Interfacing – Foursquare

Less a web site and more a complete service, Foursquare is the latest social networking web-application available to smartphone users. One part Twitter, and one part city guide, Foursquare lets you interact with your friends while exploring your home city. Simply download the Foursquare application onto a compatible smartphone, and when you enter a location (such as a restaurant, hotel, bar, or even concert venue), your phone will “Check In” to the Foursquare service, and display “tags” from Foursquare that previous users have entered about that location. These tags range from menu tips (“Get the bacon flavored bourbon, they used Momofuku bacon to flavor it!”), to advising you of which businesses offer freebies to Foursquare users. To encourage participation, a Badge system like those used in online gaming services gives you badges to display once you’ve completed certain tasks, such as going to bars four nights in a row (“Bender”), hitting four venues in one night (“Crunked”), or checking into the same venue three nights in a row (“Local”). The future of smartphone enabled travel advice is here, and it’s called Foursquare.