What’s Foursquare? Why is everyone talking about it?
The first time I heard about foursquare, I was in school. It was/is this cigarette brand in India.
The first time I someone mentioned have you heard about this cool site - foursquare.com? I thought it was the cigarette brand who’d done something online. Maybe a nifty new site.
Then when I finally checked foursquare, it seemed like a complicated site. I couldn’t really get it and figured out that one could kinda use it only via a phone. I didn’t have a cool enough phone for it and couldn’t really be bothered much.
Next, a couple of social geeks I work with tried to explain the whole thing to me and I still didn’t get the whole point of it. Like remember how lame Google Latitude sounded? Why do I want people to know where I am all the time?
Then finally another friend who apparently happened to tune in to a LetsCrack.com episode where I was raving about Google Buzz on the mobile via Google Maps told me that foursquare is pretty much the same thing. Its just that they’ve built this cool vanity angle with mayorships and badges.
I also happened to own a cooler phone now…
So I gave foursquare another shot.
I think its been 1 week and I’m pretty hooked.
Of course I wish more people were using this in Mumbai and also if it was more open and was possible to find non-friends who had checked into the same place. Also if I’m the mayor of a particular joint, everytime someone else checks-in into that place, I should be getting a point - like monoply style! There’s so much more gaming aspects which can be built into this. Also a social recommendation thing like what Whrrl does. That is it finds out people who have a similar social behaviour to you and links you up!
So why are people using this?
People in general are hard-wired to ‘socialise’.
Foursquare is an app which brings with it vanity and this ability to show all your friends how cool your life is.
Like - look at me…I’m traveling so much. I’m going to sooo many cool places. Its like you’re the pilot and suddenly every friend of yours on foursquare is your co-pilot.
Of course businesses can use this to their direct benefit.
For eg: Blue Frog in Mumbai can run an offer…
Check-in from The Blue Frog and get a 10% discount on your drinks. All your friends get to know about this when you check-in and add a line about the offer and so it spreads.
One can leave reviews and other people checking into that place can read it etc.
Will be nice to track the growth of Foursquare in India.
