"Check In.
Find Your Friends.
Unlock Your City."
Foursquare is a social media tool. Most users do not use the site from their laptop or desktop computer, but from an app on their smart phone. FourSquare allows you to "check-in" to locations that are currently close to you. So what's the catch? After checking in a certain number of times you can become the mayor of the location that you are checking into. Other badges can be unlocked such as; "Newbie, Adventurer, Explorer, Superstar, Bender, Crunked, Local, Super User, School Night, etc." These badges are unlocked based on the location you check in, the time you check in, and the number of times you have checked into this location.
In addition to checking in to see where your friends are, companies have teamed up with Foursquare to give you specials and rewards for checking in at their location. For example, right now in Charlotte the major of Toppers Pizza gets 50% all regular priced food (up to $100). At Planet Fitness, if you check in for the first time it's only $5 to enroll, instead of the regular $50 enrollment fee. Other businesses across the country have begun to utilize this tool as well to increase their business through this social media app! The number of companies utilizing foursquare is astounding!
Sign up to get a foursquare and start becoming the mayor above your friends, getting discounts at a multitude of restaurants, and check out where your friends are too!
*Written by Catie Beth
I think it is so smart for businesses to utilize social networking sites such as four square to promote their company! I have actually used something similar to check in at a clothing store in the mall in order to get a 20% discount at check out. This is a wonderful advertising tool for businesses to use without actually having to do much work.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of this app. I will look into downloading it for sure. Why wouldn’t you want to save money on deals by simply checking in a store or gym? In today's world we check in at places all the time for free on social networking sites like Facebook. We let third parties know what location we are in all the time for free. What I use to do for free, I will now get some type of reward back from it. Saving a couple of dollars will not hurt my pockets. I believe Foursquare is a awesome app to have if you have a smart phone. I can see people saving a lot of money during the holiday season just through the Foursquare app.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Foursquare is a huge invasion of privacy. I have a really hard time understanding the popularity of this app. It is one thing to inform and keep your family and friends informed about your whereabouts. However, this information has the potential to easily get in the wrong hands such as online predators or stalkers. This clearly brings huge privacy concerns to its users. For example, a complete stranger could easily see the address of your home and private residence. The privacy concerns out way any possible advantage or feature i would possibly get out of using this app.
ReplyDeleteI have the Foursquare app, and I never use it. I have many friends that really enjoy it, but I can not get into it simply because I dont like the feeling of people knowing where I am. For others who are just looking to save some money at their favorite restaurants....its a great app to have.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alyssa I feel it is a huge invasion of privacy. I also feel that it is privacy also surrendered. People have the option to download the app or not.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it does sound like a benign fun app I can see it as quite a dangerous thing. If you were to somehow have a stalker they could possible start finding patterns in your schedules and eating habits. Although you could become mayor and get great discounts, it would not be worth it to me.
I agree with those who said this was an invasion of privacy. Of course you want your friends to know where you are, who you're with, when you're about to poo, and so on. But, on the other hand, there are those who like to stalk. Those pornography addicts who like to search for those who post where they exactly are. I mean come on, unlock your city? How about unlock your home address and social security number while you're at it. Just kidding don't do that..
ReplyDeleteOverall, it's crazy how people are so easily entertained by new apps. They just don't know when to stop.
This foursqare game seems promising for companies, but an absolute loss of privacy for players. Again, tehnology is opening the doors for hackers and other perpetrators to steal identities. Beware! you may end up in one of the Saw films.
ReplyDeleteI am a new FourSquare app user. I think the previous comments make a good point about privacy but it's a good way to learn about local places, get good deals and stay in touch with friends. I only check-in to broad, busy places with a lot of people like the gym or UNCC. You get to choose who you want to see this information just like on Facebook.
ReplyDeletehaha I find FourSquare to be a waste of time. I understand that it is fun for a lot of people and that you can find many new and specific businesses with it, but I just couldn't do the whole checking in everywhere I go. Just Can't
ReplyDeleteFoursquare is definitely useful for finding deals around the area but it is boarder line stalkerish. You have to be very careful who your friends are because it literally pinpoints your location. Local bars and restaurants in Charlotte offer deals on drinks, food and even free shots in the plaza midwood area.
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