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Foursquare 3.0 adds new recommendations and rewards

March 9, 2011 — 11:47am ET | By Jason Ankeny

Location-based mobile social network Foursquare unveiled version 3.0 for iPhone and Android smartphones, introducing a series of new features promising to increase the overall value of the service for consumers and merchants alike. Chief among the Foursquare 3.0 enhancements: A new Explore tab that suggests nearby points of interest according to each user's check-in history, loyalty to particular destinations, favorite categories and types of places, overall user interest and related metrics. Explore also explains the rationale behind each recommendation--e.g., its popularity among the user's friends, its similarity to other personal favorites and so forth.

"You'll find it's helpful for general things like 'food,' 'coffee,' 'nightlife' (we built in quick access to these searches) and you'll be surprised by what you get when searching for really specific things, like '80s music,' 'fireplaces,' 'pancakes,' 'bratwurst,' and 'romantic,'" writes Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley on the startup's blog.

Foursquare 3.0 also introduces six new types of Specials to merchant partners--retailers and restaurants can now offer bargains and discounts to swarms, groups of friends, regulars, newbies, Mayors (i.e., the Foursquare user who checks in most regularly at a specific location) or everyone. The updated app also spotlights a list of all Specials within a user's vicinity. In addition, Foursquare 3.0 touts a new leaderboard--check-ins at local haunts can now generate points across dozens of actions, including discovering new places, trying new types of restaurants and visiting new cities.

Crowley notes that Foursquare is now closing in on 7.5 million users worldwide--users check in at local venues on their mobile device, earning points and virtual badges for visiting establishments on a regular basis. Foursquare racked up almost 500 million check-ins in the last year alone, with over 250,000 businesses now verified as part of its global network.

For more:
- read this Foursquare blog entry