Yesterday Foursquare unveiled a new and improved business section of it website, divided into advice for specific local venues and larger national brands.

Business owners can learn how to apply for their own personal badges, offer deals through the service and educate their employees about the mobile app. 

Foursquare also gave new power to level 3 power users, meaning shop owners who run their own venue page can now keep it safe from mistaken or mischievous edits. 

Making it simple for businesses to execute deals on and manage their digital presence is the key to winning local ad dollars away from larger competitors. 

bpopper at obsever dot com - @benpopper

Now, The New York Times discusses more evidence of commercialism that has blood boiling across the East River. With the area's second Duane Reade newly opened, and a CVS and Starbucks on the way, those who count the plight of independent stores among their hard-fought causes are up in arms about the imposition of chains. 

“Duane Reade is greed,” Jonathan Schmidt said after shopping at King’s Pharmacy. That store is directly across Bedford from the new two-story, 24-hour Duane Reade, which features aspirin, liquor, cosmetics, stationery, frozen food, cold cuts and produce, including three kinds of cherry tomatoes. “It’s becoming the East Village.”

Williamsburg, though, is probably still a far cry from the East Village. Within a one-mile radius of Allen Ginsberg's old apartment — a candidate for East Village epicenter if there ever was one — there are nine Starbucks locations. 

nfreeman [at] observer.com | @nfreeman1234