As a local search expert, it’s on me to know it all. Because of this anytime a new site comes online, I sign right up and learn the ins and outs. Foursquare became known to me several months ago through industry contacts and the fact that I kept seeing Facebook friends “checking in” around town. Of course I had to figure it out. I want to check in too. I signed up, never checked in, didn’t find very many friends I already knew from Twitter, Facebook etc. So I kind of forgot about it until this week.
It turns out I’m not the only one that has discovered the total coolness factor of Foursquare. Entrepreneur Magazine has named Foursquare as one of the most brilliant ideas in mobile technology.
For “newbies”, and I am one, I have the badge dammit, here is the concept. You create an account, link it to your Facebook or Twitter and then just check in around town. I went to a Starbucks this morning after downloading the mobile app for my Blackberry last night. I couldn’t wait! I logged on using my mobile app and did a “check in”. Right at my fingertips was almost every local business within a reasonable distance. Starbucks was at the top presumably since I was there. So I check in. Chris is The Mayor. Who is Chris? But then I was notified of a special and I thought somehow I was made The Mayor of this Starbucks. No such luck but for a while I was wielding crazy power (in my mind). So it turns out if you are the Foursquare user who checks in the most at any given location, you are The Mayor. I’ve heard rumors that there are several bathrooms at Qualcomm that have Mayors. It may be that with one million users as of April that I may be forced to claim a bathroom somewhere because I just have to be Mayor of something!
Now that you’re done here, go check out that article, but come back soon.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2010/june/206722.html
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