Why I Stopped Using Foursquare

At first, I really liked Foursquare.

And I wanted to be really cool.  So, I registered and started going gang busters with it.

I checked in everywhere. Costco? Checked in. Grocery store? Checked in. Starbucks? Restaurants? Gas stations? Home Depot? Checked in.

I also learned that it was kinda stealth or guerrilla or something to add my listings and go by and check in there.  My real estate office. My local Realtor Association.  I checked in e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e.

Until I wondered why I was doing all this.

I also started to accumulate friends.  For reasons that defy rational understanding, Realtors flock to one another like, well, like white on rice.  At first, I thought this was cool, too.  Who doesn’t like lots of friends?  But then I got the push notifications about when all my new friends were checking in places. They were checking in at Starbucks and Costco and gas stations. And my phone was flashing at me non-stop.

I finally learned how to turn those things off but then I wondered, if I don’t know where they’re checking in, what’s the point?

I even took to looking at the “tips” people would leave.  You know, “The chicken pot pie is delicious.” (It was OK). “Give Tina a big tip and she’ll show you her breasts.” (Never met Tina).

Yeah, I got a little thrill when I became the mayor of this place or that. Yeah. I felt a little disappointed when I was “ousted” as mayor of Petsmart.  The badges were cute. But I began to wonder more and more: what’s the point?  I even tried to get the points. Three points for new places. Three points for becoming the mayor. Points for going to another State. Points for a badge.

But I never made #1. Too many friends to compete against. That pissed me off, too.

It really got to be a little too much.  Eventually, my wife started giving me a hard time about checking in everywhere.

But, wait, there’s more!

People I knew IRL would tell me that they felt kinda creepy. Like they were stalking me or something.  Other people took me aside and told me they didn’t care when I went to the grocery store or Starbucks.  I even had one person add a comment on my Facebook page asking me why I was advertising all this places.

Indeed.

I was advertising all these places and, what’s worse, I never got a penny for it.  One store on the Jersey shore had a whopping 10% discount for people who checked in for the first time using Foursquare. Big whoop.

Plus, when I was checking in everywhere, it was an advertisement about where I was not. I was not at home. I was not at my office. I was not working with clients. In short, I was goofing off and letting the world know about it.

So, I hung it up.

Yeah, I still have the app on my iPhone and iPad.  You know, just in case.  But, I really don’t use it.  Here’s the big thing. I don’t miss it.  Kinda like smoking or drinking or something. I’ve been away from it long enough that I don’t crave it anymore. I just decided that if I want entertainment, I can go to the movies or read. Nobody really cares where I check in at, anyway. I know this because no one’s asked.

Imagine that.