FourSquare - is this the new Twitter craze?

Some of you may have read in the papers at the weekend about the new craze-app called Foursquare. Indeed, some of you may already have it on your phone (it works on more than the iPhone by the way).

This interesting app works by using a combination of the GPS features in your phone, coupling them with Google Maps and sitting the whole lot on an app that seems to be a mix of Twitter and Menupages ... or something like that.

How does it work? Well, I don't really know is the answer, but this is what it does. You go into your local coffee shop and sit down with your cuppa. You take out your phone and log in to Foursquare. Within seconds, Foursquare will locate you and be able to also tell you who else is in the area. You can Chek-In to whichever venue you are in and leave comments, tips or any other remarks you want. As you Check In to more and more places, you accummulate badges and points. The objective is to become the Mayor of a specific location - from what I can tell...

So what's so new about this? Well, what seems to be the main appeal of this app is that it brings the virtual and the real world together in a way that apps haven't managed to do yet. In addition to that, it is a social app and it has an element of gaming to it and therefor a compettive edge. People do find themselves competing to become the Mayor of their favourite haunts. And why wouldn't they?

More and more companies have begun to realize the benefits and potential of Foursquare. Companies such as Starbucks offer the Mayor of their local Starbucks free coffee or other perks for the priviledge of holding this office. What does this do for Starbuck's? Well, just imagine having your customers competing to be Mayor of your coffee shop? Gotta be good for business eh?

Anyway, if you want to check it out, have a look here for the download details (it's free by the way) - LINK - and if you get a chance, Check-In to Pressieport.ie and add us as a friend. We have Specials running on Foursquare so don't forget to click the 'Specials' icon for details.