While you won’t find any official rules at Foursquare.com, I feel there are some unspoken rules the Foursquare community has embraced. While I haven’t followed all of these rules to the letter, this is my interpretation of how the game should be played.

  1. No checking in at a drive-thru
    If you’re going through a drive-thru you aren’t at a venue. You’re in your car. How long are you going to be there? Five minutes?

  2. No checking in after you leave a venue
    This rule is pretty self-explanatory. The one exception? Celebrities with stalkers and crowds to worry about.

  3. No checking in at home or work
    Checking in at places you go to everyday is cheating. Also, no one cares if you’re at work. We do care if you’re at a hip new bar.

  4. Do leave tips and to-dos
    Tips and to-dos are great, and very helpful when checking out a new restaurant.

  5. Do encourage all your friends to join
    The more friends you play with the more fun the game is!

  6. Do fight for your mayorship
    Mayorship is a source of Foursquare pride. It is perfectly acceptable to visit your local pub to reclaim your throne on a Tuesday night. Not to mention the deals you can get when you do!

  7. No checking in when you’re sitting on the couch watching Lost
    Again. Cheating.

  8. Do not friend request people multiple times
    I understand that everyone uses social media tools in different ways. Maybe you’re using Foursquare to increase your social network. However, I’m not, and requesting my friendship over and over is not going to change the fact that I don’t want unknown people stalking me.

  9. Do go on weekend badge crusades
    Laugh at me if you will, but weekend badge crusades are a fun, cheap way to spend the weekend.

  10. Do not share your check-ins on Facebook and Twitter
    Remember, we all use social media tools differently, and not everyone on Twitter and Facebook are into the whole Foursquare thing. Unless it’s a special occasion (Ex. You’re at an event, conference, traveling to a new place) my Twitter and Facebook feeds do not need to be clogged by your check-ins. Please keep that to your Foursquare friends.


So there you have it, the rules of Foursquare according to me. What are your Foursquare rules, policies, dos and don’ts?

3 comments:

This comment has been removed by the author.

March 8, 2010 at 9:16 AM  

My favorite: Do fight for your mayorship. If I lose my mayorship it drives to the venue more often, especially the WAC!

March 8, 2010 at 9:18 AM  

Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong. I need to become mayor of my gym! That would motivate me to visit more often. ;)

March 8, 2010 at 12:59 PM  

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