For a good portion of late 2010 and early 2011 Foursquare was focused mostly on keeping up with their user growth and building out their team. Luckily they have now tackled that problem and are able to iterate faster on the service, with a focus on surfacing data to make check ins more relevant to user. One new addition that just started popping up is the “En Fuego” icon (NBA Jam anyone?) which adds +2 to a habitual check in.
Of course, reminding users of their habits is a double edged sword. When entrepreneur Matt Galligan checked in to an airport six weeks in a row, he racked up a few bonus points on Foursquare. “Not exactly something I want to be bragging about,” he wrote.
Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley replied on his own blog. “”Software as badge of honor / badge of shame… something I’m proud we were able to hack together :)”
As Betabeat Nitasha reported recently, there is a growing cadre of #4HB New York techies who are living the quantified lifestyle, tracking their body fat and bike rides with gadgets like Fitbit and services like Daytum. Foursquare has now gamified the process a little bit, providing an additional incentive for users to check into the gym three times this week.
