Last night I attended 501 Tech NYC‘s event “Who’s Your Mayor?” (Exploring Nonprofits + Foursquare) with Emily. Naveen Selvadurai, Co-Founder of Foursquare, explained some of the reasoning behind the initial idea of Foursquare. Here are some of the key points I took away:
What To Think Of Foursquare
- Foursquare was inspired by the habit of people who live in cities like NYC with a plethora of venues, restaurants, cafes, and bars, but always go to their favorite spots.
- We should think of Foursquare as an excuse to break habit and explore new places.
- Foursquare turns daily life into a game.
- Foursquare is an example on how software can change people’s behaviors.
- A toddler in the online world, Foursquare is only 18 months old – but already has over 80 million check-in points.
- Foursquare can be used as a “diary” of your personal life i.e. check in at gym, check in at bar for friend’s birthday, etc.
Shelley Bernstein, Chief of Technology for the Brooklyn Museum, also presented how they utilized Foursquare to drive visitors by rewarding their “Mayors” and regular visitors with badges and free memberships (Brooklyn Museum is suggested donation btw). It’s pretty amazing how they incorporated Foursquare on their Community Page and definitely deserves a look.
Final Takeaway – I finally joined Foursquare and will make it my mission to be a major for the Brooklyn Museum.
My Name Is Reb 