Firstly thanks for taking the time to read this! I'm very nervous as I write this, putting your idea out there is scary stuff!
Anyway, I have an idea on how we Cantabrians can band together to help our local businesses who are struggling still after all these jolly quakes.
My idea is this, we utilise the power of the social networking site Foursquare, which is a location-based site where users "check-in" to venues to meet up with friends, earn virtual badges and take advantage of deals offered by venues through the site.
I am going to propose to the Foursquare business development team that they create a special badge for Christchurch users to earn by checking in to participating shops, restaurants, bars, etc. I'm hoping to team up with the Christchurch City Business Association to coincide with the Boxing Day sale replay they are planning for next month. (I've already contacted Paul Lonsdale at CCBA and he sounds interested, fingers crossed!)
In short, venues in Christchurch as well as the Waimak and Selwyn regions could sign up to be a participating venue simply by contacting me and getting on the list, then I request Foursquare to make the badge and all going well users can start earning it by simply "checking-in" to a certain number of the participating venues on their mobile phones or laptops while out and about enjoying our wonderful city and surrounding area! There is no cost to either the businesses or customers, which is the best part!
I'll be encouraging the businesses to offer discounts or specials to users through Foursquare which will help entice them into their venue but it won't be compulsory! (Foursquare makes it really easy to do this AND it shows up on the mobile app that there is a special nearby to help draw the punters in!)
Hopefully then I'll be able to offer prizes to users who earn the virtual badge (and I'm hoping venues will offer specials to them also such as "Free beer if you show your Foursquare badge" etc!)
So why am I telling you guys? Well, I feel that the project will have a much better chance of succeeding if I can find some well known Cantabs to add some clout to it! I know from past events and campaigns that you both follow your heart on these things and I'm really hoping one or both of you will want to get behind this initiative to help our local businesses survive in the aftermath of an event which rocked our region in more ways that one! I'm just a stay-at-home mum but I know that by clever use of social media I can make a difference if someone is willing to take a chance on my idea! I won't be getting any money out of this, I'm just putting in my spare time to hopefully get the right people together for something I feel passionate about, the city my daughters were born in, where my family are, my home; Christchurch!
If you made it all the way to the end, I thank you sincerely! There are more details on my website: http://7point1squared.blogspot.com and I can be contacted either at this email address or by phone on 021 162 0821 or on twitter, my username is @7point1squared
Warmest regards,
Rachel Dunlop
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