Foursquare Check-In Application

It's not uncommon to go a place with friends and hear the phrase, "I have to check in!" That's because for those users of the iPhone, Android or Blackberry platforms, foursquare is a way to explore your city. And, your friends know exactly where you're at-all the time-in case they want to crash your party.

There's several good things about foursquare. First, there are over 215 possible badges. Everyone gets the "Newbie" badge upon their first foursquare check in. There are many unique ones on foursquare people work toward the more they check in. For instance, there's the "Overshare" badge, which people earn after 10+ check-ins in 12 hours. There is also a "Jetsetter" badge, earned after your fifth check-in at an airport. When 50 or more people have checked in at your location, you'll earn the "Swarm" badge-and the list goes on.

Another great thing about foursquare is that people can leave tips about their locations. For instance, they can say how fantastic the venue's music was on Saturday or how terrible the waitstaff was on Friday evening. They can "shout out," as it were, and say who they are at the location with or the reason they are there. If the place you are not at is listed, you can add it to foursquare. This helps others who may go to the location because then they can check in as well.

Foursquare lets you search for friends via many devices. Among all of these, you simply click and add your friends. The program shows you which friends are on foursquare, and you may even invite others by email, name or phone number. It also keeps track of foursquare friend requests for when people have found you on the application. The more friends you check in with on foursquare, the more points you earn.

Furthermore, the more check-ins you have, the more you increase your chance of mayorship. This is when you have been to a location so often that foursquare makes you the mayor. It's possible to out-mayor someone, but it may take awhile, depending on how often you check in. Also, it's possible to have several mayorships and several badges. You want to work up to get as many as you can.

With each check-in, you earn points. These points depend on how often you have been to the location, how many people you check-in with, and whether or not you are the mayor. It also gives you points for checking in and totals your check-in points. The more check in, the more fun it is with your friends.