Social eMotion (c) 2011 Follow us: Great deals from local merchants! Login Frequently Asked Questions Below are some commonly asked questions about miPlaces and our service: • What is miPlaces? • What is the miPlaces merchant network, and what benefit is it to me? • How much does the miPlaces smartphone application cost? • Which mobile phones are supported? • What else do I need to set up a miPlaces account and download the smartphone application? • Do you support smartphones that use other operating systems such as Blackberry, Microsoft, etc? • Can I use miPlaces if I do not have a smartphone? • Where/how can I get the miPlaces application downloaded to my phone? • What is a QR code?  How do I use it? • What do I need to do to get my phone to scan/read a QR code? • Aside from the merchant frequent buyer programs and deals, is there any benefit to the miPlaces application? • If I have difficulty downloading and installing the application, how can I get help? What is miPlaces? miPlaces is two things.  First, it is a smartphone application that runs on mobile smartphones.  See features and benefits of the miPlaces smartphone application here.   miPlaces is also a community that includes individual members and local merchants.  Community members benefit from their membership by getting merchant recommendations from friends, as well as offers and rewards from merchants. What is the miPlaces merchant network, and what benefit is it to me? In simple terms, community members load the application to their smartphones and then select merchants as "Favorite" (used for our miPlaces ratings) or "Follower" (not rated as Favorite but a merchant of interest to you).  This connects you to specific merchants inside the broader network.  When you shop at a miPlaces merchant, you use your smartphone to scan the QR code at the checkout register.  This credits you with a visit at the merchant.  At some merchants, you will accumulate frequent customer points ultimately redeemable for free stuff there.  Even if a merchant does not have a frequent buyer program through miPlaces, you should still scan the QR code for credit to become eligible for special offers and deals from that merchant.  Your miPlaces account keeps track of all of your "Favorite" and "Follower" merchants, collects frequent buyer points for a variety of merchants in one digital place where you can't lose them and gets you access to special offers from miPlaces merchants. A detailed tutorial on use of the miPlaces application with merchants is available here (Coming Soon).  The goal is for miPlaces to become a customer/merchant relationship-building tool which connects local merchants directly to their customers more efficiently than mass mailings, coupons, etc. This provides small local merchants with next- generation customer relationship building tools, evening the playing field with large national chain retailers. How much does the miPlaces smartphone application cost? Nothing.  Downloading and using the miPlaces application is free.  We make money from the services that we provide to the retailers/merchants. Which mobile phones are supported? The miPlaces application is a small computer program built to run on any Android product or iPhone.  So it works on any version of Apple's iPhone smartphone and also any Apple iPad product and similarly on any Android-based smartphone or tablet computer.  Android phones are sold by a variety of phone manufacturers including Motorola, HTC, Samsung, etc. What else do I need to set up a miPlaces account and download the smartphone application? You must have a Facebook account and login.  This simple means of login is common across Internet applications.  It eliminates the need to constantly set up and keep track of new logins every time you sign up for something else online.  We are working on other login options to include Google and Twitter.  Please tell us (support@miplaces.com) if you are a potential member who would like to use Google or Twitter to join the miPlaces. Do you support smartphones that use other operating systems such as Blackberry, Microsoft, etc? At this time miPlaces does not support these other operating systems.  There is no current scheduled release of miPlaces for other smartphone operating systems, but we are constantly receiving and evaluating user feedback to determine and prioritize the need for additional support.  Coming soon, texting and email registrations will enable miPlaces users to receive merchant offers via text or email on any phone. Can I use miPlaces if I do not have a smartphone? Coming soon, you will be able to join the miPlaces community and get the benefit of receiving offers from miPlaces community merchants in one of two ways.  First, you will be able to sign up for a miPlaces account with any mobile phone that is capable of receiving text messages.  This will enable you to receive offers from the miPlaces merchants in real-time via text message.  Second, if you are unable to receive text messages, you will be able to sign up for a miPlaces account with only an email address.  This will enable you to receive offers from the merchants via email. Where/how can I get the miPlaces application downloaded to my phone? There are multiple ways to download the miPlaces application to your phone: 1. Easiest is scanning the QR code at a merchant or taking a card from them to later scan at home.  The QR code will take you to where you need to go to download the application and also help identify the referring merchant. 2. You can find the application for download by clicking here. What is a QR code? A QR code is like a bar code on a grocery store product except it can contain much more information.  The miPlaces application has a QR code scanner built in. What do I need to do to get my smartphone to scan/read a QR code? Using your smartphone's camera and miPlaces, you can scan the merchant's QR code easily. Press the Scan button, point the camera at the QR code and check in to earn your points! Aside from the merchant frequent buyer programs and deals, is there any benefit to the miPlaces application? The miPlaces application acts as your navigation tool and guide to finding local merchants in real-time.  Use miPlaces to: • Find nearby merchants based on your physical location by type --- "What are my options for lunch within 1 mile of where I am now?" • Select merchants based on miPlaces user ratings --- "What is the most liked Chinese restaurant in the area?" • Help you get there --- "Please map and show me directions for how to get to the restaurant that I just used miPlaces to find." The miPlaces Quick Start Guide details these and other tools built into the miPlaces application. If I have difficulty downloading and installing the application, how can I get help? If you have any technical problems, please email us at support@miplaces.com.