Interesting news from online traffic researchers Hitwise about the location based games social network Foursquare. Apparently the game, which is available on the iPhone, Google Android, Blackberry and other platforms, saw a 50% growth spurt in the US in January. There is also evidence that Foursquare is attracting users in the UK – it only launched here in October.
In case you missed the hype Foursquare is a location-based social network based around going out: users upload venues and places they like and can see what their friends have uploaded. The gaming aspect comes from making you the mayor of the places you upload or visit the most, and it gives you points and badges according to how often you go out.
If you’ve never played it then check it out. It really is quite addictive. Foursquare has made some really interesting moves recently too. Firstly it has partnered with augmented reality specialists Layar and developed a version of the gamer that adds Foursquare data into images of real world buildings. Sadly Layar isn’t working on the iPhone at the moment, but there should be a relaunch of the browser in a month or so.
Foursquare has also begun to do deals with brands. At the moment this is on small scale and the most high profile has been a deal with TV station Bravo which enables Foursquare players to compete for and win special badges. However with an API out for developers to work on their own uses for the game it can only be a matter of time before someone comes up with something special.
In some respects where Foursquare is now reminds me of the early days of Twitter. There’s a real buzz about the game and there is a group of very evangelical users who are utterly addicted (just like Twitter). Whether this is enough to drive the same kind of numbers as Twitter remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Foursquare became one of the buzz words of 2010.
Tags: Foursquare, Foursquare in the UK, Hitwise, iPhone apps, location based games, traffic growth
