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"Just last month, Foursquare users were blessed with a redesign. On Wednesday, Foursquare announced a new feature for merchants as well: Foursquare Local Updates. \nThe feature \u2014 which rolls out to businesses over the next week \u2014 lets participating business owners send updates about their business to their \"best customers\" when they\u2019re nearby. Updates can be any combination of text, up to three photos and a special, and will be seen in version 5.2 of the app, which is available now. Although Groupon and LivingSocial both offer ways to blast deals to mobile users nearby, Foursquare's latest update lets merchants add non-deal updates, like \"Warm cookies fresh out of the oven available now!\" that don't have an offer attached, much like a tweet or Facebook status.\nTwo points of clarification on updates:\n\n\"Customers nearby\" is anyone within a small radius, which is determined by Foursquare's reading of GPS data. Based on experience, Foursquare has learned that \"nearby\" might be one mile in a dense city, but it could be up to 10 miles in more rural areas, where people have cars. Therefore, updates will target \"nearby\" users accordingly.\n\"Best customers\" are determined by combination of how often they check in, how recently they've checked in and whether they've liked the venue on Foursquare. These users voted with their feet (and thumbs) to show their interest in your business, and they would probably enjoy getting updates from you, especially if there's a special involved.\n\n\"Users want to get communication from the businesses they care about in a way that\u2019s really local and really visual,\" says Noah Weiss, Foursquare's product lead on monetization (but don't fret, the feature is free ...for now). Much like Foursquare specials, local updates actually came out of requests from users to be able to know more about the businesses they frequent.\n\n\n\n\nUntil now, Foursquare was a pretty low-maintenance platform for merchants. You could claim your venues and set up specials, and then the platform takes it from there, rewarding your customers as they unlock specials and badges. All merchants had to do was educate their staff about Foursquare and what was being offered through the app. Now, the platform is still low maintenance, but Foursquare's local updates make it far more dynamic, using location and social intelligence to target the most ideal customers. While Facebook and Twitter let you geotarget as well, Foursquare lets you do it on a much more granular level.\n\n\n\n\nThe updates don't come through as push notifications; they go in the stream, alongside tips, likes and checkins, making the Foursquare experience much richer and unobtrusive. Businesses can use updates to send a blast about a new shipment of product, a new menu item or to notify customers nearby about a special or event. If your business is slow on Mondays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., you can blast an update (perhaps with a flash special) with a few photos, instead of passively waiting for customers to come to you. Multiple photos can be swiped like a slideshow within the stream, and specials will show in-line, making the display very visual and aesthetically pleasing. By taking initiative, businesses can use Foursquare to get customers in the door and boost their bottom line. In an future iteration, we're hoping to be able to schedule updates in advance.\nFor businesses with multiple locations, local updates offer store-specific targeting (choose one or any combination of venues) and cross-marketing. So if someone who frequents your New York shop happens to be near your Chicago shop, your updates will appear in his feed when he's nearby (so long as the update applies to that shop).\nLocal updates don't mark the only Foursquare news on Wednesday. Bing announced Foursquare integration into its search results, just one more step in Bing's efforts to own social search.\nBONUS: Check in at Foursquare\u2019s Swanky New HQ\n\n\n\nFoursquare HQ Tour\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReception\nThe elevator at 568 Broadway opens on the 10th floor, inviting you into the airy and bright workspace.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Bullpen\nFoursquare's 85 New York employees sit in the well-lit, wide-open bullpen.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBadge-Inspired Conference Rooms\n\nThere are no \"offices\" within Foursquare HQ -- just the wide-open bullpen and a bevy of conference rooms, each of which is named after a different Foursquare badge (there are several hundred to choose from).\nEach room has its own flavor and vibe, dictated by its namesake badge. The Swarm has yellow wallpaper that's reminiscent of a swarm of bees, and Herbivore gets a green vibe.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMiddle Earth\nIn the middle of the bullpen is an array of inviting couches, in case you want to put your feet up while you work.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBoard Room\nThe only room not named after a badge, the boardroom is where big business happens. Its swanky and sophisticated decor belies the company's startup vibe and young team.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBookworm\nBookworm has an academic vibe, with brown leather chairs. All that's missing is leatherbound books and the smell of rich mahogany, but the newspaper wallpaper (inset) makes up for that.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVision for I \nThis room isn't yet built out, but you can see the inspiration board and get a sense of what it will look like. It's like Pinterest, but IRL.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\niPad Conference Room Schedules\nNeed to reserve a conference room? Put it in the Google calendar. Each conference room has a dedicated iPad to display that day's schedule and keep it up to date ... because printing out the schedule is a waste of paper and won't keep up with new room requests throughout the day.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhotogenic Room\nPhotogenic is one such badge-named room. It's stocked with antique cameras ... you know, the things we used to take pictures before smartphones came along.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhotogenic's Cameras\nA close-up of the vintage cameras.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStandups\nVideoconferencing helps to keep the East Coast and West Coast teams in sync. Daily \"standups\" are done for check-ins and status updates for various teams, they usually last around 5 minutes. The portal runs on Cisco software.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLife-Sized Geo-Marker\nWhen Dennis and Naveen were in Fortune magazine, their photo shoot involved a larger-than-life geolocation pin in Times Square. The pin now functions as a coffee table in the new office.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFat Denny's\nWhenever founder Dennis Crowley gorges on a meal, he tags his Instagrams and check-ins with \"#FatDenny.\" Naturally, it became the cafeteria's name. But this is more than just a place to eat...\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Team That Dines Together...\nPicnic tables line Fat Denny's, encouraging group meals and conversation. The chalkboard in the background lets you know what beer is on tap ... this week it's Allagash Black.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShuffleboard\nAt the far end of Fat Denny's, there's a Shuffleboard table, if you're in to that sort of thing.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDesk Tchotchkes\nEveryone's brought in a little something to make their workspace more personal. You'll find mustachioed bunnies (called \"labbits\"), Girl Scout cookies and a lot of whiskey bottles on the desks here.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBike Rack\nFoursquare employees often ride their bikes to work -- and this is where they check them in upon arrival.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMayor Snuggies\nErin Gleason, PR manager of Foursquare, is \"a big fan of Snuggies\" and decided to take orders for custom Mayor Snuggies. She's currently working on an order of Mayor fingerless gloves to go with the Snuggies.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPet Wall\nWhat started as a shrine to the team's own pets has grown into a wall of cute animals, like a French bulldog in downward dog.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFoursquare Swag\nWhen a newbie arrives for his first day of work, a swag pack that includes a Foursquare ball is waiting on his desk.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIdea Paint Everywhere\nIdea Paint is all over the office, spurring spontaneous doodles while also serving as a great tool for brainstorming, collaboration and height-tracking. They grow up so fast...\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Mystery Room\nThe suspense is killing us! Which badge will this room represent?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe View Out West\nDid we mention Foursquare is on the 10th floor? That's a big building by Soho standards, which gives the startup a beautiful view of the city. This window looks west, toward the Hudson.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnd There's Room To Grow...\nSo far, the team has only broken ground on the 10th floor, and will be subletting space on the 11th floor to other startups. When Foursquare's growing team demands more room, it can expand upstairs -- making Foursquare HQ a Penthouse duplex. Not bad, Crowley. Not bad at all.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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