Electronic Cash Payment Platform Dwolla Goes Free for Transactions Under $10

Our friends at Dwolla made an announcement today that could be a big boon for independent businesses with a high humber of low-dollar transactions. Customers can now make a cash-funded electronic purchase of $10 or less with no fees for either the customer or the merchant.

Since we haven't covered Dwolla yet on the Change blog, here's a quick rundown:

• Dwolla is a cash-funded electronic payment platform you can use to pay for pretty much anything, whether you're buying coffee at Mars Cafe, paying for an order of shirts at Eight Seven Central, or just sending some money to a Facebook friend to pay them back for lunch.
• Dwolla does NOT use credit cards. Users connect bank accounts (so existing cash, not new credit) to their Dwolla account to add and withdraw money.
• Dwolla transactions above $10 cost a quarter regardless of size ($11 or $11,000). Depending on the situation, the 25 cents will be charged either to the sender or the recipient.

While that 25 cent fee may not seem like much -- especially compared to credit card interchange fees -- it can still add up. Dwolla CEO Ben Milne specifically calls out the benefit to independent businesses on the announcement post:

Small businesses are something we genuinely care about. In our heads, the idea of Dwolla getting 25 cents for a 2 dollar coffee just sounds silly… It’s like using an AmEx card to buy a banana.

I've always felt silly (and more than a little guilty when at an independent business) when using a credit card to purchase something small, so there's definitely an emotional appeal to Dwolla's new fee-free transaction tier.

Dwolla is promising more big announcements later this month as their one-year anniversary approaches. Keep an eye on this blog and follow us on Twitter for news about updates like this.

Bonus: Check out this article on the Dwolla blog about how to get started taking Dwolla at your business.

Google Maps Adds Floor Plans, Android-Only for Now

Google Maps just released an update that should be of particular interest to business owners with public locations not located on a ground-floor or located within a larger structure such as a mall. You can now upload floor plans (photos, blueprints, or whatever is available) and arrange and pin them to an existing address on Google Maps. Google is just now testing out this feature, so the only people who will be able to access your floor plan are Google Maps for Android users. While that may sound limited, Android phones currently make up just over 50% of the global smartphone market. Translation: a lot of people looking up your business on their mobile phones will have access to this feature.

This is one of those you-need-it-or-you-don't features, but if customers ever have trouble finding your business after they get inside a main entrance or hop off the elevator, Google Maps Floor Plans could really save the day.

This video from Google explains the process of adding a floor plan:

Not sure where to get a floor plan? Check the file cabinet for paperwork from when you originally leased or purchased your location. If you sublet or simply weren't involved in acquiring the space, consider talking to your landlord or other business owners in your building to see if they have any ideas.

New FourSquare Emphasizes Experts, Discovery

Trendspotting: Review Everything, Reward Tastemakers

When I'm trying to figure out where to grab dinner or what to order at a new restaurant, nothing is more powerful than a personal recommendation from a friend -- for now, at least. Two tech trends are making it easier to get the power of the personal recommendation out of strangers, too:

• Trend One: Encourage reviews of anything and everything, even the chairs.
• Trend Two: Identify and reward tastemakers and influencers.

In this series, I'm examining three apps leading the way in these trends.

Part 1: Nosh | Part 2: Oink | Part 3: Foursquare Badges (You're Reading It)

Foursquare Wants you to Check Out Businesses Before You "Check In"

Foursquare (styled foursquare, with a lower-case "f") is a social network of over 15 million users. Most people are familiar with foursquare as a way to "check in" to physical places in the real world, meaning: you use a mobile app to pull up a list of nearby locations, choose one, and announce "I'm here!" to your friends on foursquare and other connected social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

One of the more popular features on foursquare is the ability to become "Mayor" of a location you check in to frequently. At a minimum, being Mayor earns you digital bragging rights, but many businesses use the Mayor status to reward loyal customers with special discounts or even their own mug, seat, or parking space. Foursquare users can also collect badges for certain behavior like checking in with a large group of people (Swarm badge) or checking in to three different locations that have photobooths (Photogenic badge).

With a commanding presence in the location-based check-in category already established, foursquare has turned their attention toward getting users to rely on foursquare not just for discovering things nearby, but for deciding where to go in the first place. Foursquare lists, an overhauled website, and badges that "level up" are new features that land foursquare in this trendspotting series.

Trend One: Lists, Tips and To-Dos Trump Reviews

Foursquare doesn't have any one particular feature you would consider a "review", but that doesn't stop users from sharing their opinion about their favorite (and not-so-favorite) businesses. For example, by visiting the page for Gateway Market & Cafe, a local specialty grocer and restaurant, I can find the following:

• 24 photos -- including snaps of cafe items, groceries, patrons, and a display of pumpkins
• how many people have checked in (over 1,200)
• foursquare lists the business appears in (including "Top 100 Restaurants" by a local entertainment guide and "Vegan Friendly" by our designer, Amanda)
• dozens of tips left by customers, like this one: "Stopping by for lunch? A half salad will be more than enough to fill you up. The Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad is the best on the menu."

Foursquare's users have given me a very complete picture of Gateway Market without relying on a traditional rating and review system. Users can curate lists of anything they can think of, like their favorite lunch spots, the best coffee in town, or locally-owned businesses.

Trend Two: Coffee Expert? Prove It

Badges are a big part of the foursquare culture, and they just got a major upgrade in the form of, well, upgrading! Users that check into a handful of different coffee shops will earn the "Fresh Brew" badge. As that user checks in to more and more coffee shops, their badge will upgrade to a higher level. Conceivably, a tip encouraging you to try the Americano would have more sway coming from a fully-upgraded Fresh Brew badge holder.

My Recommendation

Unlike the previous entries in this series (Nosh and Oink), foursquare is a well-established network of people sharing information about local businesses. Whether you run a bowling alley, bistro, or bodega, at a bare minimum you should visit this page and follow foursquare's instructions for claiming your location. Make sure all the information about your establishment is correct, and take some time to look over the check-ins and tips already connected to your business. Foursquare's recent updates make it easier than ever to suss out what influential customers are saying about your business and what people's favorite things are about your establishment. If you don't find yourself having as much time as you'd like to survey or interview your customers, the information flowing through foursquare is a great way to check your pulse.

Advanced tip: A big frustration for foursquare addicts is when an employee of a business is the Mayor. This is not encouraged, and prevents loyal customers from vying for the title. Foursquare allows you to identify users as employees so they can still check in, but won't be eligible for the Mayorship. You can find where to do this on the right-hand side of the "Manager Tools" page once you've claimed your venue.

Customers Earn "Cred", Review Anything with Oink

Trendspotting: Review Everything, Reward Tastemakers

When I'm trying to figure out where to grab dinner or what to order at a new restaurant, nothing is more powerful than a personal recommendation from a friend -- for now, at least. Two tech trends are making it easier to get the power of the personal recommendation out of strangers, too:

• Trend One: Encourage reviews of anything and everything, even the chairs.
• Trend Two: Identify and reward tastemakers and influencers.

In this series, I'm examining three apps leading the way in these trends.

Part 1: Nosh | Part 2: Oink (You're reading it!) | Part 3: Foursquare Badges (Coming soon)

Build Influence and Review Anything With Oink

Oink is the newest kid pig on the block. Their Oink Builder app, currently available for iPhone, is relying on eager early-adopters to flesh out the system with lots of item reviews before their full launch. It's still early for Oink, but they have a sharp team. Early excitement around Oink's launch portends well for its future success.

I reached out to Daniel Burka, one of Oink's designers, for a little more insight.

"Business owners will find particular value in Oink because they can easily track which items at their business are most popular," Burka said. "People like the macchiato but hate the drip coffee? People like the art on the walls but hate the buzzing flies? These are things people have Oinked in just the past couple of days."

Trend One: Review Anything and Everything

In an effort to distinguish their product from other review platforms (like Nosh, covered previously), Oink allows you to rate and review pretty much anything under the sun. I came across a review by the Oink team for the balcony seating at a cafe they frequent. My wife reviewed a specific painting by one of her favorite artists. It's not just for restaurants, either -- some of the top reviewed items on Oink are related products and software by Apple.

Oinkers can choose from four options when adding their Oink:

• Love it (heart)
• Like it (thumbs-up)
• Ho-hum (sideways thumb)
• Dislike it (thumbs-down

After rating it, users have the option of leaving a brief written review as well as sharing their review on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Foursquare.

Trend Two: Experts Earn "Cred"

Oink features a "Cred" system that allows users to select categories they want to gain cred (credibility) in to demonstrate their influence. Suggested cred tags include beer, coffee, fashion, and pizza, but users can add their own, too. Users earn cred by Oinking (the thumbs-up/thumbs-down feature), adding a written review, or even just adding a photos.

Sometimes it takes a few taps to get there, but you can dive-in and find a mini-profile of every reviewer on the system and see what they have cred in. If someone leaves a particularly glowing (or scathing) review of one of your dishes or a particular t-shirt design, for example, you could check and see what kind of Cred they have in food or t-shirts to gain even more insight into how you're doing and what kind of influence that review might have.

My Recommendation

Oink is seeing heavy use from early tech adopters -- the kind of people that tend to be influencers in general. Given the all-inclusive nature of the review categories, as well as the ability to find the "best things" within a mile of you or across the entire world, having your business, brand, and best items on Oink seems like a smart bet.

Burka recommends business owners do a little work up front to help generate more reviews.

"We'd love to see business owners adding their menu or products to Oink and then encourage their patrons to rate them – not only will the business owner know what's best about their business, but their patrons will be broadcasting their opinions to all of their friends," Burka said.

Use the social media tools already available to you to encourage your superfans to add and rate items on Oink. I imagine it won't be long before you start seeing businesses proudly announcing they have the best whatever in the city, state, or world as rated by Oink users. (Pssst...Red Robin currently has the "best" French Fries in the world as rated by Oink users. I bet there's an independent restaurant out there with fries that blow their's out of the water. Get Oinking!)

Nosh Asks Customers to Review Your Menu, Not Your Location

Trendspotting: Review Everything, Reward Tastemakers

When I'm trying to figure out where to grab dinner or what to order at a new restaurant, nothing is more powerful than a personal recommendation from a friend -- for now, at least. Two tech trends are making it easier to get the power of the personal recommendation out of strangers, too:

• Trend One: Encourage reviews of anything and everything, even the chairs.
• Trend Two: Identify and reward tastemakers and influencers.

In this series, I'm examining three apps leading the way in these trends.

Part 1: Nosh (You're reading it!) | Part 2: Oink (Coming soon) | Part 3: Foursquare Badges (Coming soon)

Nosh asks: What's good here?

Nosh encourages users to rate, review, and photograph food and drink items as they visit restaurants and cafes. Nosh is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS. You can also access your profile, friends and reviews via their website.

Trend One: Reviewing the Menu, Not the Location

To add a rating, or "Nosh", users first select a location from a list of nearby restaurants, bars, and cafes. Any menu items that have already been noshed at that location (by anyone) will show up. Users can add menu items that aren’t already listed.

I hadn’t used Nosh previously, but I was able to add, rate and review the Vegetarian Burrito at nearby Court Avenue Brewing Co. in just a few seconds.

One interesting feature is the ability to mark your all-time favorite and least-favorite dishes. Your profile displays how long a certain item has been your favorite, giving it a kind of “king of the hill” vibe.

Trend Two: Identifying Influencers

Nosh doesn’t currently offer much in the way of identifying influential users beyond your group of friends. For now at least, Nosh prioritizes information about your own dining habits and reviews from people you already knew somehow (such as Facebook and Twitter connections).

Nosh didn’t go over great for me because not a single Facebook friend or Twitter follower of mine is on Nosh. Chicken and the egg and all that. However, I could definitely see myself using Nosh to help make dinner plans during a weekend getaway. As a vegetarian on a gluten-free diet, I am a pain in the behind to pick restaurants with -- it's nice to be able to rely on additional insight from actual customers when picking a place to eat. It usually only takes one enthusiastic review from a fellow veg to win me over.

My Recommendation

Scope it out. Apps like Nosh tend to spread quickly within tight-knit circles, meaning there may already be a healthy contingent of Noshers in your neck of the woods making recommendations. If, instead, it seems to be a ghost town, you can probably safely ignore Nosh for now.

Given the obvious advantages of identifying and encouraging influencers, and how easy it would be to add such a system to Nosh, I imagine it won't be long until we see the service gain that functionality as well. When that happens, it will definitely be worth another look.