2. We’ve all heard of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace... Image by Webtreats - Flickr
3. But the latest buzz in Social Media is about something called Foursquare. Image by Editor B – Flickr
4. Which begs the question... what exactly is Foursquare, and how does it work? Image by Juliaklarman - Flickr
5. Foursquare works with your Mobile Phone or Smartphone. It works with a GPS system, allowing you to “Check In” at any given location. Image by Prayitno - Flickr
6. Once you “check in” to a place, all of your Foursquare friends can see where you are. You can post your Foursquare activity to Twitter as well! Image by Wharman - Flickr
7. You can check up on your friends to see where they’ve been and read any recommendations they have for places to explore. Image by Katatoniq - Flickr
8. You can also review and recommend places yourself. Image by Shorts and Longs - Flickr
9. Image by Midiman - Flickr “unlock the world and find happiness around the corner” - The Foursquare homepage
10. As you go more places you can unlock badges and earn points. Image by Dpstylestm - Flickr
11. If you visit a particular place more frequently than any other Foursquare user... You get to become the Mayor of that place. Image by Christian.Terboven - Flickr
12. Foursquare users compete with their friends to maintain their Mayoral status... Almost like a Social Media Shootout. Image by Meddy Garnet - Flickr
13. Image by Hello Turkey Toe - Flickr Who uses it? So, now that we know a little bit more about Foursquare, we can ask...
14. According to Foursquare’s website, they have about 8 million users worldwide (as of April 2011) with 35, 000 new users every day. Image by Robert Scoble - Flickr
15. So that puts Foursquare at approximately 8 million users, Twitter at approximately 200 million users, And Facebook at over 600 million users. (Based on reports by the BBC and Goldman Sachs) Image by TimothyJ - Flickr
16. Even though Foursquare has been around since 2009, It is still the baby of the group. Image by StewC - Flickr
17. The ability to “check in” on your Smartphone is not unique to Foursquare. Facebook Places alsoallows you to “check in” and posts your location to your Wall. Image by J. Scott 2
18. When 1000 UK Teens were polled...Facebook Places took Foursquare down: and those are the teens who DO “check in.” 44% “checked in” with Facebook, 27%“checked in” with Foursquare Image by Familymwr - Flickr
19. 58% of the teens from the same poll said they “didn’t see the point” in “checking in.” The full story is here: http://www.tnooz.com/2011/05/14/news/half-of-teenagers-have-never-heard-of-location-check-ins/ Image by JRphoto12 - Flickr
20. Even worse news for Foursquare... 45% of the teens polled felt that “checking in” is unsafe. Image by Seabamirum - Flickr
21. This “Techno-panic” is not completely unjustified. “Checking in” does mean revealing your exact location to all of your Foursquare friends. Could this lure potential stalkers? Image: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/local_news/hear_me_out/are-gps-phone-tracking-and-apps-like-foursquare-safe
22. Will Foursquare ever become a Social Media giant like Facebook or Twitter... or has Facebook already rendered it redundant? Image by Ianv - Flickr
23. Image by Jez.atkinson - Flickr Will Foursquare still be around in a year... Or will it go the way of the dinosaur? Otherwise known as...“the way of MySpace”
24. All images are licensed under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share-Alike Agreement, and sourced from Flickr Image by tsuacctnt - Flickr