Foursquare

What is Foursquare?

Foursquare – A social network for users to share their location with friends that are within close proximity.

Foursquare is a social networking service available for common smartphones, including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android-powered phones. To use Foursquare on these devices, download the free app. The app’s purpose is to help you discover and share information about businesses and attractions around you. Every time you use it, you share information about the community to your friends.

Connecting with your Friends

Once you download the Foursquare app to your smartphone, it finds your friends in your contacts and in your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Once you have added friends to your Foursquare account, the app will notify you about what your friends are doing and vice versa.

Checking In

To maximize the benefits of Foursquare, “check-in” every time you visit a business or attraction in the place you live or where you are visiting. When you tap “Check-In,” the app will pull up a list of nearby places. If you don’t see the place you are at, add it to the list. Once you have “checked in,” it will update your status. Friends who use Foursquare will know where you are and what time you arrived.

Finding Attractions

Use Foursquare to find local attractions if you are undecided about where you want to shop, eat or explore. Tap “Explore” and use the categories to find exactly what you want or use a keyboard search. If you find a place you would like to visit but do not currently have the time, add it to your “To Do” list on the app so you will remember to visit it later.

Leaving Reviews

Once you have visited a location, leave a review about it. Your friends and other visitors can read it to determine if going there is worth their time. Likewise, you can read other people’s reviews to determine whether unfamiliar locations are worth spending your time visiting.

Badges and Mayorships

Foursquare has several features that are “unlocked” the more you use the application. You earn “badges” for visiting certain types of places or repeating visits. For example, you receive the “I’m on a Boat!” badge if you check in on a boat. If you are the most frequent Foursquare visitor to a certain location, you become the “Mayor.” Some businesses provide perks to their mayors to reward their loyalty.