UPDATE!
After some good work by @redheadjessica: #4sqday is official!
~~~~~~~~
Foursquare has gotten some good press recently, thanks in part to SXSW. I want to help, by turning April 16 into Foursquare Day!
Background: I've been a fan of foursquare since before I could even use it. While it was incubating in New York, I was reading about foursquare on Mashable, but since Tampa wasn't yet an open city, I couldn't do much. Immediately after Tampa was unlocked I blogged and tried to get the word out to friends and fellow business owners. Although I used the mobile site, it wasn't until I could download the Blackberry app, that I really began to see it as a game that also challenges me to try new venues in my neighborhood!
More background: I've always been a fan of geeky holidays. My birthday, October 23rd, falls on Mole Day (10^23). And of course March 14, (3.14) is Pi day. And May the 4th (May the force... with a lisp) is a great day for a Star Wars Day party! So why not Foursquare Day? Let's get out there and frequent some local venues on Friday, April 16. Why then? Because it is the 4th month, and the 4-squared day!
To participate, all you have to do is check in somewhere on April 16, and use the #4sqday hashtag! Then party down! It is that easy!
But if you want to help us get the word out here are some other ideas:
For Users:
Share this blog post with everyone!
Tweet about it. Use the one-click tweet if you want to!
Vote the idea up on the official Foursquare Get Satisfaction page.
Join the Foursquare Day facebook page!
Tell your friends and use the #4sqday hashtag when making your plans!
For businesses:
Make sure your venue is up to date with correct info, tags, categories, etc. For example, here is Bright Eyes venue page.
Offer a special or discount on Foursquare Day! Tell everyone, put it on your webpage, blog about it, tweet about it. Stay tuned for our #4sqday discount!
I don't think it is an improper use of tips to add a tip for your venue that you are celebrating Foursquare Day with a special of some sort, but others may disagree on that point.
It has been suggested that anyone who gets 4 check-ins on Foursquare Day get a Foursquare Day badge. I am all for this! If anyone knows how to bring this badge closer to reality, let me know!
So what am I missing? What else should we do to get the word out? What are you planning on doing to celebrate Foursquare Day? And don't forget to friend me!
If you'd like to be a part of the #4sqday planning group let me know!
Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.
Too fun party leader! LOL!
Great idea! Have already seen people in NYC talking about it, you are making a splash and we're joining you! 🙂
Thanks, Ros. I hope it isn't “too fun”! 🙂
Awesome. Feel free to add events and activities to the Foursquare Day Wiki!
http://foursquareday.wikispaces.com/
Hi Nate,
I just wanted to let you know that I am very keen on this holiday and would like to sort something out in London. Would you be able to email me and we can chat?
Cheers
Rhea
Chicago is in with a party:
http://foursquareday.wikispaces.com/Chicago
We're heading up Foursquare Day in Miami, FL. What a great idea Dr. Nate!
(follow @brickellinfo for #4sqday info in Miami, FL)
Looking like 10+ businesses in a 1 mile radius will be involved!
We're heading up Foursquare Day in Miami, FL. What a great idea Dr. Nate!
(follow @brickellinfo for #4sqday info in Miami, FL)
Looking like 10+ businesses in a 1 mile radius will be involved!
[…] Location-based social networks are a favorite topic of discussion here on Geekistry, and both Michael and I attended SXSWi 2009 when Foursquare launched. At first Foursquare was only in a few markets (big cities like New York, Austin, and San Francisco,) but in October it expanded to include dozens of new locations – including the Tampa Bay Area where I live. It’s taken awhile for the Tampa to embrace social media and other networks like Foursquare… that was until Nate Bonilla-Warford, a local optometrist and social media aficionado, had an idea. […]
[…] As patients of Bright Eyes Family Vision Care know, I am interested in new and interesting ways to connect. For example, I was one of the first in the Tampa Bay area to use foursquare and had a blast taking it to new heights with Foursquare Day. […]
[…] worked nonstop for 3 weeks to get the word out and scale 4sqday from a goofy optometry blog post to a global party. And we […]