The New Streak, a blog by Moxley Carmichael

Foursquare is not the mayor of Twitter

foursquare-is-not-the-mayor-of-twitter


Posted by Bob Wilson | Under Internet, Mobile, New Media, Tools, Twitter Thursday Jan 21, 2010

To be fair I have to disclose I’ve been using Twitter since the summer of 2007 and Foursquare for about two weeks. Is it fair to compare the two? Well, sure it is.

I’ve heard Foursquare described as the “cooler” Twitter. Talk like that dares me to give it a try. After two weeks I can say it’s interesting, but it’s no Twitter.

First, it’s very location-centric. You “check in” to different places if you so choose to let your friends know what you’re doing and where you are. There are other perks to checking in, but letting others in on your whereabouts is the main user benefit. The person who has checked into a place more than anyone else is considered the mayor. That’s kinda fun.

On Foursquare, I’ve had a couple of friend requests from people who live far outside my area. I don’t really care where these people are at any given time since I have no experience with their far, far away places. I haven’t accepted these requests since I really don’t want their updates cluttering my stream. (Sorry, guys.)

Twitter, on the other hand, is more information-centric. It doesn’t matter where you are, if you’re interesting I want to follow what you have to say. The same people I haven’t accepted on Foursquare I might be very interested in following on Twitter. See the difference?

I think the location-based model of Foursquare is both limiting and exciting. It’s limiting because I’m not interested in updates from outside my area, and it relies on user-added location data, which can be sketchy. It’s exciting because I’m more interested in where my local friends happen to be, and I could miss these updates if they’re only on Twitter.

I’m still using both. And I might pull a 180-degree turnaround like Chris Brogan on Google Wave. But for now I can say Twitter is not going anywhere, while Foursquare is on the fence.

If I’m missing something, let me know in the comments. If you’re in the Knoxville, Tenn., area and use Foursquare, add me as a friend.

If you need help adding Twitter, Foursquare or other new media tools to your outreach mix, contact Moxley Carmichael for help.

  • http://bluestreak.moxleycarmichael.com/ Cynthia Moxley

    Bob: I agree with you. Love Twitter, of course, and follow lots of folks outside our area. Don’t see any reason to add them to Foursquare. But Foursquare bothers me a little in that I’m not sure I want a lot of folks to know where I am - and where I am not (like not at home). So I’m being very selective about who I add to Foursquare. If I don’t really know them (and trust them not to break into my house!), I’m not adding them to Foursquare. At least not right now. (But this is just my second day on it!) More fun in cyberspace, huh?

  • Karen

    I won’t be doing Foursquare - in fact, I don’t tweet much about what I’m doing on Twitter any more because I have had some people get too close for comfort. I can see that it’s fun for some folks, but it’s not for me.

  • http://lynsaycaylor.com Lynsay Caylor

    I dig your take on FourSquare. I just joined in the last week and find the recommendations from others really helpful. I have found that it helps me even locate restaurants or businesses in a particular area of town. I totally agree with your local-centric idea. I think it could really drive local connectivity to a new level. I’ve had fun so far!

  • http://www.thinkpyxl.com Nicole VanScoten

    Bob,

    Great post! Glad to see some other Knoxvillians getting involved with Foursquare. Like you, I don’t think Foursquare is better than Twitter or that it will take its place. In fact, it’s a totally different concept, and I think people are really using them differently. In addition, Foursquare needs Twitter in order to survive. I love them both, and I think they’re both here to stay…at least for now :)

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The New Streak: A blog by Moxley Carmichael