ADVERTISING AGE — In a study published on Monday, Forrester finds that location-based social platforms are too small for major marketers to concern themselves with. At least for now. The reasoning Forrester gives is that location-based start-ups are still too small for major marketers to take great advantage of. Regardless of its current scale, here are four reasons why at 360i we're including Foursquare and other location-based social networks in our client thinking today...

ADVERTISING AGE — Starbucks has a well-earned rep as an outstanding marketer that really does get social media. Which is why it didn't surprise me it was an early adopter on Foursquare. What did surprise me: When I went to take advantage of Starbucks' recently ended Foursquare promotion, neither the barista nor the manager had any idea what I was talking about. So much for cashing in on my mayorship with a discounted caramel frappuccino. Really, Starbucks? How difficult is it to send an e-mail to your managers outlining the campaign details?...

ADVERTISING AGE — Marketers, hold off on Foursquare -- for now. That's the verdict of Forrester Research on location-based start-ups, which, despite their reputation as the hot new media, are still too small for major marketers. The research firm finds that these heavily-hyped apps currently make sense mainly for brands seeking male influencers. In a study out today, Forrester finds that only 4% of U.S. online adults have ever used location-based mobile apps such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt. Only 1% update these services more than once per week. What's more, 84% of respondents said they are not familiar with such apps, leaving the vast majority of Americans online still in the dark about location-based apps, which have had the marketing world obsessing over them in recent months...

ADVERTISING AGE — Shared links have a longer shelf life on Facebook than Twitter, and Buzzfeed sends more traffic through re-shares than direct clicks. That's two of the things my agency learned when we launched a stealth social-media experiment through a site we created called Jerzify Yourself. Jerzify Yourself was created in January of this year, a week after the season one finale of the popular MTV show "Jersey Shore" that attracted an audience of 4.8 million. The site, written in a few days in Flash, allows users to upload their headshot onto a stylized body and morph themselves into a Jersey Shore "Guido" or "Guidette"...

ADVERTISING AGE — With the increasing focus on Facebook, the largest social media platform in the US, we've begun to see brands fall into two distinct camps – the collectors and the investors. The collectors have entered social media enthusiastically with ambitions to amass a large following. They are interested in a formula to determine and achieve the right number of fans, and see this pursuit as a means in itself. They perceive fans as static and expect the value from volume. They shy away from interactions that extend beyond messaging the fans they've catalogued, and are cautious to communicate too often, or in the wrong way. They are concerned that their collection doesn't grow when left to its own devices. In contrast, the gains in social media come to brands who approach the social community as an investor...