Foursquare adds new feature: Fourskin

Foursquare has announced a new feature that allows users to skin their account to customize the look and feel. The new feature is called Fourskin and gives you full control of how your Foursquare looks and feels.

Foursquare is a popular app for checking into places, sharing it with your friends and helping you find things near you. A better explanation of what Foursquare does comes from their about page: "Foursquare is a free app that helps you and your friends make the most of where you are.

When you're out and about, use Foursquare to share and save the places you visit. And, when you're looking for inspiration for what to do next, we'll give you personalized recommendations and deals based on where you, your friends, and people with your tastes have been".

For years Foursquare has had the same look and feel and finally users get to make it their own and more personal and a lot more fun. Fourskin is now available in Beta form and is available by special invitation only from someone who has fourskin or by following the guidelines outlined by NORM.org. An easy way to get an invitation is by posting on twitter using the hashtag #iwantfourskin. If you know someone who has fourskin they can invite you to get fourskin. Unfortunately Fourskin is not available to users in Israel. If you have fourskin and want to brag about it, you can go on twitter and tweet about it using the hashtag #ilovefourskin.

We asked some a few lucky Beta testers what they felt of the new Fourskin features. One lucky tester, Tom Scrotum commented:

"I couldn't imagine life anymore without fourskin, I play with it all the time and I'm always on my phone. I let my wife play with it and she LOVES fourskin. I can't wait to show it to everybody at work!"

Once you get your invitation you should see the new feature available in your settings and all you have to do is click on the link to activate it.

Special Fourskin feature: Docking!

If customizing the look of your Foursquare wasn't cool enough, the company took things to a whole new level and created Docking where 2 users can check-in at a location at the exact same time!

In order to perform Docking, at least one user must have Fourskin. When you perform Docking your status on Foursquare will show this so all your friends and followers will know you have been docking and if you want to brag about it you can on Twitter using the hashtag #docking.

Now you can go docking with your family and friends at your favourite bars, restaurants and cafes or really any place you can check-in. Of course docking is just one of the many practical uses of fourskin. We tried to reach out to Fred Phelps to get his opinion on the new Docking feature but our media requests have been ignored.

He is someone who probably wouldn't approve of the Docking features but we later learned from Russian news that Fred Phelps passed away. I can't share what my fourskin actually looks like for privacy reasons, unless you are on Snapchat but if you want an invite leave a comment or make a post on Twitter with any of the hashtags mentioned and keep an eye out for a special invitation.

About Foursquare

Foursquare is a social networking app that works on most smartphones, including iPhones, and Android devices. The app's goal is to assist you in discovering and sharing information about local companies and attractions.

Every time you use it, you are informing your friends about the community.

Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai founded the service in late 2008, and it was launched in 2009. Crowley had previously built Dodgeball as his graduation thesis project in New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP).

Dodgeball was purchased by Google in 2005, and it was shut down in 2009, with Google Latitude replacing it. Instead of using an app, users interacted with Dodgeball via SMS technology.

Foursquare was similar, but it had additional capabilities and allowed the users to engage with their surroundings using their mobile devices. The app made use of modern smartphones with built-in GPS such as the iPhone to determine a user's position better.

Foursquare helps you connect with your friends

When you download the Foursquare app on your smartphone, it searches your contacts as well as your Facebook and Twitter accounts for your pals.

Once you have connected some friends to your Foursquare account, the app will send you notifications about what they are up to and vice versa.

Checking in is crucial on the app

To get the most out of Foursquare, "check in" whenever you visit a company or attraction in the area where you live or are visiting.

The app will provide a list of local locations when you press "Check In." If you don't see your current location, add it to the list.

The Foursquare app will update your status after you have "checked in."

The Friends that use Foursquare will be aware of your location and arrival time as well.

It makes it easier to find attractions and locations

Pilgrim, a proprietary technology developed by Foursquare, is used to determine a user's whereabouts. This technology identifies a user's current position by comparing past check-in data with the user's current GPS signal, cell tower triangulation, cellular signal strength, and adjacent Wi-Fi signals when users opt in to always-on location sharing.

If you are not sure where you want to buy, dine, or explore, Foursquare can help you locate nearby attractions.

Use the categories or a keyboard search to locate exactly what you are looking for by tapping "Explore."

If you locate a destination you would want to visit but do not have the time right now, add it to your app's "To Do" list so you will remember to do so later.

You can review locations

After you have visited an attraction or location, give it a review.

It will let your friends and other visitors decide whether it is worth their time to come or not.

Similarly, you may check other people's evaluations to see if unknown places are worth your time and attention.

Other features

Foursquare offers a lot of features that become available as you use the app more.

When you visit specific sorts of sites or return to them, you earn "badges."

If you check in on a boat, for example, you will get the "I'm on a Boat!" badge.

You become the "Mayor" of a place if you are the most regular Foursquare visitor there.

Some companies actually reward their mayors with benefits in exchange for their loyalty.

Foursquare Compatibility

Foursquare is compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

Symbian OS, WebOS, Maemo, Windows 8, Series 40, MeeGo, Windows Phone, Bada, BlackBerry OS, and PlayStation Vita, were all formerly supported by Foursquare.

You can also visit Foursquare mobile using their mobile browsers, although feature phone users must search for locations manually rather than utilizing GPS, as most smartphone applications can do.

The Future

As for 2021 there are many Social Media that have come and go such as MySpace and Messenger and of course the big king of Social Media "Facebook" have come to stay, so the competition is tough and we hardly see a future for Forsquare, but only time will tell.