Yelp is becoming more and more similar, but it’s a different platform really, because it truly is a review app. Yelp is adding more game-like elements, so now has “Duchess/Duke” to match Foursquare’s “Mayor” title, but has now gone a step beyond to “Baron” and “King” for the ultra social. All told though, Yelp’s real strength lies in the thorough reviews of businesses and the way people use it to seek out businesses. Gowalla to me is always playing keep up, or the “me to” game. They’ve added a more social component and are even considering adding a similar “Mayorship” feature to their app. You can’t add tips (yet), so it’s really more of a way to just see where your friends are and where they’ve been. It’s morphing, but it’s way behind Foursquare and Yelp IMHO.

For your question on business use of Foursquare, your plan of attack can be as simple or complex as you like — and can manage. Here are a couple of tips I share with clients: Have a special for the Mayor of your business and switch it every 3 or so weeks to see how popular the offer was. Publicize the fact that you are on Foursquare and make a visible sign in your place to show it, plus the deals you’re offering both Mayors and guests of your business (Foursquare Specials, for example.) This is a very simple plan to set in place, mainly because it’s scalable and easily measurable. Make sure to put this in a spreadsheet so you can easily tell what worked, what fell flat and of course, what your customers had to say. Key to all of this is making sure your staff is aware and promoting/supporting the campaign. Good luck and if you need help, get in touch.