as number 1. If Gowalla can make it to the front page then I could see it sticking there for some time.

gowalla's new interface

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, IPhone, Social network

HOW TO: 5 ways to make your brand “like”-able on Facebook

November 16, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

: Image via CrunchBase

Mashable recently conducted a study and discovered a wealth of information on people's habits with brands on Facebook. One of the biggest statistics is that the average user "likes" 8.7 brands. This means that these brands get to market to the users on their time, and can deliver content directly to them. There are thousands of brands competing for these coveted spots, and here is how to get your brand noticed on Facebook.

1) Make your content likable

The best way to make your brand likeable is to make your content likeable.Remember you are marketing to share, so make content that people will want to show their friends. Creative content wins over informative in this category. Entertaining content will cause your fans to share it with their friends. Short and sweet is also crucial, do not write Facebook targeted articles that drag on. Aim to hold their attention for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

2)People love free stuff
Try to use promotions, contests, and events to promote sharing between friends. People will gladly put a status on Facebook if it enters them in a chance to win something. I guarantee you the advertising you get from your event will be worth the cost of your giveaway.

3)This isn't your PR outpost
This goes off of the post original content theme. People do not want to be bombarded by "Look at this article written about us" style posts. They are here to hear from you, not what others think about you. These people do not need convincing that your brand is good if they are already on your page.

4)Make them feel like an insider
People will join you page if you make them feel special for doing so. This could be as simple as giving them a name that you call them in posts like "welcome elite". Another idea is to give them exclusive news or sneak peaks on deals. People will be driven to check your page if they believe they will be the first to see something.

Wallgreen's splash page

5)Interact often, but not too often.
Users liked your brand because they enjoy your product and want to interact, so do just that. Too many brands create Facebook pages and then forget about them. Create a schedule that you will stick to for posting to your group and replying to their messages. But watch out for posting too often. If a user feels overwhelmed they will dislike your brand and stop following you.