FourSquare !%#*$!%+**#+, do you use it?

[viiheaven]

If you don't know what it is, imagine Twitter + Yelp/Zagat in one app.

What is foursquare?

foursquare is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.  We aim to build things to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but that encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways.

How do I get it on my phone?

We have apps available for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre.  If you don't have one of these phones, you can always use our mobile website or if you prefer to checkin via SMS you can send a text to 50500 (like this:  @ Ace Bar ! Playing skeeball).  For now SMS checkins are only available in the US.

Where is foursquare available?

You can use foursquare anywhere in the world!  Check-in at the Statue of Liberty in NYC, the Golden Gate bridge in SF, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpu  or the Arch de Triumph in Paris!   Back in the day, we were limited to select cities, but now you can check-in anywhere you please!

What is a check-in?

When you tell foursquare where you are, that's called "checking-in".   You can check-in from parks, bars, museums, restaurants...  really anywhere.  When you check-in we'll let your friends know where they can find you and award you points and badges based on your adventurousness.

What is "The Mayor" all about?

If you've been to a place more than anyone else we'll crown you the "The Mayor" of that place.  We see lots of bars and cafes now offering "Mayor Specials" - a free coffee or  appetizer or maybe a special discount to the mayors of their venues.  Watch out though - once someone else comes along who has checked-in more times that you, they can steal the "Mayor" title back from you.


(Hint: if you want to become mayor, you need to have uploaded a profile photo)

What are badges?

Badges are little rewards you earn for doing checking-into interesting places.  For example, staying out late on a school night or frequenting too many karaoke bars.  We're constantly adding new badges and would love to hear your suggestions.

A lot of our badges are tied to venue "tags".  People use tags to describe the places on foursquare (e.g. jukebox, pool table, fireplace, pizza, etc)  Without giving away too much, here's a few suggested tags you can add to your favorite places to help unlock badges :  airport, college, %%%%!+%%@, food truck, frat, gallery, gym, karaoke, movie theater, photobooth, pizza, playground, socialite, sorority, tourist, etc.

What are "Tips" and "To-Dos"?

We wanted foursquare to be as much about sharing experience as it as about connecting with friends and discovering new places.  Every foursquare user has the ability to create both "Tips" and "To-Dos" for places.  Tips are generally things you'd recommend to other ("Go to PDT and try the bacon-infused Old Fashioned") while To-Dos are more "notes to self" ("Remember to come back and try the pesto noodles").  Whenever you check-in to a location, we'll try to pop-up a tip that one of your friends has left nearby (you'll be surprised how often these help you choose what to order at a bar or restaurant!).  And, of course, you can take these Tips and To-Do's with you on your phone so wherever you happen to be, you'll always have a recommendation of something interesting to do nearby.

My foursquare page:

http://foursquare.com/user/wunmic

It's especially cool if you live in a big city (LA, SF, Austin (TX), NYC)
         

 

[popcornplaya]

You have the most commonly used name on Earth.

Just in case you didn't know.

http://foursquare.com/user/soltheman

 

[cjdynasty]

So if a bunch of your friends dont have this, then its worthless?

 

[viiheaven]

Originally Posted by CJDynasty

So if a bunch of your friends dont have this, then its worthless?

yep.

that's why you get the wheels rolling and don't rely on others to.

 

[presequel]

you need friends or coworkers for it to be fun.

and yes, i use it.

 

[viiheaven]

Originally Posted by presequel

you need friends or coworkers for it to be fun.

and yes, i use it.

Yep. One of my co-workers introduced me to it and now our entire office (which is like 5 people

) uses it. Tons of fun because there are always places to discover in NYC.

 

[illionaire]

No.