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WHAT IS FOURSQUARE?Image by smemon87 - Flickr

By Elizabeth Cameron

We’ve all heard of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace...

Image by Webtreats - Flickr

But the latest buzz in Social

Media is about something called

Foursquare.

Image by Editor B – Flickr

Which begs the question...

and how does it work?

Image by Juliaklarman - Flickr

what exactly is Foursquare,

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

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

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

You can also review and recommend places yourself.

Image by Shorts and Longs - Flickr

“unlock the world and find happiness around the corner”

- The Foursquare homepage

Image by Midiman - Flickr

As you go more places you can unlock badges and earn points.

Image by Dpstylestm - Flickr

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

Foursquare users compete with their friends to maintain their Mayoral status...

Almost like a Social Media Shootout.

Image by Meddy Garnet - Flickr

So, now that we know a little bit more about Foursquare,we can ask...

Who uses it?

Image by Hello Turkey Toe - Flickr

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

So that puts Foursquare at approximately 8 million users,

Twitter at approximately200 million users,

And Facebook at over 600 million users.

(Based on reports by the BBC and Goldman Sachs)

Image by TimothyJ - Flickr

Even though Foursquare has been around since 2009,

It is still the baby of the group.

Image by StewC - Flickr

The ability to “check in” on your Smartphone is not unique to Foursquare.

Facebook Places also allows you to “check in” and posts your location to your Wall.Image by J. Scott 2

When 1000 UK Teens were polled...Facebook Places took Foursquare down:

44% “checked in” with Facebook,

27%“checked in” with Foursquare

Image by Familymwr - Flickr

and those are the teens who DO “check in.”

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

Even worse news for Foursquare... 45% of the teens polled felt that “checking in” is unsafe. Image by Seabamirum - Flickr

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

Will Foursquare ever become a Social Media giant like Facebook or Twitter...

or has Facebook already rendered it redundant?

Image by Ianv - 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”

Image by Jez.atkinson - Flickr

Image by tsuacctnt - Flickr

All images are licensed under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share-Alike Agreement, and sourced from Flickr