Can 4Square Really Make You Cool?
Why is it surprising that 4Square rocks? We’ve been bragging about going places forever. “I went on vacation here, I ate here last night, I’ve already been there – done that.” It’s the equivalent of:
“Dude, I bet I can eat 47 Blazin’ Chicken Wings in under 30 Minutes”
Or
“Kick me in the junk!”
Bottom Line: We are suckers for pointless competition.
Stupid bets, double dares, and “watch this” all fuel our need to prove dominance among friends. Obviously the competition gene is dominant in males, which contributes to higher insurance premiums and sweet muscle cars…
How 4Square Plays People
4Square knows you want to be cool. Think back to college, remember that guy who always went out? He had tons of friends, and went to tons of places. He was cool.
4Square gives everyone a shot to be that guy. It’s social proof that you go out, have friends, and like to have fun.
The Key to 4Squares Success
Sharing.
Nobody would check-in if there was no intrinsic value. Telling your friends all the places you’ve been provides social proof. The Beastie Boys are right – fight for your right to party, check in, and get instant street cred.
A Quick Story…
I recently visited a friend that I haven’t seen in close to a year. One of the first things my friend said was:
“Have you seen this new 4Square app? You can check into places and get free stuff. I’m crazy checking in everywhere, you should see my badges!”
We then proceeded to compare our badges and surprisingly he had more…at a 5th grade level, it made me stupid jealous. Like when your best friend first kissed a girl, and you still hadn’t held her hand yet. Well, not that upset, but I was jealous he was going more places. I thought to myself:
“I’m UrbanBacon, I should have 1,000,000 check-in’s, who is this dude!”
4Square is simply social proof. It proves that you go out, and then proceeds bragging to all your lame friends who are sitting home watching The Hills. It’s proof you have a social life. That’s technological street cred, son.
Will 4Square REALLY make me Cool?
It’s just a silly game. A game that plays on our basic need of social acceptance. Being cool comes from being confident in yourself. I admit, it won’t make you The Fonz, but at least you can prove life is exciting. Start checking-in and have more to talk about.
Have you ran into friends checking-in to 4Square? What was your reaction? Does it make you cool?
*Bonus Round
As more businesses jump aboard, be looking for specials on 4Square. If you check in and get a free beer…that’s a no-brainer. Free beer is the one thing that ALWAYS motivates people.
No related posts.
I was just thinking about Foursquare the other day… I was explaining it to someone and realized I left out the parts about the points the badges, the leaderboard…. the whole game aspect.
I feel like the more I use it, the more I like the value it provides… sharing where I’m going with my friends (and, let’s face it, random strangers), finding out about new places bc you see people checking in there, reading the tips, and leaving tips too. Oh, and the specials places like Mosaic and Robust have done are nice too (not to other restaurants: Jump on the bandwagon. If you build it, they/I will come).
I like becoming the mayor of places… but really, the points don’t matter to me. I guess this means that Foursquare got me. I’m obsessed.
_Danielle
Bottom Line: It’s about sharing with people the places you go…screw all the nonsense about being cool.
In reality, we just want to tell people about our experiences. 4Square allows us to do that in a fun way. No worries Danielle, 4Square got me too:)