Do you like free stuff? Discounts? Would you like to be “Mayor” of your local Walmart? Well, the innovative Foursquare social networking app can do all that, and make it fun.
Foursquare is a location-based social networking application that encourages users to “check in” wherever they go, thus earning points, virtual badges and, if you frequent a location often enough, possible discounts or outright free stuff.
By being the most frequent visitor of a given location, you earn the title of Mayor on Foursquare, and this is often accompanied by a real benefit to you. If you are the Mayor of a Starbucks, for example, you can enjoy a free coffee each day you visit. Not a bad deal.
As with other social networking apps, you can meet and connect with other users, and since it is governed by GPS technology, the folks at Foursquare can actually verify that you are where you say you are.
I’ve been playing with Foursquare for over a week and I find it a lot of fun. When I stop in at a business that is not currently listed in their inventory, I get extra points for taking ten seconds to add it. Also, Foursquare informs me who the current “Mayor” of the given establishment is, and provides contact info, thus creating a unique, virtual competition atmosphere that can yield real-world rewards.
While good people can disagree on the merits of social engineering, i.e. tax incentives to buy healthy food rather than fatty food, Foursquare provides not only a layer of fun but actually rewards users for their “daily patterns” without alteration. By checking in with Foursquare, you earn more than virtual rewards, you earn discounts and free stuff that can save you money.
Whether Foursquare is a clever and meaningful app or a means to churn out consumer robots, well I’ll leave that to others to decide. My experience with the app reveals an interesting means of kniting the virtual world directly into one’s personal life and daily routine, and rewarding those who participate.
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