Foursquare expands to five new languages

BARCELONA, Spain--With users now exceeding 6.5 million worldwide, foursquare is extending its service to five new languages: Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese. Speaking here at Mobile World Congress 2011, foursquare co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley said the location-based mobile social network's expanded language support will span across its iOS, Android and BlackBerry applications. "We're making a significant investment in getting this stuff around the world," Crowley said.

Foursquare users check in at local venues on their mobile device, earning points and virtual badges for visiting establishments or completing missions. According to Crowley, check-ins now top 2 million per day, adding the service experienced 3400 percent growth in 2010.

"We're making Pokemon for adults--by collecting badges and experiences, we're pushing people to do new things," Crowley said. "We want to see if software can change the way people go out and see the world. We're exploring different mechanics to change the world's behavior."

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