Sure, we all like to stay in the loop with social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. But what if you could actually get back more than a “poke” from that creepy guy who lives in your apartment complex, or an event invitation to “Pinochle Players Unite”?

With Foursquare you can. The up and coming social networking site aims to get users out and about in their communities, discovering new places and earning rewards in the meantime. The premise is pretty simple: When you’re out on the town, “check in” to a location on your mobile device. This will let your friends know where you’re hanging out, if you choose to display that information. You can check in from bars, museums, libraries – basically anywhere you can wander. The more you use Foursquare, the more you get back. “Badges” can be unlocked for visiting various locations, which earn you points. Foursquare is also a convenient way to share information about a particular venue with other users. Want to know what to order at that new Thai restaurant? Find out what others are saying on Foursquare – It’s one of the most beneficial features.

The best part is that by checking into a location you’re awarded with “Specials.” Why? Many businesses like to reward their loyal customers. So now you don’t have to feel bad for frequenting “Lee’s Shack of Shellfish” so often. And if you’re the devoted patron to check in to a location the most times over a 60-day period? You become Mayor of that location, earning even more rewards, not to mention some pretty solid street cred. Sounds like an ok deal for everyone involved, right?

Foursquare can work especially well for business owners. Engaging an increasingly mobile population by offering reward incentives can draw new customers, and keep established ones coming back. Specials can range from Mayor Specials, Frequency-based Specials, Check-in Specials or Wild Card Specials. Plus, Foursquare offers “Real-time venue stats,” keeping businesses updated on their most frequent visitors, time of day most people check in, gender breakdown of customers and so on. Staying in-the-know about your customer base means you can better serve those who visit your business, and cater Specials to that audience.

The forum is enticing not only for its social networking capabilities, but also for the fact that it involves one thing we humans are especially fond of: a good ol’ competition. What could be more amusing than combining the ability to stay connected with friends and family, while also being able to engage in a competitive game? Sure, it’s fun to browse through photo albums on Facebook, but let’s face it: isn’t being active and discovering exciting new places even more fun? The creators of Foursquare seem to think so, and I would have to agree.

So the next time you’re meeting the gang at your favorite bar, remember to check in to Foursquare to start unlocking Badges and earning Specials. All you need to do is visit foursquare.com to sign up. Let the games begin.

I have a confession to make: I’m addicted to Facebook. Before I shed too many tears of shame for creeping on other people’s profiles, though, I can take solace in the fact that I’m not alone. According to a recent study published by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research, there are plenty of other 23 year old women afflicted with the same predicament as myself. The study, which was recapped by Ben Parr on Mashable.com, states that “one-third of women aged 18-34 check Facebook when they first wake up, even before they get to the bathroom.” (Ok, I’m not that bad – I generally let the call of nature take precedence over wall posts.) Sure, we all like to argue that Facebook helps us stay connected with friends and family, and that girl with the meticulously organized Trapper Keeper who shared a cubby with me in the fifth grade. To an extent, this is true. If I want to find out what my friend who recently abandoned me for a fiancé and sunny California was up to over the weekend, I can view her pictures and status updates with a mere click of my mouse. (And then usually I’m just jealous – Sunsets on the beach? Why do I do this to myself?) I can stay connected with college roommates, ex-boyfriends and even my grandmother.

Sometimes, though, I have to wonder if we’re actually keeping in touch with each other, or if we’re all just partaking in some form of creepy cyber-stalking. Is mindlessly clicking through 48 pictures of that guy who sat behind me in high school chemistry at all relevant to my life? Sure, it is pretty impressive that he and his roommate took first place in last weekend’s beer pong championship match. But the only thing I’ve really learned is that he’s partial to Bud Light and it’s definitely showing through his “I Heart Community College” tee shirt. Sometimes I find myself at that blue and white log-in page, not quite sure how I got there in the first place. It’s like when you pull into the grocery store parking lot, but don’t actually remember the drive there – a little frightening because it’s so routine, we don’t even have to think about it.

But that’s the thing about Facebook. The social networking forum boasts over 400 million active users who spend a collective 500 billion minutes per month interacting on the site. It has become an increasingly integral part of our lives, like brushing our teeth or deciding what to have for lunch. If someone doesn’t have a Facebook profile, we look at them like they’ve got horns sprouting out of their head. It’s just not the norm anymore.

Have we taken it too far, though? The Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research study found that “42% of young women think posting photos of themselves ‘visibly intoxicated’ is okay.” Roughly 57% of those polled say that they talk to people online more frequently than face-to-face. 58% use the site to keep an eye on “frenemies” and “49% of women believe it’s fine to keep tabs on a boyfriend by having access to his accounts.” That’s a lot of shared information, as well as what seems like a disturbing loss of privacy. Although 54% of 18-24 year old women claim that they do not trust the site with their private information, this seems contradictory to the 42% who are willing to post pictures of themselves three sheets to the wind.

On the other hand, Facebook does open the door for a whole new realm of innovative possibilities, especially from a marketing standpoint. According to a study on Hubspot.com titled “The State of Inbound Marketing 2010,” when asked “How important is social media to your business?” over 10% of companies polled said that Facebook was critical to their business, and over 40% felt that it was important to their business. The study also found that 68% of companies that use Facebook have acquired a new customer by utilizing the site. Facebook provides an invaluable outlet for individuals to keep tabs not only on friends and family, but also on companies with Facebook pages. By “liking” a company’s page, you remain updated on wall posts, links, photos and anything else that is being shared. Facebook can function as a tool to attract new customers and keep them informed and interested. There is an endless amount of possibilities to use Facebook in fresh and meaningful ways. It can be more than a site where we go to laugh at intoxicated pictures of our friends, or to spy on significant others. We have to learn how to take advantage of the enormous amount of traffic the site receives, and by the looks of things an increasing amount of individuals and companies are taking to Facebook to promote groups, events, and businesses.

We’re social creatures who do best when supported by family and friends, and having twenty-four hour access to these people makes us feel connected. We want to be “in the loop,” and Facebook lets us do that. The site can be used for so much more, though. So instead of staying up into the wee hours of the night, bleary eyed and half-consciously perusing through pictures of my friend’s half-cousin’s babysitter’s daughter, I’m going to accept my addiction and vow to improve. Maybe I’ll start by doing a “friend cleanse” and getting rid of those people I haven’t actually communicated with in the last ten years (sorry Trapper Keeper). Next, I’ll begin to use Facebook in more constructive ways, like following companies that I’m interested in. From there, the possibilities are endless.

Just as long as I can still laugh at a few blurry beer pong snapshots every now and then.