Why I Uninstalled Foursquare and Why They Are Dead

I have been fuming since I updated my Foursquare the other day, tried to check in, and lone and behold it said….

“Hey, we moved check in’s to Swarm, go install that.”

My daughter, so quick with the ‘net, said “huh, yup, they did, and, the whole ‘mayor thing’ is gone.”

WTF? Are you kidding me?

NPR has a good overview of it all here:

Some Loyal Foursquare Users Are Checking Out After Swarm Spinoff : All Tech Considered : NPR.

… and hit the nail on the head with this statement:

“Foursquare … {has} gutted the very reason people used it (check-ins and competing with friends) and moved it on to something else … leaving behind a completely different experience on the main Foursquare app.”

Foursquare has said (admittedly – this is from my limited reading) that they want to focus on becoming the “real” local site.  This KILLS me – I love the check in’s – but – I’ve always wanted them to give me suggestions on where I should go based on where I am and my check-in’s (what I like).  They’ve been promising that in update descriptions for a long time.  Noooowwww, they are saying, “gee, that’s the way we really want to go, but, sorry, we are killing off the thing that is our core; the glue that brings you here so maybe we’ll finally get our ducks in a row.  Bye.”

So, I close yet another chapter in my life, uninstall Foursquare, and move on.  Good luck, Foursquare.  If you need a business consultant, give me a shout!  You are going to need it.