Me and my Foursquare Followers activity on Sunday.

Despite the fact that FourSquare has been around since mid-2009 and has had very strong word of mouth,  I am still surprised by the number of people who do not use it.

To many people it’s just a location based service(LBS), that has you check in to every new venue you walk into…but Foursquare is more than just that.  Though Foursquare does have some gaming and social elements, it’s future ambition is to be your map of the future.

With Foursquare explore launching last week it’s time to find out what this LBS is all about.

5 dirty facts about FourSquare:
1) Badges are kick-ass.  Badges have been part of Foursquare since day 1 and are a big part of the social part of Foursquare.  Click into multiple venues to be awarded a variety of badges including the Local badge, PlayerPlease badge, and the Animal House badge.
2) Free stuff rules.  Foursquare has partnered with a lot of small businesses and big businesses.  By simply checking in many users can win free appetizers and other great rewards.
3) Being a Mayor brings bragging rights.  Not only does a mayor get specific discounts depending on the venue, but you’ll find checking into your favorite venue, work, or even home is just great for bragging rights.
4) The Reviews. The reviews are what drives the engine of Foursquare.  Is there a dish that you should check out or maybe even a venue?  Check the reviews of the location you’re in, to see what people are saying.
5) FourSquare Explore.  The newest Foursquare feature creates a map based on Foursquare experiences.  Foursquare explore is the future is the search engine for your traveling experience.  Looking for a restaurant, gym, or even a mall?  Give FourSquare Explore a whirl and find the venue of your choice.

3 Facts for Business Owners:
1) It Builds your Business.  With Foursquare you can, offer a special, to quickly catch the eye of a local consumer.
2)It helps People Find You.  Don’t forget most people are using FourSquare to discover new places and eateries.  Claiming your location means that it will help customers find you.
3) It serves as a Customer Service Tool.  If you’re a business owner, reviews are important.  Either if they are good or bad they serve as a communication tool between you and your consumers.  Remember, Foursquare is the ultimate customer relations tool for restaurants and small businesses.  Claim your place and find out how you are doing.

So I definitely recommend checking out Foursquare today and also don’t forget to look up Cole Watts on Foursquare.

If you’ve Googled something this week, you’ve probably seen something new in the Search Pages if you were logged into your Google account.  You might notice that they seem a bit more personal.

That’s because Google’s recent search update, is it’s biggest attempt at understanding social yet.  Simply titled “Search, plus Your World,” the new update is dramatically tied into your Google profile and ties all of the personal information that you have given it, into search.

This is what happens, when I searched for my co-worker Alex Pethick, who’s part of my Google+ network.

Since Alex is connected to me, on Google+, I’m able to bring up all the information that he has shared with Google including his websites, social networks, and blogs, when I search for him.  Google thinks this is a good thing, because it thinks if I’m looking for Alex Pethick, I’m looking for something that he’s tied too.

There is a small problem though that lies with this idea though and that problem lies with your friends.  How many people have you circled, followed, or friended in the last year and not gone back to talk to.  Our social networks have become our business cards and we often add people without giving it another thought and this is Google’s problem.

Google is trusting that we trust all of our friends.  Google thinks we trust their likes, their interests, and their tweets but that’s not the case.  I’m surely not going to trust something on a recommendation from that friend of a friend who added me last week on Google+ when I barely remember their name and I’m sure this is true for a lot of you.  We have all tried our hardest to make sure that our social channels our in order the last few years, that we have opened up these networks to more than just close friends.

Google still has a long way to go, before it truly understands social.  Social is not search and search is not social.  This latest update shows us that Google is going in the right direction, but it still has a ways to go.