MTV, Foursquare Find Way Around Nagging Celebrity Stalker Problem
One thing you can say about social media. It can really increase the opportunities for stalking celebrities, especially if said celebrities are tweeting their current location -- or other people are. As followers of the social media/celebrity/stalking subgenre know, however, some people (i.e. George Clooney) have problems with that.
Good thing then, that MTV and Foursquare have come up with a solution -- at least if you think DJ Pauly D (at right), from MTV's "Jersey Shore" qualifies as a celebrity. As part of a deal the two announced today (along with MTV sister channel VH1), location-based social media app Foursquare now is unveiling "celebrity mode" which lets celebrities cover, or delay the uncovering of, their tracks, all while amassing thousands of followers. Pauly D is the first so-called celeb to sign up. You can follow him here, if you must.
Here's how celebrity mode works: It is up to individual celebrities to decide who they want to share with - close friends, or followers. Celebrities can also leave tips on Foursquare about different places they frequent, which their followers can read long after they have left the premises. Thank goodness!
Perhaps you're wondering why the celebrity angle is so important to me, and MTV and Foursquare. The answer lies in the increasingly symbiotic relationship between Foursquare and mainstream media companies, who are clearly enamored of using Foursquare as an au courant promotional platform. (Bravo, The New York Times, Condé Nast and Spin have also done deals with Foursquare.) The deals with MTV/VH1 call for Foursquare to be integrated into programming, for users to earn programming-related badges and awards, and for Foursquare to help MTV and VH1 drum up location-based sponsorship opportunities. It's a great thing for everyone. Maybe even George Clooney.
Previous coverage of Foursquare at BNET Media: