Before cell phones and the advent of mobile technology, people exploring new cities, or even their own home towns, had to rely on guide books, information from friends and family, or other sources to find new and different places to explore around town. Sometimes, a recommendation would live up to the explorer's expectations, while at other times the effort made in tracking down a new restaurant or museum wasn't rewarded with a good experience.
However, the location-based application foursquare now allows users to look for new places to eat, shop, or visit from any web-enabled smart phone. The foursquare application also lets users utilize social networking through a variety of application-related activities.
What Is foursquare?
According to foursquare's website, foursquare is "a location-based mobile platform that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore."
When launching the app, users are provided with relevant, location-based tips for nearby places to eat, shop, visit, or party. Additionally, users can become friends with people they know around the world and see what kinds of locations they are visiting, too.
The concept for foursquare was developed by Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai in 2007. The company's co-founders began working on the app's development from Crowley's kitchen table, and the program was launched at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, in 2009.
Originally, foursquare was only available in select cities throughout the United States. In early 2010, the app and the ability to use foursquare became worldwide.
As of December 2010, foursquare has over five million users around the world and businesses, organizations, and corporations have begun to enlist foursquare to recruit customers and reward those who use a business or organization's services frequently.
Earning Rewards Through foursquare
Users also have the option to "check-in" to locations via foursquare, allowing them to share with others their location.
Checking in on foursquare allows users to gain various kinds of rewards. The most basic is a point system, which gives users points based on a few different factors. One point is rewarded for each check-in throughout the day, which increases with each check-in (first check-in gets one point, second gets two, etc.) Five points are earned by checking into a new location for the first time, and an additional five points are awarded by creating a venue that is not currently listed on foursquare.
Another reward is mayorships. Users have the opportunity to become the "mayor" of a location by checking into that place more times than any other user in the past 60 days. Some businesses, such as Pizza Hut, reward mayors of particular locations with special deals or free items.
foursquare Badges
The most popular reward on foursquare is foursquare badges. While not tangible items, foursquare badges are little virtual badges that show up on a user's profile as a result of performing some kind of action using the application. Some badges can be unlocked, or earned, for checking in a specific number of times at special locations, such as coffee shops, gyms, or playgrounds, while others recognize users who have checked in at a specific number of unique venues.
There are two types of foursquare badges: foursquare badges and affiliate badges. The foursquare badges are round in shape and have been created by foursquare developers, with some of the most recent badges being related to check-ins at ski resorts, offices or corporate buildings, coffee shops, and hardware stores. Affiliate badges have a shield-like shape and are developed by businesses or organizations affiliated with foursquare to reward users who visit specific locations or businesses frequently. The American Red Cross, NASA, People, and the state of Pennsylvania are among many groups that offer special badges.
Additionally, users can earn special badges for certain holidays, voting, writing special messages when checking in to a location, or attending certain conferences or conventions.
Unlocking foursquare badges has become so popular that people have sponsored events just to unlock them. "Swarm" parties have been organized among foursquare users in order to unlock any of the four "Swarm" badges, which are awarded to users at a location when 50, 250, 500, or 1000 foursquare users have checked into the same venue. Users have also organized trips to pizza shops to earn the "Pizzaiolo" badge or trecks around Chicago to earn all of the badges offered by Exploring Chicago.
Blogs have also been started to track developments by foursquare. About Foursquare and 4squarebadges.com offer information about updates to apps for various smart phones, new badges, and anything that a passionate foursquare user may want to know.
The location-based app foursquare, first released in March 2009, allows users to explore cities via their smart phones. Thanks to foursquare, finding new places to eat, shop, and do just about anything else has become easier to do.
Ashley Anderson - Ashley is an Ohio-based writer and editor with specializations in higher education, writing, and social activism.
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