Christopher Beck

Foursquare Follies: Social Media Meets Nightlife Gaming

Posted on 07. Dec, 2009 by Chris in Geek Life, Geeking Out, Socially Acceptable

I have been on Twitter for years now, and even though I am never going to be considered a Social Media guru, I do have several accounts with a modest level of followers. I am not one of those people who strives to increase my followership  at all costs; and that’s a good thing considering that I kind of suck at it Still, I am just narcissistic enough to think that someone somewhere may find my inane babble of 140 characters or less mildly interesting enough to keep doing it.

As far as other Social Media outlets are concerned, I am not much of a player. I have a Facebook account, but then again, who doesn’t? I don’t live on My Space, I haven’t checked out FriendFeed, and my Linked In profile is woefully neglected. However, there is a new player in town: foursquare. And I think I like it.

Not Your Mother’s Status-based Social Media Site

According to the foursquare site, foursquare is:

• 50% friend-finder
• 30% social cityguide
• 20% nightlife game.

With foursquare, you visit places in your local city and “check-in” via your mobile phone. There are apps available for the iPhone and Android, and a mobile site accessible from any other Internet enabled phone. And if your phone is old school, not to worry; foursquare supports check-ins via SMS as well.

So why check-in, you ask? Well, like all social media sites, one point of checking in is to connect with others. When you check in, foursquare will notify you as to how many of your ‘friends’ are currently checked in there as well. So potentially, you could hook up with your buds quite accidentally just by telling foursquare where you are. And since foursquare makes use of the GPS features of most phones, checking in is quick and painless.

So where does the social cityguide come in? Another benefit of checking in is you can actually get recommendations from foursquare about things to do at the place you are visiting. Foursquare users are encouraged to fill out a tips list, in which they can list really great things to do in their town. When you are visiting a place that has a tip associated with it, your foursquare client will let you know what those who have travelled before you suggest. And foursquare encourages really specific tips, too. Things like, “@ Firebird’s Restaurant: Order a Durango Burger cooked Medium Rare. Steak burgers == no salmonella :)”

That’s great, Chris. But that’s not much of a game, you say. Right. But here’s the twist: when you check in to foursquare, you earn points. The points you earn vary, depending on whether you have checked in to that location before, how many times that day you have checked in, and even what time of day it is. There is a not-so-secret sauce that they publish on their site. The foursquare team admits that they are still monkeying with the scoring model, but that’s Ok. The points are fun, and they just one piece of the gaming puzzle. You also earn badges, and can even become the “mayor” of places you visit frequently. And who doesn’t want to be the mayor?

And just in case you were thinking that this was yet another way for you to not measure up - like when you got your first few Twitter followers and felt all smug, only to find out that your weird Uncle Bernie has 250,479 people hanging on his every tweet - fear not. The points reset every Sunday night at 11:59 pm.

Not Available Everywhere - Yet…

Foursquare initially launched in 12 cities. It is now available to residents in 103 cities around the globe. With @Jack Dorsey of Twitter fame investing in foursquare, an active early adopter base, and a social media climate that borders on frenetic, there is no doubt that foursquare will be available almost everywhere in very short order.

Check It Out

I can hear the objections now…  But Chris, I already have enough trouble keeping up with my existing profiles. Be that as it may, check out foursquare any way. It’s fun, interactive, and you are not required to come up with something interesting to say for fear of losing your precious followers. And while you are at it, look me up. And if you do sign up, make sure you come back here and leave a comment with your user name so can all be friends!

The ball is in your court; happy foursquaring!