..:: Review of Foursquare ::..

My first exposure to Foursquare came from Facebook feed updates showing that friends were checking in to hotels, restaurants and coffee shops.  From this I learned that my friends were 1.) traveling more than me, 2.) eating at fancy shmancy restaurants, and judging by the number of coffee stops they were making in an average day, 3.) their pee probably doesn’t smell that good. That’s all I needed to know.  I was in.

I downloaded the app for my ‘droid to give it a shot.  The function of the app isn’t terrible.  It’s not that great either.  The accuracy of the database is incredibly wonky.  Locations that are close to you are usually fairly accurate in terms of distance, but spots five miles away are often listed as within half a mile. When you move into a new area, refreshing your location in the app often hangs, so you’re better off opening it fresh to grab your present location. In rare cases powering down my phone and starting fresh fixed it.

After four days of using it, I have been able to confirm the following: It’s a phone app for only children.  “Look at me! Look at me!  I’m eating at a froofy eatery!  I’m probably having asparagus on top of four Starbucks stops in the last five hours so my urine smells like roadkill.”

It’s urban geocaching for the lazy. You don’t have to be right at the venue you’re checking into… close enough is adequate. On top of that, if you have the most check in’s for a given venue, you’ll be named mayor of that venue.

The database is decent enough for places known for food, drinks and general shopping, but if you go to specialty stores or off the grid kind of places, you’ll have to add venues.  Now, adding venues is 95% of the fun of Foursquare.  Anyone can check into a Dunkin’ Donuts, or a gas station.  Tell the world what you’re really up to by checking into a smut shop, or a favorite childhood spot that’s been demolished in the name of progress. So, with enough visits, you will become mayor of the venue — the equivalent of Norm Peterson of the smut shop.

Me?  I’m currently mayor of Lifestyles Adult Entertainment, the old Benson’s Wild Animal Park, and Your Mom’s House.  Screw the run of the mill… I”m hunting and creating exotic spots in Foursquare.  I’m changing the rules of the game for my own personal fun.