Saavy digital consumers juggle multiple social media networks, each for a different reason. We are all familiar with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but digital insiders speak to the power of a lesser-known location app, Foursquare. But, what is Foursquare? And, why do we need it?
What is Foursquare?
Foursquare is an app that helps people experience nearby places by providing them with information about locations directly on their phone. With smart technology that monitors users likes and dislikes, Foursquare offers recommendations catered towards their tastes. Foursquare is active in major cities like New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Boston. The app is also available in foriegn countries, including Great Britain, Japan and Brazil. More than 55 million people worldwide have provided more than 70 million tips and checked in over seven billion times. To date, there are more than two million businesses that have claimed a location on Foursquare. With traffic galore for these businesses, the power of Foursquare cannot be ignored. The geo-marketing app Foursquare first launched in 2009. The check-in app also featured a popular game where users earned points and honorary titles, like mayor. But six years later, what is foursquare good for now? Recently, Foursquare re-launched as a location-based, recommendations app to compete with the online review site Yelp. It’s social approach gives users more targeted listings of places to enjoy. At the same time, Foursquare launched a separate app, Swarm. This sister app is now the social companion to Foursquare. Swarms combines its traditional check-in feature with real-time location data about users social circles.
And, Why Do We Need It?
The Foursquare app offers users a next-level recommendation experience that just might outfox Yelp. Foursquare makes it easier to quickly find the right location near you. Foursquare predicts user preferences based upon previous visits, search history and profile information. The next-generation app’s options are not overwhelming, because Foursquare uses targeted filters for each user. Extra layers of filters include pet friendly locations or WiFi-enabled places, in addition to the ordinary recommendation filters like price. There’s also a feature called “Places I Haven’t Been” that can add an extra layer of filtering to expand the Foursquare experience. With its streamlined technology, Foursquare offers valuable context to the experience of finding just the right local joint for your tastes. If content is king, then Foursquare just might be queen.