Today I want to talk to you about Foursquare. You know, the app that people are either addicted to or simply don’t understand. I have a couple of friends who use it regularly, but other than that it seems not many of the people in my social group share my love for it. People often seem surprised when I say it’s one of the top apps on my phone. Saying that, when I meet up with friends they often look to me to find out where we should go for lunch and of course, that leads to me firing up good old Foursquare.
Foursquare now consists of two apps; Foursquare and Swarm. At first it might seem a bit silly, slightly annoying even, to need to download a second app (if you want to continue checking-in) but once you’re into the swing of it it’s worth it. All the old check-ins have been moved to swarm, so if you’ve been using it since 2011, like me, you wont lose all your old data.
They’ve given users the choice to use only the Foursquare app, it’s where you can share tips, photos and nearby suggestions for the best coffee or pizza in town. So, you don’t *need* to check-in to be part of the Foursquare fun. However, if you want the full experience and would like to track your visits then you simply download Swarm and a ‘check-in’ button will appear within the Foursquare. This post is focused on the Foursquare side of things, I’m going to share the reasons I enjoy using the app, not what the app is and how to use it.
Here are my top reasons for using Foursquare;
Location – Turn on your location, open up the app and browse all the best Indian restaurants in town. Check the tips and photos then once you’ve decided upon your destination you can find the location straight from the map within the app.
Tips – Leave tips and photos to help others. I love seeing what dishes other people have picked at their favourite restaurant, it helps make my decision much easier and quicker. I always try to leave tips and let people know what the food and service was like, as well as sharing a few photos.
Track – Track the places you’ve visited around the world and easily locate them next time you’re in town. So, If I get the chance to go back to Schladming, Austria I’ll easily be able to locate the Winter Garten Hotel & Restaurant, where I had some delicious food back in 2011.
Tastes – One of the things I’ve been enjoying over the last few months is the opportunity to add your ‘tastes’ into the app. So, I’ve told mine that I like burgers, tacos, mulled wine, cocktails and much more (see the photos above). This teaches the app to create personalised searches to customise the experience for each and every user. When I’m in a new city I’m often presented with restaurants selling burgers, places with wifi and popular coffee shops.
I would love to know how many of you are currently using Foursquare? It never seems to be up there with people’s favourites apps. If you’re a blogger, travel a lot or simply enjoy finding new places then it’s an app that I believe should be on your phone.