Foursquare

For the past month or so, I decided to try another form of social media: Foursquare. For those of you who do not know what this is, Foursquare is meant for a smartphone with either WiFi capability or a data plan because it tracks and shares you're location with your friends. The more places you "check-in" to, the more chances you'll unlock badges. You get points for going to a new location like a park or a restaurant. There's also a mayor for each location. If the mayor happens to be in the location when you "check-in," then you get even more points.
Foursquare is similar to Facebook in which you can have friends, post statuses, makes comments, upload pictures, and even check into a location. However, I find it kind of strange to announce every location I go to. I understand if there's a nice restaurant that you might want you're friends to check out, but there's no need to know you're home, at the park, or at a grocery store. Even you're friends really wanted to know where you are, they would either call or text you. As a default setting, all of locations and comments are public information. If you are worried about someone knowing you're location, you can set it to friends only, but that may also make you lose friends.
There is one benefit to using Foursquare and that is the special deals that are offered. Certain stores or restaurants have discounted rates or may even give away things for free just by checking into their location. For example, the Checkers located on Fordham Rd will give you a free small milkshake for every 3rd check-in. Some stores give you a discount only when checking in for the first time. Also, being the Mayor of a location can give you even more opportunities. At Checkers, every time the mayor checks in, he/she can get a free small milkshake.
If you're interested, this may be something you want to check out. For more information, you check out Foursquare's website here. Keep in mind that not all locations have WiFi, which obviously makes having a smartphone much more useful for this. If you do check it out, let me know what you think!