So, we CLTBlog.com folk volunteer for a lot of stuff around town if you haven’t guessed already. One thing we’re regularly involved with is Pecha Kucha (@PKNCLT) and tonight is one event we really encourage everyone in Charlotte’s creative class to attend. Tonight we’ve got presenters speaking on a wide range of topics from physics to art and design.

Point8 Forum, the organization that brought Pecha Kucha to Charlotte, gives it’s presenters, who are an eclectic, evolving hodgepodge of Charlotte’s great creative talent, the following guidelines (which I am including to help explain this very unique event):

The only restriction is the number of images (20) – and the time you have for each slide (20 seconds each). So you are limited to 6 minutes 40 seconds.

But beyond that there aren’t that many restrictions. No subject is off limits, all points of view [are] allowed. It will be you, your subject, and the audience. So, you can come to vent, promote, posture, or proselytize… (Some of the things allowed include… talking, singing, hopping around on one leg, remaining silent, looking kinda intense, letting your puppet do the talking… not that we expect you to do all/any of that. Just reminding you that these options are out there…)

The hashtag for tonight is #pknclt6. Here’s the list of speakers from the Point8 Forum website:

Natalie Bork
Crista Cammaroto
Ana Jofre
Jason Kierce
Robert Kosara
Jack Ossa
Carlos Salum
Cathy Sheafor
Wolly Vinyl
Mike Wirth
Douglas Welton will be back as our MC for Volume 6.

DHARMA Lounge, 1440 South Tryon, Ste. 105, Charlotte, NC.
FRIDAY July 16, 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00.
Admission is $5 at the door. Cash bar. The Common Market will be selling light food & snacks.

For those of you who were too late to register to attend TEDxCharlotte, this is your chance to come see a nice cross section of people who will also be presenting in September! If you’re interested in which speakers will also be presenting at TEDxCharlotte, here’s the link to their speakers list.

We hope to see you there and feel free to come say hi! I’ll be manning the Pecha Kucha newsletter sign-up table handing out buttons (don’t forget to pick one up, they’re different every time), Matt Tyndall is running the presentation visuals and local celeb/photographer James Willamor will be on hand snapping photos (He’s the official photographer)!

“The Mecklenburg County Health Department is receiving a $300,000 grant to curb smoking at college campuses in the area.

The funds come from the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund, and are part $1.2 million being distributed across the state in the third phase of its Tobacco-Free Colleges initiative.

The health department will bring anti-smoking programs to UNC Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University of Charlotte, Davidson College, Johnson & Wales University, Art Institute of Charlotte, Gaston College, Belmont Abbey College, and Gardner-Webb University, among others.”

More info on Grant to help curb college smoking – Charlotte Business Journal.

Local photographer Armando Bellmas, whom I had a wonderful chat with about a year ago about his influences as a Charlotte based artist, has a really nice interview of local artist Sharon Dowell up on his blog, Be Still Please.

He talks with her about how living in Charlotte influences her work and showcases some of her beautiful paintings. You should check out both Armando’s page and Sharon’s interview because both are making moves in Charlotte’s art community in positive, encouraging ways. He begins the interview by saying;

“I’ve been a big fan of Charlotte-based artist Sharon Dowell for some time now. Her paintings are like memories layered upon each other and stacked high in your mind. Whether it’s one of her dazzling cityscapes or a ghostlike figurative painting, Sharon’s work is exciting, pushing you to look a little deeper and longer.

I always want to know more about how people create: what inspires them, how they motivate themselves, etc. So I asked Sharon some questions about her work and inspiration.”

via Capturing the energy of place: An interview with artist Sharon Dowell | be still please.

Move over Ladies… there is a new Festival in town and it’s all about the Dudes! Just a month after NoDa saw the invasion of Femmefest 2010, its time for the men to party with DudeFest!

And why not?

Last year, Charlotte was listed at number two on the “Top 50 Manliest Cities” in America in a study by Combos snack foods. The study used criteria such as number of professional sports teams, popularity of power tools, and frequency of monster truck rallies.

AND JUST ANNOUNCED [...]- Charlotte took the top spot as the head honcho: # 1 Manliest City!

via Dude! You finally got your own festival! | NoDa News.

For more information, go to www.dudefestcharlotte.com

TEDxCharlotte is a licensed TED event that CLTBlog is involved with on a volunteer basis.

The conference series started over 20 years ago in California and has birthed many smaller TEDx events since then.  Think “Ideas Worth Spreading”, which is pretty self explanatory. TEDxCharlotte will feature presentations by some of the Queen City and surrounding region’s creme de la creme of intellectual, philanthropic, humanitarian, tehcnophilic and artistic society.

Here’s the form to attend, which you should really, really should do: http://www.tedxcharlotte.com/attend

If you haven’t heard of TED, now you do. (I encourage you to put links to your fav TED or TEDx presentation up. I’ll be active in the comments!) Here are some links to encourage you to attend the TEDxCharlotte event on September 24th:

Optical illusions show how we see

Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs

If you’re wondering, here are the speakers for this year’s TEDxCharlotte. That part is already said and done. What TEDxCLT needs now is attendees! This means YOU! TEDxCharlotte is FREE but that also means you have to attend, which also means everyone has a fair chance at attending. The applications go through blind review by committee.

So, reminder:

@TEDxCharlotte
Admission is free
#TEDxCLT
http://tedxcharlotte.com/attend

DEADLINE IS JUNE 24, 2010 at midnight!!

Grammy-nominated vocalist Jordin Sparks kicked off The Battlefield Tour on June 2nd and is stopping though Charlotte to sing. Lucky for us she agreed to answer some questions I couldn’t wait to ask! I’m a big Jordin Sparks fan mostly because she’s one of the performers that keeps her name out of the gossip rags, takes on a lot of good causes and uses her influence as a pop star positively. She’s performing at The Filmore this Sunday! Tickets are $25 bucks.

On to the interview!

DK: What was it like working with Chris Brown on “No Air”?
JS: IT WAS AMAZING. I HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME SHOOTING THE VIDEO. EVERY TIME THEY
YELLED ‘CUT!’ WE WOULD BUST OUT LAUGHING. I THINK HE’S IMMENSELY TALENTED
AND AM SO GLAD HE WAS ON THE SONG WITH ME.

DK: What is it like being so young and being viewed as such an influencer of
young women?
JS: IT’S SO COOL TO SEE MY FANS OF ALL AGES AND THEM SAY THEY LOOK UP TO ME.
IT’S VERY HUMBLING.

DK: It’s wonderful that you’re involved with X The TXT campaign. Please tell us
about the program.
JS: I GOT INVOLVED WITH ALLSTATE LAST YEAR WHEN THEY ASKED MY MOM AND ME TO BE A PART OF THEIR CAMPAIGN. WE TEAMED UP TOGETHER TO SHOW THAT TEXTING AND
DRIVING NOT ONLY EFFECTS PEOPLE MY AGE BUT MY MOM¹S GENERATION AS WELL. X
THE TXT IS ALL ABOUT STOPPING TEXTING AND DRIVING. IF THERE ARE HANDS FREE
LAWS AGAINST BEING ON A PHONE CALL WHILE DRIVING, IT ONLY MAKES SENSE TO
HAVE NO TEXTING LAWS. ITS JUST AS DISTRACTING, IF NOT MORE, THAN TAKING A
CALL BEHIND THE WHEEL. IT’S ALL ABOUT MAKING OUR STREETS SAFER. CURRENTLY,
ALLSTATE X THE TXT IS ON TOUR WITH ME AND WE HAVE A BOOTH WHERE MY FANS AND
PARENTS CAN TAKE THE PLEDGE TO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE. IF THEY CANT MAKE IT TO A
SHOW, THEY CAN TAKE THE PLEDGE AT FACBOOK.COM/THUMBSUPPLEDGE.

DK: What’s the trick to maintaining your sanity with such abrupt fame?
JS: MY FAMILY AND THE PEOPLE I SURROUND MYSELF WITH. HANDS DOWN.

DK: Who would you most like to work with?
JS: FERGIE, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, CELINE DION, DAVID ARCHULETA, ETC.

DK: What can Charlotte expect during your “The Battlefield” tour stop here?
JS: WELL, I DON’T HAVE CRAZY PROPS, A MILLION DANCERS OR INSANE COSTUMES. IT’S
JUST ME, MY BAND AND THE MUSIC. WE HAVE A BLAST UP ON THE STAGE SO I HOPE
YOU GUYS DO TOO!

DK: Do you have a favorite place here in Charlotte you like to visit while on
tour?
JS: I HAVEN’T HAD MUCH TIME TO EXPLORE THE CITIES I VISIT BUT HOPEFULLY THIS
TIME I’LL FIND SOME PLACE!

DK: What is your pre-show prep routine?
JS: I WARM UP, HAVE A FEW MEET N GREETS, DO MY OWN MAKEUP, GET DRESSED AND PRAY
WITH MY BAND.

DK: What’s the weirdest thing on your rider?
JS: MY RIDER IS ACTUALLY PRETTY NORMAL. CHIPS AND SALSA, APPLES, THROAT COAT
TEA, VEGGIE AND FRUIT PLATES. JUST SOME LIGHT STUFF. I CAN’T EAT BEFORE I
PERFORM. I FEEL LIKE I CAN¹T GET THE NOTES OUT AND PERFORMING ON A FULL
STOMACH IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA FOR ME ANYWAY. I EAT MAYBE JUST A FEW BITES TO
KEEP MY ENERGY UP AND THEN I’LL HAVE CHICKEN OR SOMETHING AFTERWARDS.

That’s it! Thank you Jordin, see you Sunday!

Well this one is a bummer! I love this Center of the Earth Gallery, especially during the NoDa Gallery Crawls!

The Center of the Earth Gallery will close this month after nearly 24 years of anchoring the North Davidson arts district.

“We are closing because we can, not because we have to,” says Paul Sires, who founded the gallery with his wife Ruth Ava Lyons. “This is a personal decision. This is not an economic decision.”

The gallery will close [Monday] May 31.

Read more at the Charlotte Business Journal.

Here’s the video we did about a year ago, too. It shows the inside of the gallery as well as an interview with artist Carrie McGee @ Center of the Earth Gallery.

Last night was the Sex and the City 2 VIP event & pre-screening of the movie and man, did Charlotte’s ladies show up and they brought their style with them!

Everyone there was dressed in their sexiest, looking all hot on a Tuesday night. There were tons of Charlotte’s familiar faces! Ladycat Stacey, Cubby from 96.1′s AM Mayhem was there with a mystery woman, even Felisha Fletcher, local publicist and high profile socialite was there, rockin’ the red carpet! It was so fun and so girly!

Anyway, here are my pics for the most fashionable at this event and I hope it give a good impression of what Charlotte’s chic women’s fashion is all about.

Here are the boutiques that got shoutouts from the girls:

http://www.hertherapy.com/
http://www.lovemybelleville.com/
http://www.shopeileen.com/

And the regular favs:
TJ Maxx on South
Marshall’s Cotswold
Marshall’s University
Banana Republic in Birkdale Village

I wore a beautiful cuff by local favorite EcoCuff: http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenMarketGirl?section_id=6156502

Skirt & top separates from Lotus in Dilworth: http://ladyinlotus.com

and Nine West stiletto pumps, which I’ve always found to be really versatile!

“It was the annual Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man & Woman of the Year.  Part of the evening honored Lindsay and Landon, two tough little 4-year-olds. The children are adorable and it’s hard to think about what they and their families must go through. This evening is a celebration, however, and the children each received gifts, including a bike for Landon. 

Right after that, McCrory spoke, giving a heartfelt speech about losing his father to lymphoma the week after McCrory won the Mayor’s seat in 1994.  A picture of his father behind the mayor’s desk stayed in the office for the 14 years McCrory did, and that picture was the last item he removed.

But as McCrory spoke – Zoom! - Landon zipped across the dance floor on his bike. A typical 4-year-old, he just wanted to have fun. He wasn’t about to wait to ride that shiny new bike.

Of course, McCrory handled it beautifully, and incorporated the little boy into his remarks. A little while later, though, he saw his chance to get even.  Included in the live auction? Another bike!  McCrory took it for a spin all over the ballroom.  Not to be outdone, Landon got back on his bike and the two of them rode around in tandem.

No politics, no campaign.  Just a fun moment for an inspiring little boy, his family and a bunch of people trying to do some good.”

Read more at by Stacey Simms at her blog on WBT.com.

So somewhere out there Charlotte’s little hipster haven NICHE MKT (Its at Camden & Tryon in Southend, so watch out for the skateboarders and kids on fixies!) has a guy out there who thought so much of the store that he tattooed it’s logo on his hand. Kids these days!

WOW! I really can’t believe this! I think this is definitely a first for us! Our good friend Dominic from California, AKA “The Shoe Surgeon” just sent this picture over a couple days ago of his latest piece, a NICHE MKT logo tattoo.

via The Niche Market » Blog Archive » NICHE MKT tattoo!.

Charlotte On the Cheap is reporting:

Watershed Charlotte is showing free family-friendly movies the 2nd Friday of the month at Freedom Park. There will also be free popcorn and door prizes. The movies begin at dusk.

The schedule:

May 14th: Night at the Museum 2

June 11th: The Tale of Despereaux

July 9th: The Blind Side

August 13th: Monsters vs. Aliens

via Free movies at Freedom Park 2nd Friday of month « Charlotte On The Cheap.

I went to two of these last year and had a great time. Hey you moms & dads, this is a great place to bring the famn damily for a couple of hours of good quality time! Bring your blanket & bug spray!

WCNC (specifically, Jeremy Markovich @deftlyinane) posted this amazing graphic they put together to help everyone conceptualize the size of the Gulf Coast oil spill. They’ve got more info on their site but here’s the gist of it:

The main part of the spill covers almost all of Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties.

Another part of the slick would be somewhere near Shelby, and another large part of that spill stretches as far west as Asheville.

Read more on WCNC.com.

One more thing of note you should know: this oil could potentially reach North Carolina beaches.

Festa Italiana is Sunday, May 16 from 1PM to 7PM! Save the date!

A CHARITABLE EVENT FOR THE NEVINS CENTER CREATING OPPORTUNITES for the DISABLED and DISADVANTAGED OF OUR COMMUNITY

CELEBRATING ITALIAN CULTURE FOOD and WINE

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

SILENT AUCTION

UNLIMITED ITALIAN FOOD AND WINE

via St Anthony Charlotte.

Ticket prices vary and can be located here! Here’s their Facebook event page, too!

Tons of people in fancy hats and fancy pants flocked to the 15th Annual Queens Cup Steeplechase in Waxhaw this weekend for a day of tailgaiting, horses, terrier races and fun!  I went out to spend the day at the race and was pleasantly surprised that there was such a thing in the South that I hadn’t yet experienced.

I’ve had my fair share of sweet tea, pork BBQ, mosquitoes and po’ boys since I moved here in 2002. Steeplechase Racing has been around hundreds of years and started in Ireland but the Queen’s Cup Steeplechase is as gloriously traditionally Southern as all of those things combined and it’s a lovely event to attend in the Spring.

My friend Ryan Hurrell snapped these photos. Enjoy!

The Carolina Panthers announced the schedule for the 2010-11 football season at the new Giants Stadium, which is across the parking lot from where the old stadium stood.

PRESEASON

Thursday Aug 12 @ Baltimore Ravens 8:00 pm

Saturday Aug 21 NEW YORK JETS 8:00 pm P

Saturday Aug 28 TENNESSEE TITANS 8:00 pm

Thursday Sept 2 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 7:30 pm

REGULAR SEASON

Sunday Sept 12 @ New York Giants 1:00 pm

Sunday Sept 19 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 1:00 pm

Sunday Sept 26 CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00 pm

Sunday Oct 3 @ New Orleans Saints 1:00 pm

Sunday Oct 10 CHICAGO BEARS 1:00 pm

Sunday Oct 17 BYE WEEK

Sunday Oct 24 SAN FRANCISCO 49'ERS 1:00 pm

Sunday Oct 31 @ St Louis Rams 1:00 pm

Sunday Nov 7 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 1:00 pm

Sunday Nov 14 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 pm

Sunday Nov 21 BALTIMORE RAVENS 1:00*pm

Sunday Nov 28 @ Cleveland Browns 1:00*pm

Sunday Dec 5 @ Seattle Seahawks 4:15*pm

Sunday Dec 12 ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00*pm

Sunday Dec 19 ARIZONA CARDINALS 1:00*pm

Thursday Dec 23 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 8:20 pm

Sunday Jan 2 @ Atlanta Falcons 1:00*pm

ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN STANDARD TIME CAPS = HOME GAMES

*FLEX SCHEDULING LAST 7 WEEKS OF THE SEASON – POTENTIAL FOR TIME CHANGE

via Panthers schedule announced.

Unemployment in the Charlotte metro area fell to 11.9 percent in March from 12.8 percent in February, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

The ESC says 102,809 residents were unemployed in March in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord area.

Read more at the Charlotte Business Journal.

Doors open at 7, the presentations begin at 7:30!

It’s that time again!  Dharma Lounge is hosting Pecha Kucha, a gathering of creative and innovative minds to present on a variety of forward thinking topics designed to intrigue and fortify Charlotte’s culture.

From the press kit:

Born in Tokyo a few years ago, “Pecha Kucha” – Japanese for the sound of conversation – is a unique show-and-tell social event where local creatives from all disciplines present 20 slides for 20 seconds each – an exhilarating kaleidoscope of inspirations, ideas and work.  It is an opportunity for people in their communities to express their opinions, share their observations and work out ideas, to a diverse and broad audience in a casual supportive social environment, akin to an intellectual happy hour.

There will be 10 presenters, all presenting 20 slides. Each slide will be 20 seconds long. Check out the roster:

1. Austin Ballard and Paige Cochran
2. Jeff Cravotta
3. “El Negrito”
4. Valaida Fullwood
5. Paul Gibson
6. Jack Kirven & Annie Vereen
7. Kym Motley
8. Nikki Mueller
9. Bradley Kirk Turnage
10. D. I. von Briesen

Interested? You should be! This is one of the events in Charlotte that generates an immense amount of discussion and residual creative energy! CLT Blog is proud to be tech advisor &  media partner for this event, joining Dugg Dugg and Point8 Forum.

Further information:

http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/charlotte/ or catch the chatter at #PKNCLT on Twitter!

1440 South Tryon Street, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28203

704-236-9314

Links

http://www.point8.org/pechakucha

http://www.dharmacharlotte.com/

http://www.duggdugg.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10309242@N02/ – View the rest of the photo set here!

Did you know Charlotte in the 2000 Census only had 63-68% participation rates? It’s true. Think about all of the federal money we missed out on because people didn’t return their census!!!!

Lately the 2010 Census Bureau has been hitting the airwaves, billboards and tv ads pretty hard to encourage people to complete the paperwork the Bureau sends. I know I personally got mail yesterday reminding me that the form is on it’s way so you might have also seen that.

They’ve been stressing how important it is that our community get the best shot it can at the $400 billion dollars in federal funding that is on the line. What they aren’t doing is advertising some things as strongly that I feel are just as important. So, here’s my list of the top 5 most important things to know about the 2010 census:

1. It’s important that you report everyone in the household, including infants. The census is only taken once a decade. By the time the next census comes around those babies will be kids and they deserve the benefit of a community with adequate funding while they grow up! Don’t forget to include them!
2. In terms of your privacy, here’s what it’s illegal for the U.S. Census Bureau to publish or disclose:
   

   • Names
   • Addresses including GPS coordinates
   • Social Security numbers
   • Telephone numbers

   Title 13 of the U.S. Code protects the confidentiality of all your information and violating this law is a crime with severe penalties. In addition, other federal laws, including the Confidential Statistical Efficiency Act and the Privacy Act reinforce these protections. * Private information is never published

3. It’s really selfish to refuse to complete the 2010 Census information as a political protest. Why? Because the Census isn’t micromanaged by the Whitehouse. It reports to the Secretary of Commerce. Yes the information reaches the President in a report but those with political qualms with the Nation’s Leadership are hurting their neighbors by denying them the chance at federal money for better  hospitals, improved schools and senior centers, more job training centers, etc. If you don’t like your lot in the community now, it’s definitely not going to improve if you refuse to fill out the census form, regardless of who is in office or what party currently holds the most influence.
4. Since the very first census in 1790, the U.S. Census Bureau has always counted all people, regardless of citizenship status. Which brings us to:
5. The US Census is prohibited by law to give the information you report about your household to Immigration (or any other government agency for that matter).
   

   All Census Bureau employees take the oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

So, Charlotte, I know you know it’s important to fill out the forms the U.S. Census Bureau sends but the above are not only reasons why but also hopefully shed some light on this national endeavor launched this month. I hope it was helpful!

Additional reading: http://www.census.gov/

Do you know something important I didn’t mention or have an interesting  story about this census?  We’d would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

FEATURED POST RESPONSE:

Matt Comer, editor @ Q Notes, North and South Carolina’s prominent LGBT media source, left a really informative response to this post! This is definitely another very important thing to know about the 2010 U.S. Census! Thanks Matt!  – Desiree

photo: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr

Tuesday evening CLTBlog-tographer James Willamor and I had the most amazing opportunity to cover a speech given by the Former President of Mexico. He was in town with the Former First Lady, Marta, speaking at the Charlotte Museum of History for their Distinguished Speaker Series. Even better, I got to ask him a question!

Read more to see what he had to say:

Desiree Kane:  What way do you feel that the people of the United States most misunderstand the people of Mexico?

President Fox:  “You know people-to-people we understand each other very well.  I don’t say we all eat hamburgers or hotdogs, tacos a and tostadas. But People to people, it’s true. We have the most extended and warm relationship. When it moves to the political arena, when it moves to nation-to-nation, then we move to show the differences.

When you have the Lou Dobbs’ with ½ an hour of prime time television being so aggressive to Mexican people, so disgusting the way he speaks, then you create this aggressiveness but besides that I would say again people-to-people we have a great relationship.  

And this 22-24 million Mexicans that are here, half documented, half not documented, but all of them working and working hard for you, for your family; Building your homes, building the roads, collecting apples in Washington State, collecting the vegetables in California, doing the services in New York. That’s why Mr. Bloomberg mentioned, the mayor of New York, said the city would collapse if it were not for the immigrants working there.

So, we understand each other, we work well. We have to find a way to combat reform, immigration reform. It’s not talking borders. It’s not to let anybody come in or go out, no. It’s to regulate what is unregulated, it’s to bring order to where there is more or less disorder of the man, to bring legality and recognition to the work that is being done by these people.  

We just have a great dinner with President Bush, 1 week ago and all of the other people sitting in that room were Mexicans, very, very lovely Mexicans. The same thing happens in many homes here in the United States. Let’s build up that partnership up with order, with legality and with prosperity.”

 

photos: James Willamor; view this slideshow on Flickr

A little over a month ago Foursquare, the location-based social media scavenger hunt/game, chose inclusion for Charlotte in it’s then very elite list of cities supported by the app/website. In no time at all we’ve seen local/independent business are getting in on the Foursquare e-gold rush.  We’ve already covered UNC Charlotte, so here are the first three to emerge that aren’t at the University.

+ Villa Francesca

@Villa Francesca: Show that you’ve checked in on Foursquare and get a Free Half Dozen Garlic Knots!

+ Big Daddy’s Burger Bar

@ Big Daddy’s Burger Bar: Come by Big Daddy’s to redeem your Mayor reward! Rewards are subject to change.

+ Blynk Organic

@ Blynk Organic: If it’s after 2pm, show that you’ve checked in on Foursquare & get a free pastry with any coffee or hot tea purchase!

What’s interesting about these businesses, and ultimately what I think is interesting about Foursquare (or any other location based social network for that matter), is the clever design in which they are collecting consumer data.  It’s smart on the behalf of Foursquare to offer this data as incentives for Charlotte businesses to participate with their start-up and it’s smart of businesses to use this same data to really target their core audience. By offering almost predominantly smart phone available service they’re already targeting a cross section of society with disposable income. Business and Foursquare makes sense but it feels like,  and perhaps it’s because it’s still so new, like Foursquare has forgotten about the same audience they and the businesses are after: the end user, the proverbial “urban explorers”.

That said, all I want for Charlotte Foursquare Christmas 2009 is:

1. I need more of something when I check in some place. I want to be able to click on the name of a location and pull up their webpage, or even cooler, some sort of multi-media. Click on a location that is a business and you get not a commercial but a showcase of  crowd-sourced video content. Charlotte has a lot of unique places that I discover randomly and infrequently but really cherish. If I had a mini-tour guide in my hand, with data populated by people I follow,  I’d be much more apt to step outside of my regular haunts. That’s the whole purpose of Foursquare, isn’t it? It’d really help people explore places within the Queen City. Also – If I can’t get streaming video, can I at least get TwitPic supported and some way to attach pictures to locations?
2. Closer communication with the company when, say, they change the nuances of how you play the actual game part of Foursquare. For example: A couple of weeks ago I got a point when I checked in anywhere, now I only get points if I check in someplace that I’m not mayor. I’m not mad, I just felt like I would have liked to know this info since they’re pitching it as a game (thus the “Leaderboard”).  All of the info I needed isn’t readily available.  Googling “Foursquare rules” is a complete mess when you’re looking for information that isn’t about the sport and when I search the only search field they offer for “rules” the only thing I get is a listing for a hair salon. Not.intuitive.at.all. Can a girl get a Foursquare.com/blog post?
3. Directory Services – If they’re going to be trying to garner the attention of businesses, HELLO you should tell people WHAT businesses they can choose from. What good are coupons if no one knows where they can be used in their area?!
4. Google Street View support – I think this goal is too lofty for Foursquare if I assume it’s on the same hardware options they have now. Street View would be such a battery suck that either everyone would hate it or no one would use it. I think phones will have to evolve more before this can be realized. It’s still stimulating to think about!
5. Friends Integration – I want to be able to communicate easier with my friends. I can “shout” to everyone I play with but I can’t DM anyone if they don’t have Twitter.
6. Put LOCATION in location-based! I want to see who is in a radius of the area I’m in so I can meet up with people! I want to be able to control in my privacy settings who’s radius I show up within most importantly.
7. Badges – So, you get badges because you check in places that have been tagged via the web with a certain keyword a certain amount of times, with a certain number of the opposite sex, etc. When I create a new location, which earns me points, I have no options to tag the venue. This pretty much makes the badges, which could be a fun feature, pretty much the most anticlimactic feature of this “game”. The real value in the iPhone app is seeing where my friends are and finding new, trendy venues or quality cultural cuisine. Badges make me go “Oh, neat.” when I get them but I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be motivated to get them and I’m not. I am highly motivated by a Foursquare exclusive deal though, I will say that. Maybe I just need a badge to strive for called “Exclusive” for earning the most mayoral deals or something.
8. Pinging - I’d like to be able to set a ping to trigger when a friend checks in at a certain location without having to turn on pings for that person and get every.single.notification.for.every.place.they.go. I like my friends but somewhere you have to draw the line. LOL For example: I know that if I see a group of people I know check in at Jackelope Jacks on a weeknight that I can stop by and see my friends sing and hang out during karaoke. I don’t need to know when one person is all up on Lantana or checked in @ Pinch Mobile every time they’re driving peanut to his chess lessons.
9. Foursquare for B2B- For businesses to business operations Foursquare has potential. For example: A small parcel delivery company could have their own webportal where they follow only a certain number of delivery drivers who check in at every place they stop instead of calling in to dispatch. Geo location would keep employees honest about where they are when they check in if they are checking in as they’re supposed to.  Foursquare already has the data and is recording the metrics of their users. Heck, it presents some of the data & metrics they collect to the user, imagine the extent of data quality you can get if you’re a business and willing to pay for it! Again, good for businesses, ingenious for Foursquare.  These folks would substantially help build the infrastructure of Charlotte’s Foursquare maps &locations as well. This segways into:
10. Lists – I hate to say it because dividing people you know into groups is kind of cliche but I’d love to privately be able to see only where a certain list of people is at any time. If you follow any significant number of people it becomes difficult to figure out who is where. Foursquare’s time contingent approach to updates doesn’t help me figure out who is at a party or location. If they check in over a couple of hours, it gets confusing. In the business sector lists could be fantastic for managing any number of remote employees, logging time spent on-site at client offices by measuring time in between check-ins, etc. The value for the logistics field is pronounced and Charlotte is an inter-modal transportation hot bed. Think of how activists could even manage themselves with Foursquare if they had the hardware. Flash mobs?