Blog

How Can I Suggest a Foursquare Badge?

One of the Foursquare gaming elements that seems to attract a lot of attention is the plethora of badges users can unlock. Badges are awarded to users for doing all sorts of things. For example, users can unlock badges for visiting certain venues, attending certain events, accomplishing certain tasks, being consistent with their travel habits, and so much more.

Since the location-based service launched last year, the Foursquare team has been rolling out badges based on their own ideas. However, the company has always encouraged its users to submit their badge suggestions so they can get an idea of what badges are of interest to Foursquare users.

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Please Rob Me: A tool for criminals or simply silly?

Early this morning I was discussing Foursquare privacy and security issues with a friend of mine on Twitter and shortly after our discussion she received a tweet from @PleaseRobMe that read, “Hi @dulcita518, your name just showed up on our website. Please read the why section!” After visiting their Twitter page and following a link in their profile, I found myself on their Web site PleaseRobMe.com. It turns out that the Web site launched today and while on the surface the site appears to be advocating burglaries, it is actually trying to bring some awareness to the risks involved when people use location-based social media services like Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, and others.

How it works is that every Foursquare check-in that is sent to Twitter is aggregated by PleaseRobMe.com and then displayed on their Web site in a list titled “Recent Empty Homes.” The information that PleaseRobMe.com aggregates has always been available for anyone who wants the information so this Web site is simply taking the information, displaying it on their Web site, and retweeting it – nothing more.

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Bravo TV Gift Unboxed

Last week I mentioned I was contacted by Foursquare and Bravo TV informing me I had just won a gift for being one of the first 10 Foursquare users to check-in to a bravo tagged venue and unlock the Bravo Newbie Badge. Today I received my gift from Bravo and as promised I thought I would share it with everyone. Prior to receiving the gift, I was under the impression I would be receiving one small gift, but it was actually several gifts.

When I opened the large box, the first thing I noticed was a nice size Top Chef Grocery Tote embroidered with “THIS BAG IS GREEN.” At first I thought that was the gift, but as I looked inside the tote I saw several items such as a Beach Towel, H2Go Water bottle, Umbrella, Top Chef Cookbook, and a Flip Video Mino. I might have to regift or perhaps pass along the umbrella and grocery tote since those two items do not really fit in with my style.

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An Inside Look at the Twitter for BlackBerry App

Research In Motion (RIM) introduced the first version of Twitter for BlackBerry® on Thursday and allowed users with an invite code to take the app for a test drive. I managed to get my hands on the Twitter for BlackBerry® app and at first glance I really liked what I saw. The GUI was clean, the color scheme was attractive, and the app was loaded with features. It appeared to be far more advanced than any of the other BlackBerry Twitter apps that I have seen, but as I started messing around with it there were a few features that I felt could have used some improvement and the overall performance was quite sluggish. I’ll explain that in greater detail a bit later, but first let me give a quick preview of the app.

According to the Inside BlackBerry blog, Twitter for BlackBerry® was designed to integrate seamlessly with the Blackberry platform so it would create a familiar experience for both BlackBerry and Twitter users. Upon launching Twitter for BlackBerry® you are presented with a stylish home screen which contains seven navigation icons: Home, Mentions, My Profile, Direct Messages, Find People, Search, and Popular Topics. Just below the home navigation bar is the status update field where you can type your tweets and the remaining portion of the screen is your Twitter timeline. I have used just about every BlackBerry Twitter app from TwitterBerry to UberTwitter to SocialScope and while SocialScope has always been my preferred app, Twitter for BlackBerry® crushes the competition when it comes to its GUI and with a little work and some additional features it should set the new standard for BlackBerry Twitter apps.

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Bravo! @ChrisCredendino

Today I received an email from Foursquare informing me that I just won a gift from Bravo TV, a division of NBC Universal, for being one of the first 10 Foursquare users to unlock the Bravo TV Newbie Badge. Bravo TV even chimed in confirming this gift by sending me a tweet via Twitter that read “Congrats @chriscredendino for being among the first to unlock the Bravo Newbie Badge on @foursquare – Enjoy your special gift from Bravo.” Although I have no idea what gift I will be receiving, I’m just happy to be included in the circle of winners.

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WordPress for Blackberry Version 1.0 Released

wordpress-berryappWordPress announced today that beta testing for the WordPress for BlackBerry app is complete and version 1.0 is now available in BlackBerry App World. WordPress for BlackBerry 1.0 has been in beta for more than six months, but version 1.0 adds support for VideoPress, improved commentening, and a spot in BlackBerry App World. What can you do with the WordPress for BlackBerry app? WordPress for BlackBerry is pretty awesome if you want to blog while you are on the move. The app allows you to write posts, edit pages, manage comments, and upload photos and videos.

Although I don’t have a lot of time to blog, I really like the idea of having an app on my BlackBerry that will allow me to blog whenever I have the urge. I went ahead and installed WordPress for Blackberry on my Tour and it works like a charm. I’m not sure how often I will use the app to create a new blog post or edit existing pages, but it’s nice to know that there is a feature that will allow me to do it. I really like the fact, however, that I can approve, delete, or put a hold on new comments because that is always an annoying task.

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