Using Foursquare to Discover Phoenix
When Foursquare launched their location-based iPhone application at SxSW this year, I downloaded it (they also have a mobile website and are working on applications for other mobile devices) and played while in Austin. It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately, Phoenix wasn’t in the city list, so when I returned home I wasn’t able to continue. A few months later, they added Phoenix and many other major cities and I once again began to play. I’ve told so many people about it that I’ve been asked if I work for Foursquare 
I don’t, but there are reasons I use it over other location-based services. It mostly has to do with their philosophy:
50% friend-finder, 30% social cityguide, 20% nightlife game. We wanted to build something that not only helps you keep up with your friends, but exposes you to new things and challenges you to explore cities in different ways.
They do this through awarding points for checkins and badges for interesting things you do. So for instance, you might check in after 3am on Thursday night to get the “School Night” badge. You can also become mayor if you have the most checkins at a venue. Additionally, you can leave tips for other people at a location or create a to-do list of things you want to do. They’re also thinking about how to get more people to make new friends and discover new places by adjusting the scoring mechanism:
We’ve been playing with awarding points for checking off the things on your To-Do list and for when people do the things you’ve recommended. We were playing with points for adding new places to our database and taking away points (!!) for always going to the same places (boo!) with the same people (wah!) or trying to game the system (even worse!).
What interests me the most, is how it’s affected my attitude toward Phoenix. You see, Phoenix used to be the city I passed through to get from my home in West Phoenix to my employer in Chandler. Now, I look forward to heading into Phoenix to discover new places and meet new people. I’ve also noticed that I have a tendency to look for local small businesses instead of going to well-known chains. Especially if they’re not already in the Foursquare database… I mean, come on, that’s 5 extra points for a new venue! Additionally, TechCrunch recently had an article about how Foursquare is showing the potential of location based services as venues take it upon themselves to offer incentives to Foursquare players and mayors. Very interesting indeed!
Now get out there and have fun discovering Phoenix! Oh, and add me as a friend on Foursquare.
More of my rantings
- Joining the Phoenix Developer Community
- Supporting Phoenix Startups
- Observations Photographing LaidOffCamp Phoenix
These might also interest you
- TEDx is Coming to Phoenix! (Tomas Carrillo)
- How to look small (Brainfuel)
- After flying from Phoenix to (Stealthmode)
I have been using Foursquare. I saw people mention it on Twitter when it became available in Phoenix. So far it's cool. Adding locations is a huge pain (crashes the iphone app) and so I pretty much only check in if someone has added a spot before me.
I think Foursquare has a lot of potential, but it's lack of locations is what drives me nuts.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:10 amI haven't had it crash with the latest versions yet, but you're right, adding venues is particularly difficult. Especially if you're not on the iPhone.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:42 amFoursquare looks cool. I signed up. Unfortunately, my interest in checking out new social networks has waned recently so I haven't bothered to actually use it yet.
BTW, You've blogged on four consecutive days. Way to go! And I got to say, Headless is one of the better blog themes I've seen.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:21 amI'll try the new version.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:24 amFoursquare makes it pretty easy to look for people you follow on Twitter/Facebook so you can build a friend list. Being friends with someone just allows you to see where they check in. Other than that, it's all about the IRL interactions and visits to venues.
Also, I'm about to make it five days in a row! I've been using the scheduler for WordPress, so I write on the weekend and schedule throughout the week. Makes it much easier on me. Hope you're enjoying the posts!
I like Headless, but I made a few minor modifications. The simplicity is what does it for me…
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 amFoursquare seems interesting. I know it's still kinda slim here in Phoenix, but I'm losing interest pretty quickly.
No app for the Blackberry (yet) means I'm dealing with a plain jane mobile site. (Contrary to popular belief, not everyone has or even wants an iphone.) I realize that check-ins during work hours don't necessarily count for points, but it would have been nice to see either of my first two check-ins actually show up somewhere when I log in.
I check in, but the location isn't in the system, so I'm prompted to add it. I do and I get redirected right back to the main page of the weak mobile site. I log in on my desktop to see that I "haven't done anything yet." I try again the next day, only to get the same results. It's pretty frustrating.
I like the idea of being able to develop a social network outside my box here in Phoenix, so the app appeals to me, but if the only places I can check into are existing bars and the like, maybe this isn't the app for me. Sad their FAQ doesn't cover the phantom check-in issue at all. It would be nice to know what I should see if I've done it right, but if it's not going to be intuitive, why bother?
July 27th, 2009 at 8:27 pmThanks for the link, Curtis.
I mentioned my rapidly waning interest on Twitter and got a response from @foursquare inside of 30 minutes. I'm not even following them. That shows initiative and concern and is exactly the sort of thing that keeps me engaged.
Again, appreciate the insight.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:16 pmThe top complaints I've heard about Foursquare are the mobile website and difficulty entering venues. I'm confident that Naveen and Dennis will sort these out as they move forward. Check out the Foursquare feedback page and add comments, votes or new problems so they know what should be improved next.
I think they've done a great job so far releasing a free, useful application that encourages people to discover their city. It's not perfect, but it will get better as people continue to add new venues and provide feedback.
July 27th, 2009 at 9:12 pm[...] Millarian | Using Foursquare to Discover Phoenix [...]
September 24th, 2010 at 5:06 pm