If I could "checkin" to the train (via @Foursquare) then I could easily get access to 'venue' information which, in this case of a train, would be next stops, estimated time of arrival, where the buffet car is etc - great data.

Yes this would mean loads of venues BUT
such venues could be automatically created (and closed) by the train operators systems.

Perhaps you iPhoners have funky apps which do this but, my point here is that we can piggyback a lot onto the infrastructure of Foursquare - it aint just for where you are eating :)

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I'm pretty new to Foursquare (4Q) etc so maybe it takes a while to
"get" certain things (I've learnt that from Twitter ;) but here is
what I'm currently struggling with:

1) what's good?
I want to know "what's good" in the area I'm in. If I'm looking for a
bar then I'd like to be able to search for one based on the people I
know (or 'n' degrees of people they know) - not just a directory of
bars. I just don't get how foursquare is a discovery service yet.

2) "Me like...me no like"
...and this follows on from above really. How do I indicate whether I
"like" a venue? E.g. if there was a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down"
device then this could capture data which can drive such a "do my
friends like this?" type of query...surely this is worth gold?

3) Twitter
I really think it needs to be more easily accessible via Twitter. I.e.
why not tweet a certain account or use a certain hash tag to check in?
And when Facebook enter the location based arena I may - depending on
my circumstance - "checkin" via a Facebook app - it would all feed
into 4Q (which is essentially a bridge between the networks albeit a
bridge which has the value database of locations!)

Hmm...interesting to see how this pans out!

Foursquare created the concept of "checking in" to a venue/shop - checkin often enough and you can become the "mayor" and perhaps receive a reward from the establishment (if they are clued up enough to see the benefit!)
Checking in could mean you receive special discounts or, perhaps, receive the modern equivalent of "Green Shield stamps" which can be redeemed at other participating venues.

However, I think there is also mileage in being able to "auto checkin" - I.e. As you wander from shop to shop the (e.g.) Foursquare database automatically records the event - the benefit here is that you seemlessly intereact with the rewards program.

This will mean that our Twitter/Foursquare account will be something which is discussed when paying for items at the till "have you got a twitter account sir?" - hand it over and receive the relevant reward - it's not as if they can spam you! Yes there are privacy issues - tight controls will need to be put in place as to who sees what and we'd also need fine grained control over things like "auto checkin" but these are solveable problems.

Oh yeah - and I'm positive Facebook will move into this arena!

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I was in Marks & Spencers cafe in Cardiff earlier today (btw they've got lovely chairs there - look slightly like Eames') and we were given a lovely coffee loyalty card - the typical deal - buy 9 and you get the 10th coffee free.

This got me thinking - I like this kind of deal - a loyalty scheme - and I'd love a free coffee (well, tea actually). However, I'm hopeless at keeping hold of these loyalty/reward cards so, on each visit, I'm back to square one. Pah! So much for the rewards

..so I started thinking more...

What if they used Twitter instead? This way I'd get my free coffee as I can't lose my Twitter account (yet!). But how could this work technically? How about this: as I'm about to pay, the cashier could asks for my Twitter name and "stamps" my virtual card that way?

How would one redeem with such a scheme? Perhaps they could have a terminal where they can lookup my Twitter name, see if I'm due a reward, check the photo matches me (a good reason to have a good portrait!) and off you go!

..and then I start thinking a bit more..

What if we had a RFID card which can "beep" out our Twitter name? This would then open up loads of possibilities. The coffee queue in M&S could then have a RFID reader actively looking for these Twitter cards to simplify the rewards process further.

"You're nuts!" you say! They'll never install such hardware!

To which I respond:

1) Didn't Orange get some fancy bespoke hardware installed in many UK cinemas to get their whole "Orange Wednesday" half price cinema ticket thing working? Yep! And here we're talking about something much more open.

2) Who makes the till software? Is it still a fairly closed community? Why not use web technology (with a veneer on top to do touch screen)? That way the merchants can get ecommerce interfaces & applications bespoke to their needs and integrated into Twitter, Facebook as much as possible

Privacy! I hear you scream!

Well perhaps the cat is already out of the bag. Twitter is by default public so perhaps we're happy for reward schemes to piggy back onto it?

...wait there's more!

By piggy backing on top of a ubiquitous technology like Twitter we've got other options. What about these scenarios:

1) M&S could offer "if you buy a newspaper from WH Smiths and a coffee from us then you get a 50% discount"; cross merchant etc.

2) Different pricing schemes per user group. I think this is coming anyway - price is relative and flexible - if "MUMS OF THE UK FACEBOOK GROUP" banded together, could they not get 25% off coffee mornings hosted at M&S - surely they'd have massive buying power?

The way I see it, social networking, Twitter etc (with a little help from technologies such as RFID etc) can give us the human equivalent of what we come to know as a "cookie" (in the web browser sense) - a non confidential global data storage mechanism.

Interesting times ahead with this technology and more buyer power I reckon.