Foursquare is a new cell phone application that uses GPS technology to help you connect with friends, learn more about your surroundings, and possibly earn some freebies from the retailers you visit frequently.
The idea behind Foursquare is to “check in” at locations you visit so your contacts synced with your address book, Facebook, and Twitter will know where you are. If your location isn’t listed, you can add it to Foursquare.
Beyond connecting with friends, you can use Foursquare to learn more about the places you visit and add your own tips about venues for others to discover. If you’re a regular somewhere, there’s also the opportunity to become a “mayor” of the location (an honour that basically means you’ve checked in somewhere more than anyone else) and to earn “badges” within the application. There’s also the opportunity to earn free stuff from participating retailers.
Foursquare uses the slogan, “unlock your world and find happiness just around the corner.” Thanks to this application, serendipitous meetings and discoveries won’t have to be serendipitous anymore! (We’ll leave it to you to decide if this is a good thing.)
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