Why is it Called foursquare?

Did you know there is an official foursquare day?

It’s celebrated every year on April 16th (4^2 = 16). Get it? Ever curious why they called it foursquare and not third or fifth square?

foursquare is a location-based social networking app for mobile devices. Users can browse nearby locations by: best nearby, specials, food, nightlife, coffee, shopping, outdoors and more. The app is great for consumers who are in discovery mode and are not familiar with a particular area. Once you discover your destination, you can “Check-In” and share your activity across other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. foursqaure has also tied in a gamification element to their app where check-ins can earn you points and badges. The company was co-founded in 2009 by Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai. 

Why is foursquare called foursquare?

In 2000, Dennis Cowley attempted his first social networking app for mobile phones, which he named “Dodgeball” (no resemblance to the movie). He sold the company to Google in 2005, which was later shut down and rebranded to Google Latitude in 2009. After his departure, Crowley felt as if Dodgeball never really reached its full potential. He was quoted as saying, “it was just a perfect storm of bad timing.” in 2009, he started working on a similar project and called it “foursquare.” Both companies were named after playground games because they were both designed to be fun and playful.

SEE ALSO: Why is it Called Twitter?

Business owners can promote their listing in foursquare’s search results, very similar to how ads work in Google. Additionally, businesses can create special offers to incentive consumers. I just clicked on “specials” in the app and saw that Fado Irish Pub in Seattle is running a special: “Check-In to Fado 3 times in 30 days and get a FREE Guinness.” This is just one type of special a business owner can create. Similar to Yelp, users can leave tips and see where their friends have Checked-In recently.

New Logo, New App

Traditionally, people used the foursquare app for two reasons – to discover local places and meet up with friends nearby. In May 2014, foursquare redesigned their logo and launched a new app called Swarm. The goal was to create two apps for two different intentions. With Swarm, you can easily find friends nearby, without having to text each other.  And the existing foursquare app is purely focused on discovering local places.

Have you downloaded Swarm? If so, do you find it useful or does it just take up storage space? #whyisitcalledfoursquare