Comments on: Using Foursquare to Discover Phoenix

By: Curtis Miller

Curtis Miller — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:12:47 +0000

The 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.

By: Brian DR1665

Brian DR1665 — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:16:52 +0000

Thanks 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.

By: Brian DR1665

Brian DR1665 — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:27:45 +0000

Foursquare 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?

By: curtm95

curtm95 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:56:48 +0000

Foursquare 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…

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:24:51 +0000

I'll try the new version.

By: Ben Atkin

Ben Atkin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:21:23 +0000

Foursquare 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.

By: Curtis Miller

Curtis Miller — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:42:04 +0000

I 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.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:10:01 +0000

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.