游戏邦注：本篇文章来自于美联社，作者在文中陈述了自己亲身体验Foursquare应用的感受。

Foursquare

她表示，起初并没有留意到Foursquare，认为该网站不过是提供此类的手机服务：将朋友间的地理位置信息分享融入到各类游戏。直到1年对以后，她仍旧不太了解这项服务，但却开始对它很着迷，这完全是受其未婚夫的气，未婚夫经常将大把的时间花在《愤怒的小鸟》及Facebook之类的应用上。

对于那些不熟悉Foursquare的人来说，服务无非就是如此：当用户外出在酒吧、公园或者饭店的时候，可以在Foursquare的免费智能手机应用上发现其所在位置，同时还可以点击“签到”按钮。

这样一来，用户就可以告知Foursquare好友自己的下落。经常搜索某地，用户就可以成为当地的“mayor”。游戏邦发现这些场所有时会提供折扣或者其他奖励鼓励用户签到，如在酒吧为市长提供一杯免费酒水，或者首次在披萨店消费，每片披萨可以少1美元。

她经常在城市里游荡。虽然Foursquare无法取代其常用来查找信息的Yelp或者Google Maps，但确实是个很有趣且充满惊喜的辅助工具。

她首次签到是在2010年2月2日，签到的地方是纽约的美联社总部。几个小时后，她又到公寓旁的巴士站签到，接着又去了One Stop Market，这是一家街角商店，她随后成为了当地的mayor。

从那以后，她开始为Foursquare着迷，这个习惯怎么也戒不掉，但她也很享受其中。

Foursquare把她的线上和线下生活完美联系在一起，她觉得这既自然，又多少有些唐突。游戏邦了解到Foursquare也给她的生活带来了一些奇怪的影响：在今年冬天纽约的暴风雪，她也成为数百名争相签到“Snowpocalypse 2011”和“Icemaggedon 2011”的一员。

使用应用来了解朋友位置信息，这个过程也很有趣。因为朋友之间没有每天通电话或者些电子邮件，能够看到对方签到，让人很是欣慰，想象有的在都柏林的酒吧小酌，有的在旧金山的麦当劳充饥。她认为这和Facebook 200来个“好友”时不时发来的更新、链接、请求消息相比，她觉得这比较没有侵入性。她表示自己只有14个Foursquare好友。

Foursquare服务最近更新了软件，方便用户进行邻里交易，同时还可以让可以和朋友比较积分（用户只要签到就可获得积分），这成为了Foursquare的一项突出体验。但值得一提的是，积分赢家并没有什么奖励，仅仅可以获得自我满足感。游戏邦发现应用如今使用起来也比较方便了，因为在用户键入的时候，应用会自动导入用户之前签到过的地方。

但游戏邦认为到目前为止，最突出的新功能要数“探索”按钮替代了“贴士”按钮。之前，用户只要按下“贴士”按键就会获得系列建议，如订购什么、避开什么，或者什么时候酒吧举行朋克摇滚卡拉OK、猜谜晚会之类的信息。

但“探索”功能更加具体，用户可以根据食物、夜生活及商店等目录搜索场所。用户也可以搜索特定的词条，如“辣味食物”或者“约会之夜”。

她深深为这个不夜城饭店、酒吧、娱乐场所的丰富选择性所折服，丝毫没有不满之意。

她上周六是和未婚夫在北布鲁克林一个颇受欢迎的邻近社区度过的。他们首先进入的是Brooklyn Kitchen，这厨房应有尽有，就连酸菜、家酿酒都有提供。除此之外，她还惊讶地发现Foursquare在她签到其“大学第一个教室”后，给了她4个积分。

接下来就是午餐。为了了解身边有些什么东西，她点击了“探索”按钮。她发现第一个建议有些离谱，因为提示的是啤酒厂，但啤酒厂并没有提供食物。但接下来提议的Saltie就比较靠谱，这是一家小三明治店，她有意试它一试。

根据Foursquare的提示，她发现她有个朋友来过这里13次，另外一个朋友来过3次。应用还显示“去过Prime Meats等7个地方的用户也来过这里”。

她起初不是很确定。Prime Meats是她邻近社区的一家德式餐厅，主打鱼、本土食物及花式鸡尾酒。她有去过那几次，印象很好，所以她觉得相信Prime Meats顾客的眼光，参考他们的意见选择邻近社区的餐馆应该还是很靠谱的。

事实证明她的选择是对的。Saltie的食物味道好极了，他们饱餐了一顿。但她很好奇其他6家饭馆是哪6家，游戏邦发现，Foursquare并没有提供相关的信息。

出于好奇，她搜索了附近的墨西哥饭馆。得到的推荐是一家名叫Taco Chulo的饭馆，这家饭馆她从来没有去过。Foursquare之所以会推荐这家餐厅是基于“关联地方”的原则。但她始终不明白墨西哥食物怎么会扯上Marlow & Sons，这是一家供客户安静用餐的餐厅，主要提供牡蛎、兔肉砂锅及鸡块等东西。

Foursquare所提供的建议都很有趣。Foursquare称这些建议都是综合考虑了许多元素，包括哪家最受欢迎，用户还去过哪些相似的饭馆，频率有多高及哪家质量最高等。

虽然当时她已经心中有数，但在做最终决定前，她仍然喜欢阅读下Yelp评论，查看下Menupages上的菜单。Foursquare总是能带给人意外惊喜。游戏邦认为虽然应用没有提供评论或者星级评价，但从朋友、陌生人那快速获得的建议还是令用户受益匪浅的。

通过彻底搜查，Foursquare同时也为用户提供更多其自身及朋友的相关数据。她最喜欢的是“深入挖掘类别”。她对吃喝最感兴趣，所以首选目录自然是“饭馆和饮品店”，接着是酒吧和所谓的“有趣户外活动”，其中包括加利福尼亚的Niles Canyon Railway。

游戏邦发现Foursquare的新积分系统比之前的完善很多。系统改变了以往每周日晚清空积分的做法，实行7天制的积分周期，这鼓励用户维持自己在一周内的竞争力。

新的积分系统还拓宽了获得积分的渠道。例如，用户在朋友当mayor的场所签到时，就可以获得额外积分，同时Foursquare还会提醒用户“你已进入朋友的领地”！

Foursquare坚持以城市来划分好友，她希望以后这点能够改善。她的朋友来自各个城市，如旧金山海湾、纽约、费城及波斯顿，偶尔会互相拜访。她喜欢每次都能看到一堆朋友出现。

她作者表示，虽然完成了1275次签到及系列特别交易，同时获得数个来之不易的mayor头衔，但她还将继续访问Foursquare应用。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Review: Foursquare A Fun Complement To City Jaunts

At first, I didn’t see the point of Foursquare, the mobile service that turns sharing your location with friends into a game of sorts. More than a year later, I still don’t, but I’m hooked — much to the chagrin of my fiance, who prefers to spend his time on more noble pursuits such as “Angry Birds” and Facebook.

For those unfamiliar with Foursquare, the service works like this: When you’re out at a bar, park or eatery, you find that place on Foursquare’s free smartphone application and tap a button that says “check in.”

Once you do, people you’ve designated as Foursquare friends will know your whereabouts, if you so choose. People who check into a place most often become its “mayor.” Venues sometimes offer discounts or other incentives for checking in, such as a free drink at a bar for the mayor or $1 off a slice for your first time at a pizza joint.

I’ve been dutifully logging my jaunts around the city. I’ve found that although Foursquare isn’t a replacement for other apps I use to find stuff, such as Yelp or Google Maps, it’s a fun and serendipitous complement.

My first-ever check-in was to the headquarters of The Associated Press in New York on Feb. 2, 2010. A few hours later I checked in to the bus stop near my apartment, then to One Stop Market, the corner store of which I later, briefly, became mayor.

Since then I’ve developed a Foursquare habit I can’t seem to kick. Not that I want to.

It feels unobtrusive and irreverent, a welcome connection between my online and offline life. It’s also quirky: During New York’s snowstorms this winter, I was among hundreds to check in to “Snowpocalypse 2011″ and, later “Icemaggedon 2011.”

It’s also fun to use the app to see where my friends are. Because we don’t talk or email every day, it’s comforting to see their check-ins and imagine them having fun at a bar in Dublin or stuffing their face at McDonald’s in San Francisco. This feels less intrusive than Facebook’s constant barrage of updates, links and requests from my 200-something “friends.” On Foursquare I have just 14.

The service recently updated its software to make it easier to find nearby deals, and to make competing with friends for points (which you get for check-ins) a more prominent part of the Foursquare experience. It should be noted, though, that there’s no reward for racking up points other than the ego boost. The app is also a little easier to use now that it automatically brings up previous places you have checked in to once you start typing.

But by far the most promising new feature is the replacement of the “tips” button with “explore.” Previously, tapping “tips” would pull up users’ suggestions for nearby venues on what to order, what to avoid or what days a bar hosts punk rock karaoke or trivia night.

“Explore” is much more elaborate, letting users search for venues by category such as food, nightlife and shops. You can also search for specific terms — try “spicy food” or “date night.”

I was a bit overwhelmed by the abundance of eating, drinking and entertainment options in this city that never sleeps — but that apparently eats, drinks and entertains itself non-stop. But this is hardly a complaint.

I spent last Saturday in a popular North Brooklyn neighborhood doing errands with my fiance. Our first stop was the Brooklyn Kitchen, a kitchen supply store that also offers classes such as pickling and home brewing. As useful as these classes are, I was surprised to discover that Foursquare gave me four points for checking in at my “first college classroom.” A bit of a stretch, perhaps, but I’ll take what I can get.

Next up was lunch. To find out what’s around me, I tapped “explore,” then “food.” The first suggestion — a brewery that doesn’t’ serve food — was way off. But the next recommendation, Saltie, was spot on. It’s a small sandwich shop I’ve been meaning to try.

According to Foursquare, a friend of mine had been there 13 times, and another friend, three times. It also said that “people who go to Prime Meats and 6 other places go here.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of this. Prime Meats is a German-influenced restaurant in my neighborhood known for fresh, local fare and artisan cocktails. Because I’ve been there a few times and like it, I figured I’d trust the Prime Meats crowd for my lunch suggestion in a different neighborhood and different type of restaurant.

I was right to do so. Saltie’s food was tasty, and we left with full bellies and only a small dent in our wallets. But I was left wondering what the “6 other places” referred to. Foursquare does not seem to have a way to see that, which is a shame.

Out of curiosity, I did a search for Mexican food nearby. Among the suggestions was Taco Chulo, a place I had never been to. Foursquare recommended it based on what it calls “related places.” But I’m not sure how a taco joint is related to Marlow & Sons, a rustic, sit-down restaurant serving oysters and things like rabbit terrine and brick chicken. Distant cousins, maybe?

Still, it was fun to see the suggestions. Foursquare says it bases them on a mix of many things, including what’s popular overall, where else you’ve been that’s similar and how often, the best tips, and so on.

When I have a place in mind already, I still prefer to read Yelp reviews and check out menus on Menupages before deciding whether to go. Foursquare, however, provides more serendipity. Although it has no reviews or ratings, its quick tips from friends and strangers can be useful.

With the overhaul, Foursquare is also giving users more statistics about what they and their friends do. My favorite is the “most explored categories.” I like to eat and drink, so it makes sense that my top category is “food and drink shops,” followed by bars and something called “other great outdoors,” which includes the Niles Canyon Railway in California.

Foursquare’s new points system is an improvement over the earlier one. Instead of resetting points every Sunday night, the points are now counted over the previous seven days, which seems to encourage staying competitive throughout the week.

The new Foursquare also gives points for a whole slew of little things. I got extra credit for checking in to a venue where a friend of mine is mayor, for example, with Foursquare politely informing me that I’m “creeping on their turf!”

One thing that hasn’t changed but wish that it had is Foursquare’s insistence on separating my friends by city. I have friends in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Philadelphia and Boston, and we travel a bit. It would be nice to see everyone in one big happy heap.

Nonetheless, after 1,275 check-ins, a couple special deals and about a dozen hard-won (and some, lost) mayorships later, I’ll keep coming back for more.（Source：NPR）