C-SPAN launches their own foursquare badge
It’s become somewhat of a rite of passage for reality TV shows to offer a foursquare badge. One TV network, though, was covering reality TV long before it was cool or we even knew what it was, and it’s reality TV that actually matters to us. Today that network, C-SPAN, has released their own foursquare badge.
Foursquare users who follow C-SPAN and check in to five locations where C-SPAN typically covers political events will unlock the badge. Many of the sites, of course, are in Washington, DC, but other spots important to national politics are included. Select locations in New Hampshire and Iowa — key US primary states — are eligible, for example.
“Want to impress your foursquare friends and add a political badge to your collection?†asks C-SPAN co-president Rob Kennedy. “Then the C-SPAN badge is for you. C-SPAN has always been about connecting our audience with the political landscape and now foursquare allows us to do that in new ways. Just like we’ve been connecting to our audience through Twitter, Facebook, an iPhone app, and embeddable video through the online C-SPAN Video Library, foursquare and C-SPAN will help you get Washington your way.â€
Last June, C-SPAN launched a foursquare page that provides educational and insightful tips at politically-connected locations. Many of them link to relevant content from C-SPAN’s deep video library. Many of the locations eligible for the badge already have tips from C-SPAN.
C-SPAN plans to add to their tip collection this year with coverage of key sites in their Campaign 2012 and Road to the White House presidential campaign coverage. They will also add tips at literary and historic spots on their Local Content Vehicles tour of the Southeast. The C-SPAN bus already checks in regularly when it visits communities across the country.
“We’re excited to expand our partnership with C-SPAN with the launch of this badge,” says Eric Friedman, foursquare Director of Business Development. “We hope that our continued work with C-SPAN will increase civic engagement among our users and encourage them to learn more about America’s political processes and institutions.”
What do you think of the new badge from C-SPAN?
After the jump, video of C-SPAN’s on-air announcement.
[...] About Foursquare: C-SPAN launches their own foursquare badge [...]
C-Span’s tips are awesome. This badge will be fun to earn while I explore my new home region. They seem to really put a lot of effort into adding new tips regularly and going to some of the more obscure statues and parks of Washington D.C.
I actually have a meeting with Rob Kennedy later today – I will definitely ask him about this! Very cool!
Aw crap. I was just in DC last week! =/
there you go. A badge for non New Yorkers. ; )
I thought there were places in New Hampshire to get the badge, but I don’t see any on C-Span’s page….
I thought for sure “Dixville Notch” & “Hart’s” would be?
Seeing that it is the first place that the country can vote at midnight every Presidential election since 1948!
What was the motivation for C-Span to do this, besides growing awareness and doing something
“cool”? In other words, what type of ROI are they expecting?
@Worob
I think they’re probably trying to get a little more “hip” factor out of it (and, therefore, a few more younger viewers). They don’t really have a huge reach into younger demographics is my guess.
I understand that, but are they really willing to spend a lot of money and create a badge just so that they maybe seem more “hip”? Maybe they are, guess I’d just like to know more about their goals and how they will be measuring success.
It had already been unlocked by some of our ‘friends’ across the pond… http://twitter.com/#!/search/unlocked%20cspan%20badge
[...] C-SPAN launches their own foursquare badge [...]
[...] C-SPAN launches their own foursquare badge [...]
I unlocked this legitimately today… a proud day indeed.