Foursquare: The Newest App Craze Comes With Extra Perks

Written by RJ Williams

The schoolyard game of Four square may be child's play, but the location-aware social networking site, Foursquare, is most certainly bringing out my competitive edge in the cyberworld.

On the surface Foursquare may seem like just another Loopt or Blackberry Google Navigator, but none of those programs was the talk of South by Southwest festival this year like Foursquare was. It has even recently partnered with MTV and VH1 to launch the Celebrity Mode feature, where stars from shows such as "The Real World" and "Jersey Shore" can post hot tips for places that fans can check out on their own.

With Foursquare, not only can you update the blogosphere with what stores or restaurants you are frequenting, but you also have the chance to gain "points" for each update, "badges" for certain accomplishments, and, most importantly, get free stuff by becoming the "mayor" of a location.

As a reward for being the user with the most updates about a certain location you become that place's "mayor."  With that title comes the perks of free drinks, discounts, or a ton of other deals.  But with only one mayor allowed at a time, someone is always breathing down your neck to take away your title and with it the freebies that are rightfully yours.

Like the addictive Facebook apps, Farmville and Mafia Wars, the allure of having a higher score and more awards than your friends is too enticing to resist.  So look out for my alias "RJ" (easy enough to remember, right?) if you're on the site.

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