The great benefit of cellphones and e-mail, is that if we don't want to talk to people, we have the options of cutting off our phones or turning of the Internet. In terms of social media, you are always "on." There is no voicemail or "temporary disruption in service." Even if you can't (or don't want to) access your various social networks, people will continue to expect you to.

For a PR professional, it may seem cynical to not want to be in constant communication with your target audience, but everyone wants a little time away. Initially, it was okay for a slight delay in an e-mail response, maybe one to two days. Now, if a customer tweets a company they expect a response that is as detailed as you can be with 140 characters.

But what if you really do need a break from the constant flow of communication? It's different than the traditional model of PR of answering phones and talking to reporters. Now we are in a world where anyone is accessible at any time.

Perhaps a key to keeping sanity in social media is to have the Twitter/Facebook accounts run by multiple people. That way, communication can be kept constant and if someone would just like a moment of silence and solitude they can have it without fear of a fan revolt on the horizon.

Foursquare is a popular social media platform that rewards users for "checking-in" to their favorite places. This episode of Foundation involves Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley describing the beginning stages and subsequent development of Foursquare.

Since it's inception PR has been an intricate promotional tool for many organizations. "Mayors," users who have the most check-ins at a particular establishment, are rewarded with discounts and other perks offered in token of their patronage. For a company to set-up on Foursquare they just need to register an account and promote themselves to customers in real-life.

Foursquare moves beyond traditional promotions by adding in the social aspect of allowing users to link their Facebook and Twitter pages to their Foursquare accounts, allowing their friends and followers the chance to see where they normally are. Minus the complete departure away from security for the user, the company is provided with lots of free promotion that they don't have to work towards.

Foursquare allows for the user to be in a promotional stand-point for companies without blatantly asking for promotion. The only downside to Foursquare would be the security aspect of letting the world know where you are. As of right now, that doesn't seem to be a large concern for most users, and if it stays that way, will only continue the cycle of free promotion at no cost: to the user nor the business.

Source: Foundation - Dennis Crowley