Growing up, foursquare was a game played in PE or after school with friends. We’d get the play ground ball out and when we weren’t busy trying to hit each other in the head to get that tinny thumping noise we’d bat it back and forth between us on a crudely drawn square with four sections (unless we played in PE in which case it was taped to the floor of the gym).
Its funny that as an adult, one of the booming past times that twitter and facebook have created is the location based service of foursquare. Never before did our friends care that we were at the local Starbucks getting a Double Mocha extra cream skinny vente latte or at the barbers getting a hair cut. Until foursquare came along.
Now people every where are checking in at work, at play, at parties, in the carpool line and more. Here are a couple of tips gathered from around the web to make you the Mayor of your city, or at least make you seem a little less douchey for constantly letting your friends know you’re at Caribou Coffee.
- Add your Friends Carefully – According to Mashable this is the number one tip for being successful at FourSquare and for good reason. As Mashable points out and the site PleaseRobMe is based on, FourSquare is a GPS based service. The people you’re friends with KNOW your location when you post it, and they know where you aren’t. If you’re friends with every tom, dick and John in your city, they’ll know when you’re not home, and if you’re not smart, they’ll even know where your home is.
The nice thing about Foursquare is the fact that you can mark your location as private and choose whether or not you want to share it with your friends or publish it on twitter and facebook. Unlike facebook where you’re friends with anyone you’ve ever talked to in your life, save FourSquare for only your close friends who need to know when you’re at the pub.
- Don’t check in if you’re not there – It might sound like a nobrainer, but if you missed checking in at a location earlier in the day, don’t bother with it. If you get a notice that you lost the mayor ship of your local brew house, don’t sweat it. Faking check in’s is not only bad form on FourSquare, but its a good way to appear douchey. Let your check in’s happen naturally.
- Leave Tips! – Not the cash kind, but things to do. For instance, if your favorite bar has a really good sandwich or your favorite beer on draft, leave a tip to let it be known to the world. Not only is it good Karma, but it’s also a good way to find new places to visit and let others know why you’re the Mayor of the local DQ.
- Add Shouts to Your Checkins – You do it in Twitter. You do it in Facebook. Why not do it in FourSquare as you check in as well? If you’re at the pub its easy to add “Hey @gruntled why don’t you pop in for a pint” to your check in as well. Let your friends know where to find you and why. Not only that but by adding comments with phrases like “at another birthday party” you could unlock cool badges like the 16 Candles badge or more!
- Don’t Drive By – No one likes a drive by. If you’re sitting at the red light near the BK lounge, resist that urge to check in unless you duck in for a Whopper. Its along the same lines as “don’t check in if you’re not there”, if its meant to be a check in, it will happen. Let it.
- Have Fun, Explore New Places! – Perhaps the coolest feature of foursquare is discovering new places, or old places you forgot about. It’s fun to see where your friends are checking in and who knows, maybe you didn’t know there was a junkyard around the corner. FourSquare is all about exploring and becoming an adventurer. See where you can check in!
One last tip, don’t check in from home, we know you’re the Mayor there (or, if you’re like me, your wife lets you think you are). We don’t need proof.
You can Follow me on twitter @mcangeli if you really want too, but don’t worry, I won’t add you on 4sq unless we’re good friends (or I like your picture…
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