7 Deadly Foursquare Sins

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This is a follow-up post to the “Seven Deadly Twitter Sins,” “Seven Deadly Facebook Sins,” Seven Deadly Linkedin Sins and Seven Deadly Email Sins posts.

Foursquare became much more prominent in 2010. Here are seven things you should never do on Foursquare.

7. Nobody Cares That You “Checked-In” At Walmart

Unless you are Justin Bieber, nobody cares that you “checked-in” at Walmart, the grocery store or while running several mundane errands. Not to mention, do you really want to be the “mayor” of Walmart?

6. Possessing Dubious Mayorships

Being the mayor of a place on Foursquare actually may have some rewards. By being the person who checks in to a location the most, you may be eligible to win discounts and special offers. But, there are some places where it’s just not worth it. For instance, McDonalds. Do you really want to be known as the person, who has checked into the glorified burger joint the most? At some point, health insurance companies are going to catch on, and will want to charge you more given your increased likelihood for a triple bypass.

5. Checking In At Places “Across The Street”

There could be a multitude of reasons to “check in” at places across the street from your current destination. But, it’s still cheating.

4. Questionable Check-ins

I did an entire blog post about this. But to refresh your memory, here are a few places that you should never check into: Adult Film Stores, The Restroom, Courthouse/Jail and the ER.

3. Syncing All Your Foursquare Checkins to Twitter and/or Facebook

Can you say “Stranger Danger?” I am willing to bet that you do not know all your Twitter followers and Facebook friends that well. So, do you really want complete strangers knowing exactly where you are at any given time?

2. Using Foursquare To Commit Crimes

Stalking is illegal. No matter how enticing it might be to “surprise” an ex or sneak up and burglarize “a friend’s property,” please don’t do it unless you like spending time in jail. If you do decide to commit a crime and get arrested, please don’t check in at the county jail.

1. Sending Foursquare Friend Requests To Complete Strangers

I’ve personally received a friend request from a guy in Indonesia. I live in Georgia, and I have never been to Indonesia. I also don’t know anyone in Indonesia and have no immediate plans to visit there. So, why on Earth does this guy want to be friends with me? Foursquare is a location-based service, and there’s no point in “friending” strangers in other countries. Not to mention, it’s just plain creepy.

Do you want more tips on the social media and Foursquare dos and don’ts? Sign up for my free monthly email newsletter: Social Media: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly here. (No SPAM guaranteed!)

About the author

Jessica Malnik

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