Harvard on foursquare | Harvard Gazette Online

Harvard is the first university to use foursquare to help students explore their campus and surrounding places of interest.

Harvard University today (Jan. 12) announced its presence on foursquare, a new location-based, mobile social networking application. The service, which is accessible from smartphones and other mobile devices, enables students and visitors to explore the campus and surrounding neighborhoods while sharing information about their favorite places.

In addition to creating an up-to-date online rating guide of stores, restaurants, businesses, and other venues throughout Harvard Square, foursquare users can also employ the application as a game, in which they earn points, and ultimately acquire coveted foursquare “badges.” Harvard is the first university to use foursquare to help students explore their campus and surrounding places of interest. Users who have visited a predetermined number of sites on the campus will be awarded the Harvard Yard badge on their foursquare profiles.

Be sure to read the complete article. As David Armano noted in the tweet that pointed me to this article, this represents a smart use of FourSquare -- which still has plenty of doubters -- by an organization. I'm certain organizations of different natures will find a way to leverage the service to achieve their own business goals.

About

I'm Shel Holtz, principal of Holtz Communication + Technology, consulting with organizations to enhance their online communications since 1996. I have more than 30 years of experience in organizational communication, including stints as corporate communications director at two Fortune 500 companies. I'm a founding fellow of the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) and a fellow and Accredited Business Communicator through the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

I've written or co-written six books on communication, including "Public Relations on the Net," "Corporate Conversations," "Blogging for Business" and "Tactical Transparency."

Since January 2005, I have co-hosted the twice-weekly PR-focused podcast, "For Immediate Release," with my colleague and friend, Neville Hobson.

For information on consulting and speaking engagements, visit my website, www.holtz.com.

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