So what in the world is FourSquare anyway? At first glance it seems to be another mindless game for people who have too much time on their hands. You score points for checking and snag the title of Mayor when you’ve checked into a location more times than your friends. So who really cares?
While new FourSquare users may find taking the time to check in at their everyday stomping grounds somewhat pointless, I’ve found a much more meaningful use for it. I take supporting locally owned businesses very seriously and FourSquare has created an easy way to accomplish this goal with amazing success. I already tweet about the businesses I frequent, but being able to ping them on FourSquare is like Twitter on steroids!
FourSquare allows me to:
- Add previously unlisted businesses, giving them exposure they wouldn’t have had before
- Share their specific address, map location and phone number so new visitors can follow my lead and drop in to try them out
- Offer tips (to do’s) and shout outs detailing why I frequent their company and what makes them unique
Mashable recently discussed how FourSquare is making waves in local communities:
Pioneering a Deeper Connection Between Place and Patron: Twitter offers a way for businesses to connect with their customers online. FourSquare puts location in context and extends that connection to the offline world. The model of the location-based game is such that any venue willing to make an extra effort can get to know their socially active customers on a more personal level, and even encourage meetups in their space. Of course, it’s a two way street, as FourSquare users are unconsciously contributing to the relationship by sharing tips and to-dos with the entire FourSquare community. As a result, information is being shared and stored by users — similar in fashion to Yelp — but presented in a way that makes it immediately helpful. It’s community on a whole new level.
So if you’re ready to make a bigger effort to support your favorite locally owned businesses, sign up for FourSquare and shoot me a friend request! Then download the mobile app for your iPhone, Blackberry or Google Android and start sharing your favorite places with others. To me, it’s all part of treating others the way I want to be treated 
What do you think? Is there any real potential here?
P.S. Sometimes there’s even a little something more than a warm, fuzzy feeling in it for you. Check out the growing list of companies offering freebies to their mayors here.
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