Forgot to check in a lot of places…but maybe that’s fine? Should you check in where you do volunteer work, like the work is just part of a game? I thought volunteer work is selfless? Would it make me a bad person?
No really, I just forgot. But I didn’t check in multiple times a day at the office, or at the place where I picked up a bagel but didn’t stay, or at the pretty concourse where I ate my lunch because it’s not really an institution…how far is this going to go?! Do people need to say that they’re the mayor of everything that could have a name?! the 2 train? the LIRR concourse? A square of sidewalk? I don’t quite get it.
The competition’s heating up. I know foursquare’s not solely a competition, but there was little joy in my first two mayorships, my office and Tax Court, simply because there was no competition. Foursquare is in a very specific market (I’d be curious to see those stats, but I’m guessing ages 15-35 smartphone owners in urban areas who like feeling “with it”), and my workplace and most of my friends are not that market. But, one of my coworkers wasn’t happy with me being a mayor of either place, so she joined, and now we have this silly motivation to not let the other have mayorship in our humble work setting. It’s absurd, but also easy enough to check in, so we do.
I’m too nosy about where my friends are when really, I don’t care or would otherwise know. My foursquare friends are either people who I generally know where they are anyway (either through real-life conversations, or twitter, or text, or some other means), or people who I follow in hopes that I learn about somewhere new and interesting (nothing yet). I refresh my friend list without thinking almost as often as I check twitter, but just because it’s something to do. I don’t really care, but I do it anyway. It’s like brushing my teeth, but less healthy and unexplainable to people who aren’t on foursquare.
Lingering Questions: Why is the Shout feature in existence? What’s the line of when to check in and when not to, and when to share it and when not to? Who is the mayor of the indian restaurant I go to for lunch all the time, because there’s never anyone under 50 there? How come I feel like a less-than-productive girlscout every time I get a badge (count = 5)?
Something funny: At the foursquare party last night, I almost forgot to check in, and then had issues finding the venue. They really should have kicked me out.
On a final note, a friend interviewed me for a paper about foursquare. My one week perspective (likely better articulated orally) is overall mixed, but full of continued intrigue. I told her that. If you have insight on the use of foursquare in your life, tell her.
Jen Bokoff 