Two Birds, One Stone

A class mate blogged about why he thinks Foursquare is dead. I agree with much of what he says, that the “check-in” space is becoming exceptionally competitive and the big guys like Facebook and even Twitter could threaten their user base. However, I think Foursquare’s power is it’s niche usage and merit badge system. Maybe I’m just a geek, but I often prefer the simple concise application over the complicated do-everything application, akin to the Unix/Linux command-line tool mindset of “do one thing, but do it well”. Foursquare essentially only does one thing, let people know when you’re at some location. Simple. Easy to understand. Use if you wish. Add to this it’s interoperability with other applications via it’s API (granted Facebook’s places API is similar) I don’t even have to use Foursquare to use Foursquare. I can use Instagram to check into Foursquare. The merit/badge system is another aspect that I think will drive more usage. The few people in my circle who use Foursquare makes the badge system more engaging. Someone unlocks an interesting badge, I want it too, and vice versa. Exclusive badges adds to the game. RunKeeper (my run tracking iPhone app) has 5k, 10k, and marathon badges that you can unlock on Foursquare by running the requisite distance. This collection of badges is what keeps me from easily moving to another check-in app. As a marketer, this needs to play into the your strategy just like any other social media platform. Who are these niche users? What are your goals for these users? Can you implement?