On Friday, I was hanging out in Washington Square Park and watching a group of teens play four square with a bouncing ball and boundaries drawn with chalk. Honestly, I had completely forgotten the original meaning of “four square”, a name that has become more closely associated with a popular social networking tool than the game.
During the approximately 30 minutes that I watched the game, I noticed that anyone who wanted to play could join. I started to wonder if the people playing knew each other. Finally, the players tired of the game and walked away from the four square court. But they left the bouncing ball and the multi-colored sticks of chalk.
Was this a communal four square court in the park? The concept briefly restored my faith in humanity.
I’ve never used foursquare, the social networking tool, but I’ve watched my friends “check in” on Facebook and Twitter. From what I understand, checking in with foursquare is supposed to help a user find his/her friends and meet new people in the neighborhood.
I recently asked my friend Jeff about his foursquare experience, and he admitted that he’s been disappointed with the ways people DON’T use foursquare. He told me that a lot of people who follow him on Twitter frequently add him to foursquare. However, these people are surprised when he suggests they actually meet in person. People from other states and countries add him as a foursquare contact without any intention of connecting with him in real life.
Why not use foursquare to make new friends? I like making new friends; apparently, other people don’t like it as much as I do.
I guess it might be interesting to follow the daily trail of someone you admire, but what’s the point? foursquare users can’t leave reviews or provide any feedback. If you follow someone on foursquare but have no intention of making any use of its functionality, then you are a glorified stalker.
Ideally, foursquare should act like the four square court I saw in the park; people should use it as a way to connect when they’re in the same location. It shouldn’t matter if you know the other people or not. If you’re hanging around an actual four square court, then clearly you all have an interest in playing.
What’s the big deal? Don’t just stand there looking at the chalk! Pick up the ball and play.
(Photo by Half Chinese)
Laryssa Wirstiuk is a social media marketing and online image consultant. Learn more about how she can help you and your business gain friends and customers by visiting Comma ‘n Sentence Consulting.