Philly Celebrates National Foursquare Day. Are you checking in today? The tech-savvy in Philadelphia certainly are. April 16 is National Foursquare Day (you see how they did that? 4 squared equals 16), and Philadelphia is celebrating in its own unique way. National Foursquare Day is when communities plan events or lectures to encourage mass check-in’s on the service. Believe it or not, foursquare spans over 15 million people worldwide, according to January statistics.

Foursquare, for those unfamiliar, is the location-based check-in service that alerts friends to your whereabouts. More than that, they offer specific discounts at certain venues based on your check-in activity (and if you link up your account with your American Express card, even direct discounts to your monthly statement).

To celebrate the big day, the marketing folks at Visit Philly have put together a foursquare list of 16 places around town that involve a “square” (from Washington Square to Squareburger and more). At one of the 16 locations, they will be giving away a prize at 4:16 p.m.

Additionally, the folks at the Social Media Club of Philadelphia along with The20’s @anniemal (among others) have organized “The Philly Foursquare Games,” a Hunger Games-like competition of squarefour, the popular game we all remember from when we were kids. Their event takes place at 7:30 tonight at the Marion Anderson Recreation Center and it is free to attend (though the teams are already set).

Oh, and a quick plug: don’t forget to follow NBC10 on foursquare.

-LD

[foursquare, Visit Philly, Philly Foursquare Games, Squarefour.org]

Photo: foursquare

Like Pinterest and Instagram? Check out Pingram. As social media continues to grow and evolve, two user favorites have been mashed together to create one service. Called Pingram (and notably still in beta testing), it combines the look of Pinterest with Instagram photos, allowing you to view Instagram photos that have been (literally) pinned. But why Pinterest and Instagram? Instagram, the free photo sharing application that allows users to take a photo, apply a digital filter, then share it socially, recently passed 25 million users (according to The Next Web), and Pinterest is the social network of the moment that lets its 12 million-and-counting users collect and share digital images and link them to websites.

The new site is the work of Italian web developer Gennaro Varriale, who tells Mashable:

“I love Instagram and use it frequently. I also use Pinterest and I love collecting photos in boards. While I was searching [for] a way to pin my Instagram photo, I got this idea — A simple way to share Instagram photos with a clean interface, similar to Pinterest inside a vanity url page.”

Are you a Pinterest or Instagram addict? Have you tried Pingram? Thoughts?

-LD

[Pinterest, Instagram, The Next Web, Mashable, h/t @anniemal]

Photo: Pingram.me

Does Chris Brown and Rihanna Working Together Bother You? Chris Brown and Rihanna are back together, at least musically. Two songs featuring the young singers were released on the web late Monday, Brown singing on a remix of Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake” and Rihanna on Brown’s “Turn Up the Music.”

The collaborations have received a great deal of attention from the media and from fans. It was at a pre-Grammy Awards party in 2009 that Brown attacked his then-girlfriend Rihanna. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge and is serving five years of probation. In 2011, a judge eased a restraining order that had required Brown to stay 50 yards away from Rihanna to only 10 yards if they were at a music industry event. Fans are reacting to the new collaborations on both sides of the argument.

From MTV.com reader “KringleChick”:

“Loving both of these songs. Glad they were able to put the music first and let everything else stay behind. Both are great artists and these songs rock. Their voices are amazing together!”

On the other side at MTV.com is LP54, saying:

“Why, Rihanna? Why? I know for lots of people it’s just a song, but for others it’s their role model saying it’s okay.”

Members of The20 also weighed in:

“@anniemal: Rihanna, you’re on your own. Next…” (editor’s note: spelling corrected)

“@cristinmcgrath: I feel a certain way about Rihanna. She used that situation to reinvent herself. I feel like her & Chris back together = a big “FU” to fans.”

What are your thoughts on Chris Brown and Rihanna working together in light of their history?

-LD

[Youtube, NBC Philadelphia, MTV, @anniemal, @cristinmcgrath]

Photo: Getty Images

PR Lessons Learned From the Penn State Scandal. The Penn State story has been a lesson in what not to do in terms of crisis management from a public relations perspective. In a world filled with social media and news literally happening and breaking 24/7, companies (and in this case a university) cannot afford to wait or mishandle a major news event. It requires preparation, and considering the state of Pennsylvania was working on a two-year investigation, the school should have been ready for this. CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell wrote a piece today entitled “Penn State Gets an ‘F’ In Crisis Management 101.” In it, he says:

“What makes things worse is that Penn State somehow has been completely unprepared to address the charges since authorities indicted former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and arrested administrators Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley on charges of failing to report and perjury in front of a federal grand jury.”

We asked The20’s @AmyZQuinn, a journalist, teacher and graduate of Penn State, along with @anniemal, a Philadelphia-based social media and public relations professional, to weigh in on what the school has done well, what they’ve done poorly and what can be learned in terms of PR. Their responses are below.

What have they done well?

@amyzquinn: “The only thing I think the university itself has done that rings true, PR-wise, is the statement the Trustees put out Tuesday night. Forceful, obviously angry, and forward-looking. Unfortunately it came a full day too late. Paterno’s statement, while obviously well-crafted, struck a sincere, authentic and heartbreaking note. The front-step pep rally on Tuesday night was a bit much for my taste, but I doubt we’ll see more of that.”

@anniemal: “There’s very little they’ve done well up to this point. The first beacon of hope I’ve seen is Paterno’s statement, issued today. It’s thoughtfully crafted and masterfully worded.”

What did they do wrong?

@amyzquinn: “From a legal perspective, it’s obvious why the university can’t let President Spanier make any kind of public statement — after all, the prosecutors haven’t said he’s clear of prosecution, the way they did with Paterno. But there is a sense of a vacuum of leadership right now. The trustees tend to be a largely faceless group, unknown to most students and alumni, so with Spanier in seclusion and Paterno on his way out, there’s no one person to look to.”

@anniemal: Just about everything. They waited too long to address the allegations after the story had gone wide online and in mainstream media, they seem to have little to no university position on the allegations, communication to the student body seems to be non-existent (based on how the students are reacting) and canceling Paterno’s press conference was a misstep. There’s a lasagna theory to crisis. When that lasagna is cooking, people can smell it. And they’re hungry. Hold off from serving it and they’ll break your door down for it. Cut them a sliver and they’ll be hungry for more. Best thing to do is serve the whole thing and let them gorge themselves. Often you find they’ll eat less when it’s all on the table.

What lessons can be learned?

@amyzquinn: That silence and hubris are destructive. That sometimes our love and belief in something larger than ourselves can blind us to horrifying truths. That we all like to think we’d do something to stop a child rape happening in front of our own eyes, but we can never really be sure. That while Penn State is a worldwide family of millions of people who share a common blue-and-white gene, Penn State is also a business.

@anniemal: Best insight I’ve heard thus far on the case came from Darren Rovell on twitter: What Penn State teaches us: Fail to manage the crisis & in today’s world, you have no chance. 

Rovell says it best at the end of his post:

“What allegedly happened and how the chain of command failed is devastating. But as we’ve seen with other scandals, the inability to deal with something that went wrong in the right way makes things worse. The web, and now Twitter, require that the necessary reaction time be quicker than ever before, which means you have to have a plan before the news hits. Unfortunately, for Penn State, the best case study in crisis management for the kids that take that course at their school, will likely now be their own.”

-LD

[@darrenrovell, CNBC, @anniemal, @amyzquinn]

Photo: Getty Images

The 20 Remembers Steve Jobs. When news broke Wednesday evening of Steve Jobs’ death at age 56, the Internet (including Twitter) blew up. According to Australian social media monitoring agency SR7, the death of Jobs was likely to break Twitter’s current record of 8,868 tweets per second, set when Beyonce announced her pregnancy at the VMA’s. MSNBC compiled a terrific reaction around the web, and locally, The20 reacted with the following:

@christopherwink, quoting a 2010 speech from Jobs: “One of my beliefs, very strongly, is that any democracy depends on a free, healthy press…. Some of these papers — news and editorial gathering organizations — are really important. I don’t want to see us descend into a nation of bloggers myself.

@AmyZQuinn: “Last night I told my 10-yo Steve Jobs had died.His response: “Good thing Steve put Tim Cook there to take over.” Why does he even KNOW that?”

@BrianPHickey: “Thank God Twitter didn’t exist when Thomas Edison or Henry Ford died.”

@geekadelphia: “You’ve got to find what you love.” Best. Advice. Ever. We’ll miss you, Steve. http://ow.ly/6OOH8”

@dhm: “So, I think people are making pilgrimages to Apple Stores to honor Steve Jobs.”

@CristinMcGrath: “Apple.com is beautiful. So simplistic. A perfect goodbye.”

@CristinMcGrath: “At 56, Steve Jobs did more than many do in their lifetimes. If I could complete half as much as he did by the time I die, I will be happy.”

@marclamonthill: “RIP Steve Jobs”

@ryanlawrence21: “Yup. Macbook. RT @mattchew03: It’s crazy to think about how many people are sharing the news of Steve Jobs’ death using devices he invented.”

@anniemal: “Thoughts with Steve Jobs’ family. Never easy to let someone who is such a force of life, go.”

If you have 15 minutes today to spend remembering Steve jobs, watch this amazing commencement speech Jobs gave at Stanford University in 2005. Our question to you: what impact did Steve Jobs have on your life?

-LD

[Digital Spy, Technolog, @christopherwink, @amyzquinn, @brianphickey, @geekadelphia, @dhm, @CristinMcGrath, @marclamonthill, @ryanlawrence21, @anniemal, Youtube]

Photo: Apple.com

Getting to Know Mike Kafka. When Mike Vick bit his tongue and was concussed Sunday Night in Atlanta, the Eagles turned to a little-heralded gunslinger (especially when you consider the other two quarterbacks on the team’s active roster) named Mike Kafka. And Kafka looked good, completing 7 of 9 passes for 72 yards. You can believe whatever doctor you decide, but it’s iffy that #7 plays this Sunday in the home opener against the Giants, and Vince Young still has a sore hamstring.

How bad is it? Slate.com says “Michael Vick’s Head Injury is the NFL’s Worst Nightmare.” Which means more #3. But who is Mike Kafka? Some snippets from the Eagles 2011 media guide on the Northwestern alum:

• His favorite musical artists are John Mayer, Dave Matthews, and Jason Mraz.
• Albert Einstein is the person he’d most like to have lunch with. 
• His bucket list includes skydiving and going into a shark tank.
• He attempted an Outback Bowl record 78 passes against Auburn in 2010.
• He was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Eagles.
• His favorite TV shows include The Simpsons, Family Guy and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia  
• His first job growing up was working at a food stand at Taste of Chicago, an annual festival of local restaurants.

And reactions from The20’s @anniemal, full of literary references:

@anniemal: Are we watching Kafka’s Metamorphosis? What? someone had to say it. #Eagles

@anniemal: YES “@wbender99: I’ll take Kafka over Eli Manning

How do you feel about Kafka running the Birds offense?

-LD

[Birds Nest, Slate, @anniemal]

Photo: Getty Images