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Foursquare check-ins posted to Facebook finally appear on the timeline map

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By on May 11th, 2012

Screen Shot 2012-05-11 at 3.09.27 PM

Almost two years after the launch of Facebook Places, foursquare has finally activated native Facebook place tagging when you choose to share check-ins with your Facebook friends.

Like standard Facebook check-ins (or place tags), your foursquare check-ins now appear on the Facebook map found at the top of user timelines. Any photos posted with the check-in also appear there. When you check in at a business with a Facebook page, you’ll find that the check-in is linked to the proper page.

Strangely, the check-ins do not appear in the “nearby” view found in the Facebook mobile apps.

Foursquare was originally named as a launch partner for Facebook’s Places initiative (including an on-stage appearance by VP of Mobile and Partnerships Holger Luedorf at the launch event), but never integrated with it. Sending that data to Facebook (in a way they could actually use it programatically) was seen by many as a raw deal for foursquare since they’d be handing valuable location history data to Facebook.

Previously, foursquare reported that approximately 20% of check-ins were shared with Facebook. This change means it makes sense to send more of your interesting check-ins to Facebook since they actually have a lasting appearance on the site. As foursquare’s new history page does for browsing our personal history, this now makes it possible for our friends’ to browse our location history (at least what’s shared with Facebook) and see the places we’ve been.

What do you think of the change?

/Thanks to David Wilder for the tip!

  • http://www.jones.in Christopher

    Any chance this is retroactive?

    • Chris Thompson

      Doesn’t appear to be.

      • http://about.me/dukkokun Duccio Mondanelli

        It seems to be, instead. I’m getting my check-ins from a couple weeks ago on my map…

      • Chris Thompson

        They’ve actually been testing this off and on for a few weeks, especially at night here in the US. It’s possible your check-ins were made during one of those periods or they’re going back and filling them in.

  • vincent

    I think its a good think. I for one dont use Facebook Places and would rather check-in via Foursquare and choose to post it on Facebook if I so choose to. It will be good for when I visit distant places. Sort of like checking things off my bucket list kind of thing. Thanks for reporting this Chris.

  • Jay Reed (@jreed)

    Would really like to see the ability to push checkins to FB places without the notification going out on everyone’s newsfeed (yet still having the ability to do so when I want)

    • Murilo

      That would be great.

  • Brian

    Whatever change they made, it appears to have changed the way image previews are handled. Previously, the image would have to be posted with the check-in. But now, an image added after the initial check-in shows up in the Facebook post. I still prefer the images get posted to the foursquare album and don’t know why foursquare stopped that again.

  • Paulie

    I agree with Brian, I miss the special “foursquare” photo album that Facebook used to create when you pushed a checkin with a photo to Facebook. They definitely need to bring this feature back.

  • http://muchmorethanless.tumblr.com Marco Tosi

    It doesn’t work in Italy yet. I mean: yesterday my 4sq check in didn’t appear on my Timeline Map.. -.- … Why??

  • Xurk

    Slightly offtopic, but still related: I’ve noticed lately that whenever I use the “Post to Facebook” option in the Foursquare app (Android) when checking in to a venue, it seems to only appear on my profile page as a Wall post / “Recent activity” and doesn’t seem to show up on the main Facebook “News Feed” page.

    This means that hardly anyone notices my check-in on Facebook, defeating the whole purpose of sharing it there. They will only notice my check-in if they visit my profile page. This seems to have only recently changed, as before my check-ins always showed up on the “News Feed” page.

    Does this sound familiar to anyone? Is there some kind of new or extra setting on Facebook or on Foursquare that I have to change in order to return to the previous behaviour? I still see Foursquare check-ins from friends of mine on the Facebook “News Feed” page, so obviously it must still be possible to achieve…

    • vincent

      Its happened to me. Had to remove 4square app from facebook. Change my password to both facebook and 4 square and then reinstall 4square to facebook. It started working somewhat. Only thing is it wont show the pictures you post along with your check-in. Seems like a work in progress for facebook’s places.

  • vincent

    Blast! its not posting the pictures along with the timeline mapping. Oh well, I guess Facebook still prefers us to use “Places”.

    • Chris Thompson

      It should be. I’ve posted a few pictures and they’ve shown up on my map.

  • http://foursquare.com/bauserdotcom Michael Bauser

    The “report duplicate places” queue in Facebook’s Places Editor has been asking users to match Facebook and Foursquare venues for a least a couple of weeks now. Since the change to Foursquare’s timeline app, it’s been crazy full of such matches.

    Keep in mind, the damn Facebook Places Editor is still asking me to match Facebook places to GOWALLA locations that don’t exist anymore, so I doubt this will be a project that’s completed any time soon.

  • Steve Case

    When I “post to Facebook” it does not appear?? Can’t figure what I am doing wrong and can’t find an answer on the FourSquare website.

    • Chris Thompson

      Have you tried disconnecting and reconnecting Facebook from your foursquare settings page? That’s the only advice I can give you.

  • norman

    Is it possible to bring my old foursquare check-ins history to facebook timeline?

    • Chris Thompson

      No, there’s not a way to do it.

  • Diplan

    My foursquare check in are creating duplicates on Facebook

  • Frank

    After two weeks my checkins that are on map are removed, it’s just with me? It’s boring me. I want all the history there

  • Ed

    I was a pretty big Foursquare fan. However this change caused me to delete my account and remove all the posts from Facebook that Foursquare ever made. I’m not interested in Facebook having this data from me. Should have been opt-in only too. I doubt most users realize this is happening. On the flip side I understand why some would like this – just not me.

    • http://foursquare.com/bauserdotcom Michael Bauser

      If you don’t want Facebook to see your Foursquare check-ins, you could have just stopped sending your checkins to Facebook. You know that, don’t you?

      • Ed

        I did know that. I liked Foursquare making a post that was readable by my friends with a link to a map. I did not like Facebook getting the raw data to utilize on their map and for their own purposes.

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