Foursquare Is Becoming Relevant Again

Cooper SmithDec 20, 2013, 18:27 IST

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Foursquare

Foursquare announced that it now has 45 million registered users. The announcement did not say how many of those users are active each month. Back in September, the app had 40 million registered users. More interestingly, Foursquare touts the fact that it has surpassed 5 billion check-ins. Foursquare is one of the more compelling social apps on the market from a big data perspective. Not only does it have a lot of hard location-based data in the form of check-ins, it's also now collecting large swaths of passive location data on its users. According to Digiday, Foursquare briefed ad executives recently on its new initiative to track the location of users' phones, without requiring them to check-in. The app is able to do this by taking advantage of the "Background App Refresh" feature on iOS7 devices. On Android devices, Foursquare is pinging smartphones "every few minutes" to determine a user's location. In addition to announcing these updated usage figures, Foursquare said that it had raised $35 million in new funding. (Foursquare Blog) In Other News … POTENTIAL UPSIDE FOR TWITTER: Twitter's revenue per user is approximately half of what Facebook's is and one-third of what LinkedIn's is. Analyst Ian Maude uses that as evidence that Twitter has headroom for monetization growth. (Ian Maude) WHATSAPP PULLS AWAY FROM THE COMPETITION: WhatsApp announced that it has surpassed 400 million monthly active users. The app added 100 million active users in the last four months alone. BI Intelligence published a chart this morning showing the historical user growth of WhatsApp compared to other popular messaging apps. (WhatsApp) MOBILE DEVELOPERS LIKE FACEBOOK: In a survey released yesterday, mobile app development platform Appcelerator found that 66% of developers said they connect their mobile apps to Facebook. Twitter was at a distant second at 53%. (Appcelerator) INSTAGRAM ADS: The first ad campaigns to run on Instagram appear to have been a huge success. Levi's reached 7.4 million people in the U.S. during a nine-day period, while Ben & Jerry's reached 9.8 million people in the U.S. during an eight-day period. (Instagram Blog) LINKEDIN IN CHINA: Ad Age looks at the complicated social media ecosystem in China and why LinkedIn is struggling to gain a foothold in the relatively untapped, but massive market. (Ad Age) What You May Have Missed On BI Intelligence … [CHART] LinkedIn's Desktop-Based Usage In The U.S. Is Frighteningly Low [CHART] The Number Of Smart TV Devices On Earth Will Reach 400 Million In 2014, But They're Overlooked As App Platforms [CHART] More People Use The Facebook App Than Google Search App On Smartphones In The U.S. [CHART] Nearly Half The World's Internet Users Are Active On Facebook Each Month, One-Fifth Use YouTube [CHART] Mobile Drives One In Four Visits To E-Commerce Sites, With Tablets Driving More Traffic Than Smartphones [REPORT] A Social Engagement Primer: A Portrait Of Time-Spend And Activity On The Top Social Networks [CHART] LINE Provides A Great Example Of How Mobile Messaging Apps Can Make Money [CHART] The Average Global Internet User Spends Two And A Half Hours Daily On Social Media [CHART] The Global Smartphone Market Is Still Accelerating, And Will End The Year Just Shy Of 1 Billion Units Shipped

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Foursquare Is Becoming Relevant Again