Need a
quality source at a certain venue? Find the mayor for it on @foursquare. Use the mayor’s links to @twitter and @facebook for contact info.
In a breaking news situation, you can generally easily get sound or quotes from the officials, but you want some regular folks. Sometimes we end up talking to whomever is there, whether they know much or not.
On the social media platform, Foursquare, the mayor is the person who has checked in at that venue the most. He or she might know a lot about that place or what’s been happening there. So see if you can track down him or her.
You likely won’t find that mayor’s full name or phone number on Foursquare, but many people put links to their twitter and facebook links. Go there and see if the person lists an email. Or some people list a hometown and you can use that with an internet phone book, to get a phone number.
Okay, it may not always work. But it takes you less than 90 seconds to see if it does. I’d say that’s worth trying. And when it works, you on your way to having a better story.
If this tip has worked for you, or you know another way to use Foursquare in reporting, please leave a comment.