MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over

Checkin’ In: The “rules” of Foursquare

May 9, 2010 Digital Marketing & Metrics, Social Media, social networks

I get a kick out of Foursquare.  I am not a gaming sort, unless you count MarioKart and Rockband, but badges and points and mayorships give me the giggles.  But, please don’t invite me to Farmville.

What do I like about it?

• Cyber stalking my friends
• Sharing notes about what I am up to at that location and sending it to my Facebook update
• The thrill of getting mayorships when you least expect them and the excitement of a new badge
• A little competition with friends (badges and weekly leader board)

Foursquare has grown in popularity since I started using it, and with popularity comes the folks that look for “the rules” or the  “etiquette”.  And, then slowly we see an unwritten gaming protocol form or best practices emerge as we did for Twitter. But still, for the individual who prides themselves on neat little buckets, and proper rules and regulations – Foursquare may not be for you.  In fact it may seem downright chaotic. The truth is anyone can add a location, which means some places can have more than one “Check-in”. Egad! Which is the “real” one!! And, while you may envision a “check-in” as the building or retail shop – someone else decides they can check-in at the front door, backdoor and toilet.

I say it is all in good fun.  If the randomness of this  bothers you – maybe read up on tagging in my article on Social Bookmarking or read about folksonomy from one of the most collaborative sites on the web**which at one point gave people heart burn when they thought about letting the crowd create an encyclopedia

I am not saying there shouldn’t be “rules” or “etiquette” – but it is all in fun. So, relax. If your friend feels he wants to check in on the Highway – hey, it is his life. No one is handing out free tires because you are the Mayor of the 401 and Winston Churchill. But, Peter Kim makes some fair points in his post “Should You Be Checking in on Foursquare” – maybe it isn’t cool if you are the mayor of the coffee shop you work at…unfair advantage and it loses out on the shop getting any play for loyalty. But, at the same time – if there is no free coffee or discounts for the mayor  – does it really matter?  Peter also mentions one that I think has some weight – a sales person checking in to a prospect. This could have implications for their work, and could cause issues with regards to  up to competition – unless that user is carefully guarding their check-ins.

So what “rules” do I follow on Twitter?

• Generally speaking I check-in to “real” places. Mostly because I am not inclined to set up a venue for “my coach”.  And, I don’t think my friends need to know when I go into the public washroom. That said, cool if you want to.  But, don’t be surprised if eventually you don’t get points for checking in to your “Superman underpants”. If you read the Foursquare Blog they talk about tweaking the program by adding some neat little cheater code  so mayorships and badges can’t be taken from your sofa.
• When I check-in I choose carefully how I share…some I don’t tweet out, some I don’t update on Facebook. Some just go to my Foursquare friends (who are just that…friends).
• If the location already exists I use that one. If I don’t like how it is set up (maybe it doesn’t have a cute icon, or the address) I go in and change it later on – not create a new one!

While it is a fun game, the best thing about Foursquare is keeping a tight reign (hehe) on your friends and (over) sharing with them. While the badges and points are cool…and I love seeing my name at the top of the leader board -

the coolest thing is realizing that a friend is at the same place…at the same time as you.  So, while it might make your obsessive compulsive side cringe with the chaotic. Step back, relax. Have fun. But, play fair -they are your friends afterall.

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Tags: foursquare, friends, rules, social networks