Common steps
- Cafe signs up
- Cafe registers their foursquare/gowalla/google-buzz location
- Cafe creates coupon
Plan A
- User follows coupon bot.
- con: requires user to know about coupon service
- Coupon bot listens to followees for checkins
- coupon bot sends message user with coupon
Plan B
- Coupon bot listens to registered locations.
- Coupon bot tweets with user's twitter handle and coupon
API Research
PDX Airport most popular checkin spot in portland. The checkins for the last 3 hours are exposed.
curl -u login:password http://api.foursquare.com/v1/venue?vid=35132
<checkins> <checkin> <id>38869851</id> <created>Wed, 05 May 10 21:44:31 +0000</created> <timezone>America/Los_Angeles</timezone> <ismayor>true</ismayor> <user> <id>554xxx</id> <firstname>Angela</firstname> <lastname>D.</lastname> <photo> http://playfoursquare.s3.amazonaws.com/userpix_thumbs/IJRHQLWB5XXX.jpg </photo> <gender>female</gender> </user> </checkin>
The bot could have a foursquare account, and poll locations for which coupons apply. Messaging that person with the coupon is the next hurdle. Need a mechanism for reaching them, foursquare doesnt seem to have one. Also it could feel spammy to get notified at random when checking in.
$ curl -u login:password http://api.foursquare.com/v1/user?uid=554xxx
<user> <id>554XXX</id> <firstname>Angela</firstname> <lastname>D.</lastname> <photo> http://playfoursquare.s3.amazonaws.com/userpix_thumbs/IJRHQLWBWGXXXX.jpg </photo> <gender>female</gender> <twitter>hertwittername</twitter> <facebook>12345</facebook> </user>
Even though we are not foursquare friends, the contact information is exposed. Most conviently the twitter handle is exposed. A twitter account for this same bot could public-tweeet @user you've got a $1 off coupon at store X for the next 15 minutes! Any good twitter client will pick up that tweet in search.