Comments on: Foursquare evolves into a true recommendations service with version 5

By: Lee

Lee — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:02:28 +0000

How to add a new venue

By: Tom Servo

Tom Servo — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:31:23 +0000

Chris, the difference is Facebook has 900 million registered users and is an indispensable tool for pretty much everyone who uses it. Foursquare has fewer users, is not a unique service anymore with the latest update. It’s become a geo-aware Yelp or TripAdvistor, basically.

Also, you SHOULD be getting paid to do this because this is the best source of 4sq news I’ve found. I’m not on Twitter so I don’t follow them, and trying to get anything done through Get Satisfaction is a waste of time. This is an awesome resource!

By: Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:20:44 +0000

Olivia, points are on a rolling seven day basis. Your points today include your activity from last Tuesday through today. Tomorrow they’ll include last Wednesday through tomorrow. As Tom said, if you see a big drop, it’s usually because you had a day with really high points a week ago that’s now dropped off. That’s the way points have worked since March 2011.

Tom, you can go back and check points for check-ins made on the same day. For some reason they disappear for older check-ins now. They show up when you visit an individual check-in from your profile tab and then tap the arrow to expand it. You’ll get the entire check-in detail.

I haven’t noticed any drop-off in check-ins since the new app came out. My friends seem to be checking in just as much as before. I seem to hear a lot of the same “OMG, the sky is falling” complaints we hear every time Facebook releases some minor update, but people keep using it.

These changes are really pretty minor as far as usability of the app goes for long-time users. I’ve adapted to it without a problem.

The big reason for the changes is to make it more clear to NEW users what they should be using foursquare for. It does that VERY well. Sure, a few old users may drop off, but the numbers will be relatively low. In the long-term it will help foursquare by getting more new users to stick around.

By: Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:10:56 +0000

I typically don’t follow too many comments over the weekend. I don’t work for foursquare or get paid at all to run this blog, so I’d say that’s fair.

By: Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:09:12 +0000

In the iOS app, at least, points are shown after check-in just as they’ve always been. The design changed slightly, but they’re right there, along with the leaderboard snippet.

By: Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:07:40 +0000

Foursquare’s data showed people weren’t using that feature very much, so they removed it. Based on the reaction from users, I think their data was flawed in the regard. They’ve already said they’re working to bring it back in a coming release.

https://twitter.com/foursquare/status/211178681161351170

By: Olivia

Olivia — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:49:00 +0000

Tom- when does the week go from and to? Is there a day of the week? Otherwise, it isn’t working right for me. Every day they seem to go down.
I hate the no points history anymore, too, and the lack of being able to see my previous points by check ins. And yes, the competition part of it is really mostly what keeps people using Foursquare in the first place! I’m in the top dozen of unhappy campers. I find it user UN-friendly, hard to read (and for some people even FIND) the points you earned, the fonts seem changed or greatly reduced in size- and light gray, such as in the check-in points, etc.
I really hate it, but they seem to want to become FB….and we all know where that stock has gone. I don’t know anyone who enjoys FB anymore!

By: Tom Servo

Tom Servo — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:38:28 +0000

Olivia, you know that the points are rolling, right? The points you have day to day are over the last seven days, I think. So if you went nuts last week and earned a lot of points in one day, those will all disappear one week later. That’s how it’s always worked for me, anyway.

Speaking of points, they are entirely too deprecated in this version. I can’t go back and see my points history anymore, or see how many points I earned in previous check ins through the app. It’s not always a competition, but that’s no reason to remove so many features from this new version.

I’ve noticed a HUGE drop-off in check ins yesterday and today which makes me wonder if people are no longer using the app since this update. I’ve seen nothing but complaints from the handful of my friends who’ve actually commented on it without prompting by me.

By: Olivia

Olivia — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:12:42 +0000

Chris Thompson is either off for the weekend or bored with complaints. In either case it doesn’t change that this update was a bad idea.

By: Olivia

Olivia — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:07:04 +0000

Me too, lorant. This is abominable.