Diat: Foursquare Works on Providing Value to Lurkers

The internet is full of lurkers, those curious folks who read but don’t join in. (You know who you are.) Social media has them by the ton and Foursquare is determined to involve them one way or the other.

Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley spoke at a conference this week where he talked about ways of bringing additional value to Foursquare users. Twitter has a large lurker rate, but many people who don’t Tweet actively use the service to follow friends, celebs and hashtags. But as BetaBeat points out, following people on Foursquare without actually participating is, well. . . tantamount to stalking.

The solution, says Crowley, is to introduce an explore feature and maybe even celebrity squares. With just a little tweaking, Foursquare can position itself as a city guide with top users suggesting the best places to eat, shop and visit.

Imagine you’re traveling to a new city on business. Simply call up Foursquare on your phone and instantly you have three choices for dinner and a discount for the museum down the street. It’s a natural. A little star struck? How about a restaurant recommendation from Beyonce, or a lead on the best little club in Nashville from country star Tim McGraw?

Co-founder Naveen Selvadurai says,

“A big part of the foursquare experience has value even if you’re not checking in, because there’s a ton of knowledge that is shared within the community. In the future, we’re going to find more ways to share more of that, whether it’s more personalized recommendations or better social sharing tools.”

Sounds like they’re moving in the right direction. It also sounds like they’re getting closer to a partnership with Groupon. As much as we don’t really need another daily deal service, Foursquares emphasis on activities outside the home, makes it a natural fit.

Tell the truth, are you a Foursquare lurker?