FourSquare – The Next Big Thing?
I think FourSquare WILL be the next “Twitter”. With the release of Foursquare’s new API it’s drum up media stir once again (see Mashable’s post). Even Twitter itself realizes location-aware posts are the next step (see Twitter’s blog post titled “Location, Location, Location“). However, Foursquare will take time, more so even than twitter did. Mainly because Foursquare has to index all these businesses and their location, it’ll be rolled out city by city.
How’s It Different From Twitter?
With twitter, it’s about “what are you doing?”, with foursquare it’s about “where you are”. 
Wait, that’s already been done right? (Brighkite, Latitude, etc.) But Foursquare is more about tips for what to do where you are. Foursquare is built on user-generated tips for cool things to do in the city, like trying a certain kind of beer at a bar or checking out an underground club. You get (and give) recommendations on what to do close by – “Go here, do this”; restaurants for example, think less like reviews of “the food here is top notch!” and more like “Eat here, order this”.
Foursquare Takes it a Step Further: Turns it Into a Game
Foursquare is playing off of Dodgeball’s short-lived success, turning the whole thing into a game. Something other sites such as music discovery site thesixtyone.com have discovered can skyrocket user involvement. Eventually, you can acquire electronic badges for your achievements. It’s described as “like X-Box Live achievements, but for real-life, social life, nightlife”.
Alright, Can I Use It?
Foursquare’s still being rolled out location by location. It’s only available in some of the major cities across US, Canada and Europe. If your lucky enough to live in one of the 21 cities supported, you can sign-up at foursquare.com and start using it today! The rest of us will have to just wait till they roll it out to more cities…
Update: Jan 8, 2010 Foursquare goes global! Check-in from anywhere in the world!
Tags: app, mobile, socialmedia, socialnetworking, twitter