The Magazine

The expertise badges

22

By on November 14th, 2011

Earlier today, foursquare launched Expertise badges where you earn different “levels” as you explore more and more venues in that category. There are currently 24 badges that offer levels, they are:

  • Don’t Stop Believin’
  • Jetsetter
  • Zoetrope
  • Pizzaiolo
  • Warhol
  • Monkey Bars (formerly Babysitter)
  • Dog’s Best Friend
  • Swimmies
  • Great Outdoors
  • Ski Bum
  • Bookworm
  • 7-10 Split
  • Fresh Brew
  • Fixer Upper
  • Handmade Hero
  • Fried Check-in
  • Vinyl
  • Wino
  • Triple Play
  • Baker’s Dozen
  • Greasy Spoon
  • Herbivore
  • Hot Tamale
  • Bento

The unlock rules for the badges have changed — you no longer need 20 different pizza places to unlock the Pizzaiolo badge, for instance. They all follow the same rules for unlocking and leveling up:

  • Level 1: Check in five times at the same place or at three different places in the same category
  • Level 2: Check in at five new places in the same category
  • Level 3+: Check in at five new places for each level

Each badge goes up to 10 levels, so you’ll top out after you’ve explored 45 places in the same category. Foursquare says they’ll be working to add more new expertise badges.

/Updated 4:21 pm: previous version was incorrect about badge unlock rules. Also, @dens says an expert Gym Rat badge is coming soon (although I imagine the rules will need to change somewhat):

  • 5square

    Took me a minute to figure out “friend check in” is actually “fried”

    Not making fun, just helping out my most favorite foursquare website “about foursquare”

    • Chris Thompson

      Ha! Thanks for the catch!

  • Natalia

    I’m still wishing they’d kept badges and the whole expertise thing separate…

  • Andy C

    If you had not earned a badge under old rules but would earn it under the new, when does it show up in your badges? Do you need another check-in in that category to trigger earning the badge?

    • Chris Thompson

      That’s correct.

      • Andy C

        Thanks! I’ll have to force myself to go to more movies and eat more pizza.

  • Murilo

    Ziggy’s Wagon should be an expertise badge too.

    • Chris Thompson

      I’ll second that.

  • Chiswede

    If we’ve got a vegetarian badge, we deserve a carnivore badge too!

    • Murilo

      Agreed.

    • Andy C

      That’s right. Steakhouses, burger places, BBQ joints and butcher shops.

    • http://www.fenix3000.com fenix3000

      So True!

  • Murilo

    Maybe a T-Rex for the badge.

    • Andy C

      Nice touch.

    • http://www.fenix3000.com fenix3000

      or carnivorous plant

      • Murilo

        Great idea!

      • http://mia1984.wordpress.com/ Mia

        A carnivorous plant is a great idea.

        What happened to the number ’13′ on the Baker’s Dozen badge? I always thought it was a cute touch on the cupcake. Now it’s just the cupcake next door.

      • Murilo

        They removed it because before you had to check-in at 13 bakeries to get it. Now the whole mechanics of it changed so the 13 on top of the cupcake made no sense anymore. I think.

      • Andy C

        Yeah, that would be good. Maybe a Venus Flytrap.

  • http://mia1984.wordpress.com/ Mia

    Murilo :
    They removed it because before you had to check-in at 13 bakeries to get it. Now the whole mechanics of it changed so the 13 on top of the cupcake made no sense anymore. I think.

    That explanation makes sense. I still think rather than changing the badge design (while keeping the name), they should have just made a exception to the rules for that badge. I mean it’s still called the “baker’s dozen” (which is actually 13 pieces of pastry). Now the badge name is just so… random.

    I was really looking forward to unlocking that one around Christmas this year because I always thought the number 13 on it was cute…

  • Chiswede

    Take a look at your badges….foursquare went back and retroactively rewarded a bunch of them to me out of the blue. They’re all expertise ones, and a couple are badges that I could not for the life of me figure out why I hadn’t earned yet.

    • http://foursquare.com/miamalik84 Mia

      Yeah, I noticed last night (after midnight Indonesia time). To be honest, I’m kind of disappointed that they did that. After they changed the rules, I knew I was going to unlock certain badges (Pizzaiolo, Fresh Brew, Baker’s Dozen, Bento, Mall Rat) soon/by my next check-in. And I unlocked four of them on a single day during lunch/coffee time earlier this week. I was really looking forward to unlocking Pizzaiolo while I’m outside when I’m actually at a pizza place, my favorite one too. Seeing it unlock as you check-in is supposed to be part of the fun.

      Oh well. At least some of the badges I want are still going to be a challenge…

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