If you use FourSquare, you know that checking in is addictive. No matter where you go, whether it’s to work, to a local bar, to the movies, or to the grocery store, you immediately reach for your smart phone to see if you can oust someone as mayor or unlock a new badge.
As you know, you can share your FourSquare updates on your Facebook profile and Twitter page. But it’s easy to get carried away with that “Quick Check-In” button, and suddenly your newsfeed and Twitter feed are overflowing with FourSquare updates. This has the tendency to annoy your friends and followers, which can lead them to hide your status updates or unfollow you. And nobody wants that. So it’s time to decide what’s worth sharing.
FourSquare Update Types
On FourSquare, there are three different types of updates that can be shared on your linked Facebook and Twitter accounts:
- Check-ins. You can check in with a “Shout,” which is how you can customize your update to let people know what you’re doing. You can decide which of your check-ins are shared with Facebook, Twitter, and FourSquare. Shouts and sharing customizations aren’t possible with the quick check-in, which are shared or not on Facebook and Twitter depending on your Linked Accounts settings.
- Becoming a mayor. When you become a mayor, either as the first mayor or after ousting the previous mayor, the update is shared or not on Facebook and Twitter depending on your Linked Accounts settings.
- Unlocking a badge. When you unlock a badge (of which there are many), the update is shared or not on Facebook and Twitter depending on your Linked Accounts settings.
FourSquare Linked Accounts Settings
FourSquare makes it easy to control which updates are shared on Facebook and Twitter.
All of your quick check-ins are automatically shared with your FourSquare friends, regardless of these settings. If you want to be completely “off the grid,” check in manually and deselect “share with friends.”
Which updates should you share?
As you can see above from my Linked Accounts settings, I only automatically share updates on becoming a mayor and unlocking a badge, not each check-in. When I’m out with other people and want to spend as little time on my phone as possible, that quick check-in button is key. I also want to make sure I’m not overloading by Facebook and Twitter feeds with FourSquare updates that nobody cares about, because this isn’t pretty:
I took the train to work. I shared it with the world, because apparently I thought the world would care. Or I just clicked quick check-in. Sorry, world.
Even when you disable automatic sharing, you can still share individual check-ins with your friends and followers. This way, you can share what people will find interesting, unlike trips to the grocery store or pharmacy.
Get bragging rights
Mayorships and badges are brag-worthy by nature. Some businesses are even offering mayors discounts and free drinks as incentives for becoming or staying the mayor. Badges are fun, especially when you least expect them (I’m particularly proud of my “I’m on a Boat” badge). And who doesn’t want to show off their “crunked” badge to their parents and employers?
Again, when it comes to check-ins, it’s best to limit sharing to venues that your friends and followers would be interested in, and that would spark conversation. These tend to include:
- Tourist attractions, e.g. Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge
- Sporting events or concerts, e.g. Fenway Park, Madison Square Garden, House of Blues
- Conferences, e.g. SXSW
- Adventurous activities, e.g. rock climbing venues, boat docks
- Vacations, to let your friends know what you’re up to
- Funny check-ins; although it’s not a real venue, the “horrendous traffic” by my apartment is worth a shared check-in every now and then
You get the idea. Sharing your check-ins is a judgment call, but it’s worth limiting your shares to meaningful check-ins that won’t persuade people to unfollow you.
Privacy and Stalker Issues
Although I’m not an advocate of paranoia, it’s worth noting the potential risks of over-sharing your check-ins. First, there’s the theft risk. When you check-in somewhere, you’re obviously not home. The website Please Rob Me was created to create awareness around the dangers of location-based social media.
Second, there’s the stalking risk. Although the chances of this happening to you are slim, it’s important to be aware of the risk. If such an individual with ill-intent is keeping tabs on you on Twitter, which is open to the public, they will be able to see exactly where you are whenever you share your check ins. Do you really want someone following you to CVS at 10pm? Probably not.
Which FourSquare updates do you share on Facebook and Twitter? Let me know in the comments below!
This article was originally written as a guest post on 4SquareBadges.com.
