The Magazine

Another badge hits the UK: High Tea

18

By on October 24th, 2012

It’s apparently UK week at Foursquare. Following the launch of the Love my Local badge yesterday, another new badge launched today to celebrate a uniquely British custom: High Tea.

It wasn’t immediately clear exactly how to unlock the badge, although it appears to require checking in to a tea room in the UK at tea time. The unlock text reads:

Biscuits. Scones. Jam. Whether it’s Devonshire cream or Earl Grey with lemon, one should always pair it with Victoria Sponge and cucumber sandwiches (no crusts, natch). Chin chin!

The biggest question, though, is why Foursquare is focusing new badges on the UK. Could a major new UK partnership or expansion be eminent? It seems odd that Foursquare would go to the trouble of launching two new badges simply in an effort to woo new users in the country, while excluding other countries from the badges.

Why do you think Fousquare is focusing on the UK? What do you think of the new badges?

  • http://www.jones.in/ Christopher

    This is kind of lame. I hate when they do such specific badges like this. I can drink tea or go to pub just as easily here in Michigan… Aside from the city badges or specific event badges, I don’t think badges should be limited to a certain area like this.

    • https://www.foursquare.com/user/752139 Sassy Thomas

      I live in the UK and can also go to stores over here and not unlock the badges you can in America, it’s all swings and roundabouts.
      We don’t have diners for the greasy spoon badge – we call them cafes over here so the UK SU community decided to re-cat the greasy spoon cafes here to diners so we could unlock which some people would argue is wrong, they should be cafes as they are called cafes here.
      We don’t have BBQ joints to get the Porky badge, again, the only workaround is to re-cat as similar venues as possible to do this.
      There are some badges that are impossible to unlock here in the UK so it’s nice (and about time) we had a little loving too :)

      • https://www.foursquare.com/user/752139 Sassy Thomas

        Sorry, that should read ‘There are some core badges that are impossible to unlock here in the UK’

      • http://www.jones.in/ Christopher

        Let me clarify, I’m not complaining about just these badges or whining that Americans can’t unlock it. I’m saying in general, I think it sucks when a badge is only in a certain region. This badge just happened to illustrate that fact so I rolled with it. I’m glad Foursquare is paying attention to countries beyond the U.S. but why continue to limit their badges, just in a slightly different way. How come you can’t unlock this in Italy or Spain? #BadgesForAll

      • https://www.foursquare.com/user/752139 Sassy Thomas

        Oh, I didn’t take your message as a whine or anything, sorry if my response made you feel like that!
        I quite like the local badges, I think for people luckily enough to be able to travel to other countries it makes that trip all the bit sweeter.
        I have a bucket list of all the city badges I’d like to unlock!
        I’m currently trying to convince my fiancé that we should honeymoon in NYC when we get married so I can get some badges haha!

      • http://twitter.com/easyoko Elvis Alves

        You are complaining on a full stomach. Here in Brazil has almost no badges that exist only to North America or Europe. Great American or European companies launch legal emblems that are restricted only to the northern part of the planet.

      • dumdau

        I can totally understand the needs of having city or country specific badges for the purpose of promoting the core concept of travelling and exploring. What I don’t understand is why create country exclusive badges for venues or things that aren’t remotely regional exclusive.

        We also have pubs and tea places in Canada, and I’m sure other countries do too. This isn’t even a matter of categorization issue that could be fixed or gone around by simply changing the categories.

        If 4sq really thinks certain venues are exclusive to certain countries, then maybe the categories shouldn’t be available to choose from in other countries in the first place?

        /rant

      • https://www.foursquare.com/user/752139 Sassy Thomas

        It’s London Comic Con this weekend – will I unlock the Comic Con badge? No, I have to go to an American one. Is that ok?
        The UK and other countries have been through this many, many times with the majority of things being very US-centric.
        The moment something that becomes exclusive to a country that isn’t the US then everyone is up in arms.
        Haters gonna hate :p

  • Chaffro

    As a UK user, I’m not going to complain; but odd that they’ve chosen badges that could be as relevant to other parts of the world. But then again, I’ve said that about a number of badges that have been US-specific before.

  • http://achivy.com altuure

    hi ,
    This time it is not UK only …. there are none UK users who get this badge !!! http://achivy.com/apps/foursquare/badges/14970-high-tea

    • https://www.foursquare.com/user/752139 Sassy Thomas

      They get them by cheating, often known as ‘jumping’

    • Chaffro

      The jumpers have got it wrong for the ‘Love My Local’ – they’ve checked into three different pubs, when they are supposed to check into the SAME pub – i.e a LOCAL – across three different days. If they do it right, they should be unlocking it tomorrow, but my guess is they won’t.

  • https://www.foursquare.com/user/2086685 Tom Cahill

    Heading to London for a day in late December. Hope I get to unlock at least one of these new badges

  • http://www.saltedlolly.com Olly

    Up until this point, other that the city badges, the core badges have been rather US-centric. It’s nice to see some badges aimed at other countries bing rolled out. I look forward to seeing more badges that are for local regions.

    • https://www.foursquare.com/user/752139 Sassy Thomas

      +1

  • https://www.foursquare.com/user/564266 Robert Rowe

    I guess, I can consider myself being lucky again, heading to London for the NOAH Conference in 2 weeks! It’s good to see 4Sq is progressively getting busy in Europe (thanks to @thecoolgeek). After moving from US to Germany, my 4Sq usage & fun with it has been quite different! Back to the Badge… ⇢ I just think, that core badges should not be tied down to localities & should continue to mainly & mostly stick to categories… That’s all! ;-)

  • https://www.foursquare.com/user/226014 Éric F.

    I guess we can expect a Baguette bagde for France soon.

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