Shop Policies  My Account  Shopping Cart

August 22, 2011

One Woman's Rules of Foursquare

When I was in grammar school with @dianamyee and @jdunham1029, one of my favorite recess games was foursquare . . . where you used your hands to bat a rubber ball into one of the four squares you and three friends/competitors were standing in, hoping they'd miss or hit it out, allowing you to move up closer to the number one square.

Lo, these many decades later, I am once again a fan of Foursquare.

God bless the folks who made this app.

What's so great about it?

Everything.

Mostly I like it because it makes the chore of running errands fun.  Because the way Foursquare works is that you "check in" to sites that pop up on your screen, based on GPS positioning.  AND YOU SCORE POINTS.  Going to the grocery store?  CHECK IN!! Going to the post office?  CHECK IN.  Picking up orders?  CHECK IN   Get it?!?!? Fun, fun, fun.  

What makes it even more fun is that you play "against" friends who've agreed to be in your loop of Foursquare friends . . . and you see how many points they have . . . and you keep checking in.  

Points are awarded based on all sorts of factors, such as whether it's your first time there, your first time to that category of place, whether you're the first of your friends to be there, whether you are there WITH your friends.  

And if you're the person who's been there the most often, YOU ARE THE MAYOR!!!!  (And if you are lucky like me, your cool friends give you a Foursquare Mayorship logo t-shirt for your birthday.  Because I am a little obsessed.)

And it's pretty ridiculous, but in this world where we don't always get feedback for what we're doing, IT FEELS GOOD to be "mayor."  And to get the badges that Foursquare awards you for all kinds of silly things, too.


The app will shut out your checkins if it thinks you are cheating by clicking on too many at once, or if the place is too far away, GPS-wise, from where you're trying to checkin.  

But aside from those limitations, how you play Foursquare is pretty much up to you.  (And any agreements you make with your circle of friends.)

Just so you know how I play, here's my own manifesto:)

ONE WOMAN'S RULES OF FOURSQUARE

1.  No to "drive-bys."

I do not check in to places that I am simply moving past.  In other words, when various establishments pop up on the screen, I do not check into them simply because I am walking past them.  No fair.  No good.  

2.  Yes to "drive-ons"  

But I do check in to places I am traveling UPON.  In other words, as a passenger in a car driving over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, I will check into the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.  Same with listed freeways, etc.  However, this does NOT apply to cities/neighborhoods I am traveling THROUGH.  

3.  No to adding "goofy locations".

I do not add goofy (my own, technical term) locations to the system, like "my backyard" or other places I go that others do not.  

4.  Yes to checking in to applicable, already-existing "goofy locations."

But if the system already has some hilarious existing location (such as "Fog," or "Playing air guitar in my car in traffic") that applies to where I am and what I'm doing when it pops on the screen, I will check in there.  Because it is silly and fun.  Which is at the heart of Foursquare.

5.  Yes to adding business locations.

I will enter and check in to any business I frequent that is not yet in the system.  Because I think another thing at the heart of Foursquare is the chance to publicize places that you like.  And when your friends see that you have checked into the new cafe in town and go there a lot, that is good for that cafe.  Which is all good.

6.  Yes to "multiple checkins."  

I check in to all spots ALREADY ON THE LIST that apply to where I am.  For instance, last week I was at an art gallery in the Veteran's Memorial Building in San Francisco.  All three of those names popped up on the screen:  the gallery, the building, and the city.  I checked in to all three.  

Got it?  Any questions?  Any suggestions?  Feedback?  Add them in the comments below!  And have fun checking in :) 


6 comments:

alembic said...

What a great post! It's not only your rules of playing Foursquare that become clear, but also, you gave a great intro to how to use the app.

I appreciate rule 6, the "multiple checkins," since I am always perplexed as to where to check in when the "expanded" location of where I am shows up as places int he list. I think I'll follow your lead on this one.

I used to ignore the "goofy locations," but the other day I couldn't resist, because what popped up mirrored my ontological orientation at that moment ... so I say yes to those too now. Like you, though, I don't create any of them.

Peggy Butler said...

I love this, Tamara!

I usually play exactly the same way, however when I recently drove from Boston to Maine, I did check into a few cities and states and state lines. It was fun when I crossed into Maine to check in and announce on Twitter that I was in Maine. As a side note...I became the mayor of Bangor, a big city in Maine, after only 3 checkins! (Don't those Mainers play 4sq?!)

So now I'm wondering why a bridge or a freeway is OK, but not a neighborhood/city/state. How do you make the distinction? I'd love to hear from others, as well...

Thanks again for taking the time to write this fun post

Tamara said...

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

As posted, these are definitely my own rules . . . no need for others to cramp their own, different styles.

My own feeling on the "on" versus "in" situation for traveling thru is that roads, bridges -- even crossing state lines -- are part of movement/journey, and so it's valid to checkin even though not stopping. Neighborhoods don't feel the same way to me -- for whatever reason, checkin only feels right when there's an actual stop. Also, I generally don't check into neighborhoods/cities unless I'm rarely there. In other words, I don't add San Rafael or Fairfax every day.

On vacation, the rules feel different, i.e., sort of like a #4 situation all the time: whatever feels fun.

THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!

Sally_K said...

I like your rules. I will play by them. The one neighborhood I like to check in to is the financial district because it is like checking in at work for me. I check in when I hop off the bus.

One of my rules is - only check in on roads, bridges, etc if you are a passenger. No texting and driving... please.

Having 3 teenagers I'm kind of a a no text and driving activist...

Thanks for this fun post!

Cindy Pavlinac said...

Fabulous, agree, & pretty much how we play.

The official rules shun goofy check-ins & I don’t create them but sometimes check in if they’re already there where I happen to find myself, before FourSquare SuperUsers clean them up. Foursquare Support

I also use check-ins to curate an online persona and endeavor to post an interesting narrative about where I go and where I’m mayor. My 4SqTweet haiku life.

meryl rose said...

E created a listing for our house when he was here when we took him to the airport. Now you'll be able to check in at our house :) I find it strange that someone will eventually be the "mayor" of my house. That seems very post modern.

 
 Footer