Do You Four Square?
Four Square is the latest (or one of the latest) Social Media sites to hit the scene. Four Square is a tool which has a goal of keeping track of where you’re going and where you’re friends are going. I didn’t get Four Square at first, kinda like Twitter. I kept seeing those check-ins all over Facebook and Twitter and thought to myself “Who cares that Joe is at Starbucks??” But as someone who is fascinated by Social Media, I signed up for an account and started using Four Square. Now, I can’t relax at a venue before I check-in. Perhaps you are already in the know. But in case you aren’t, here’s a quick rundown on Four Square and why it’s great.
Whenever you go to a new place, you tell Four Square where you are. You just download the Four Square application to your cell which tracks you to find where you are and what’s near you via GPS in your phone. When you tell Four Square where you are, this is called “checking in.”
Basically, there are 3 things you need to know about Four Square to get started:
1. Points – whenever there’s points involved – I want them and lots of them! You get points for checking-in, if it’s the first time at a venue, etc, etc. Some businesses give discounts when you show your Check-in to. This could be a percentage off your bill or something of the sort.
2. Mayorship – if you “check in” the MOST at a location, you are the mayor. A crown appears beside your name. I don’t think that I need to explain the appeal any further. I am currently the mayor of the pizza joint by my house (of course I never cheat and check-in when I’m just driving by) and the hiking trail near my house. Woot. Some businesses will even reward you for mayorship (ie free drink, appetizer, insert inexpensive token here).
3. Badges – You get badges for accomplishing tasks or visiting different venues. Think of them like your Four Square Flair. This is why I said it encourages you to explore your city.
You get one for being a newbie so your page isn’t naked, but there are others.
The Swarm Badge…
…..When more than 50 people are checked in to the same place.
Like the Crunked badge…
…you get that if you go 4+ stops in a night.
Or the “bender” badge…
…which you get for going out 4/nights in a row.
Or the school night badge…
Earn this when you check-in after 3 AM but before 6 AM.
Of course there are some badges whose attainment remains a mystery….a la the Douchebag badge….
….which probably involves checking-in to some pretty seedy destinations.
They now have badges for when you check-in to 10+ movie theatres, 20+ different pizza restaurants, 10 trips to the same gym within a 30-day period, 3 karoke trips within a month, 3 places with a photobooth. You get the picture.
Sign-up, and get your friends to sign up too. Several of the badges require check-ins with friends in order to receive them like the Player badge which you can only receive if 3 friends of the opposite sex check-in with you.