On May 16, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chief Digital Officer Rachel Stern unveiled the "Road Map for the Digital City - A Plan to Make New York the Nation's Leading Digital City." The City of New York has made new partnerships with major digital companies including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Tumblr in order to modernize and expand how the City government communicates with New Yorkers.

Cultural groups should hone in on a particular paragraph of the press release:

"The City and Foursquare will encourage New Yorkers to check in at public spaces like parks and cultural centers with a custom Foursquare badge. Foursquare offers local businesses unique marketing opportunities, but many New York City businesses are unaware of the potential benefits. Foursquare will work with the Department of Small Business Services to develop and distribute a small business tool-kit for local companies."

Foursquare has a free Merchant Platform for venues which allows venues to track customer foot traffic, and to offer Fourquare specials. Read the full press release on NYC.gov.