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The problem with Foursquare is that it was clearly designed by New Yorkers. In other cities where the distance and density of businesses/restaurants/etc. are mu

by canistr 12y ago

The problem with Foursquare is that it was clearly designed by New Yorkers. In other cities where the distance and density of businesses/restaurants/etc. are much lower, the results aren’t as good. The only times where I’ve had a good Foursquare recommendation experience is when I was in Manhattan or in North Beach of San Francisco. Other places, the results just plain suck. In suburbs or midtowns, it isn’t good because the “local recommendations” are a little too small and give me results of places I have no intention of ever going to. Other times, it increases the range to a radius that is far too big.

ryanklee 12y ago
Yes, and if you live (actively) in any mid-tier city for any appreciable amount time, recommendations become superfluous, because you basically know every establishment in the city, what's trending, what's not, and where to go (and where not to go) to get what you want. For food, clothing and goods. Whatever. And when something new opens up, you hear it about it. Friends give you the rundown, judgements proliferate, etc. I don't have a use for Foursquare or Yelp and, as far as I know, none of my friends do either. (For size reference, I live in Baltimore, MD.) Edit: I'll add, too, that "check ins" that get posted socially seem to be viewed increasingly as self-indulgent "look at me and my lovely life" signals. There was a time that such posts, along with "pics of my delicious dinner at trendy restaurant", etc., were regular and acceptable. That time is quickly passing, I think. The analogy is talking about how much money you have, or how cultural you are, etc. This isn't really polite and most people secretly roll their eyes in response to it. It appears either calculated or in incognizantly bad taste. This is just an anecdotal observation, of course. But these kinds of things have basically disappeared from my feed, which might just be an effect of an aging list of friends rather than a broader usage pattern. I suspect it's a generally emerging standard of social media etiquette though.
- lauradhamilton 12y ago
  I never check into restaurants -- I don't see the point. But I regularly check yelp to see reviews of new restaurants that spring up. Then I go check out the new restaurants with good reviews. (I live in Chicago.)
  - ryanklee 12y ago
    In Chicago, and cities of that size, this makes a lot of sense. It's a huge city. You can live there for decades and still not have a handle on everything. There's too much for word of mouth to render Yelp unnecessary. I'd use it, too, if I weren't in a city 1/10th the size of Chicago.
- kemayo 12y ago
  On the social point... I like foursquare type check-in apps because they work to segregate check-in activity for people who're interested in it. I don't post "I'm at Restaurant X!" on facebook/twitter, because I'd feel like I was spamming people... but if I check in there on foursquare, I know that the people who see that are other people who've decided they want to use foursquare. It's still a social sharing activity, but it's done with a carefully selected subgroup.
jedc 12y ago
I've had the opposite experience. I was in Zagreb, Croatia for the very first time last year and wanted to eat dinner somewhere other than my hotel. I tried Google Maps and it was worthless. I pulled out Foursquare and found a restaurant a few streets away that turned out to be incredible! (So much so that when I went back a few months later I went back to the same place instead of exploring.) And now that I mention it, same thing happened to me in Tallinn, Estonia, too. Found a great brew-pub-ish restaurant that I would have never found on my own. And again, went back a few months later on my next trip.
- jcfrei 12y ago
  Recounting just two occasions to judge the user experience is arguably a very low sample size. Could you mention any other experiences as well?
  - canistr 12y ago
    I'm just saying that SF and NY were where I had GREAT experiences. In suburbs of big cities or smaller towns (Seattle, Redmond, Toronto, Waterloo, suburbs of Toronto), I wouldn't categorize the experience as a "delight" in the same way that SF/NY were. I mean, do I really have to give a full report in order for me to be satisfied with the product?
- schrodinger 12y ago
  I was in Costa Rica looking for somewhere to go for dinner and drinks. Yelp had NOTHING. Foursquare found me an awesome new restaurant/bar a few minutes away that we loved. I kind of assumed from this experience that Foursquare has better adoption in some areas of the world, but I'm not sure.
  - thanatropism 12y ago
    I don't think Yelp is even a thing here. You want to look at the websites for newspapers and the like. Rio Show, Veja Rio, etc.
  - misiti3780 12y ago
mediascreen 12y ago
I have used it in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Istanbul, Saigon, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Budapest; and I think it gives pretty good recommendations. At least for coffee shops and inexpensive restaurants in the city center. It also works globally as long as there are some users there, while Yelp only supports a few countries.
untog 12y ago
I don't think that targeting major metro areas is a bad idea. The downside to making any geo app is that you suddenly have to provide for the whole world, and that isn't possible. Better to prioritise areas where you get the best benefit for your work - and densely populated areas are exactly that.

by canistr 12y ago

ryanklee 12y ago

Yes, and if you live (actively) in any mid-tier city for any appreciable amount time, recommendations become superfluous, because you basically know every establishment in the city, what's trending, what's not, and where to go (and where not to go) to get what you want. For food, clothing and goods. Whatever. And when something new opens up, you hear it about it. Friends give you the rundown, judgements proliferate, etc. I don't have a use for Foursquare or Yelp and, as far as I know, none of my friends do either. (For size reference, I live in Baltimore, MD.) Edit: I'll add, too, that "check ins" that get posted socially seem to be viewed increasingly as self-indulgent "look at me and my lovely life" signals. There was a time that such posts, along with "pics of my delicious dinner at trendy restaurant", etc., were regular and acceptable. That time is quickly passing, I think. The analogy is talking about how much money you have, or how cultural you are, etc. This isn't really polite and most people secretly roll their eyes in response to it. It appears either calculated or in incognizantly bad taste. This is just an anecdotal observation, of course. But these kinds of things have basically disappeared from my feed, which might just be an effect of an aging list of friends rather than a broader usage pattern. I suspect it's a generally emerging standard of social media etiquette though.

lauradhamilton 12y ago
I never check into restaurants -- I don't see the point. But I regularly check yelp to see reviews of new restaurants that spring up. Then I go check out the new restaurants with good reviews. (I live in Chicago.)
- ryanklee 12y ago
  In Chicago, and cities of that size, this makes a lot of sense. It's a huge city. You can live there for decades and still not have a handle on everything. There's too much for word of mouth to render Yelp unnecessary. I'd use it, too, if I weren't in a city 1/10th the size of Chicago.
kemayo 12y ago
On the social point... I like foursquare type check-in apps because they work to segregate check-in activity for people who're interested in it. I don't post "I'm at Restaurant X!" on facebook/twitter, because I'd feel like I was spamming people... but if I check in there on foursquare, I know that the people who see that are other people who've decided they want to use foursquare. It's still a social sharing activity, but it's done with a carefully selected subgroup.

jedc 12y ago

I've had the opposite experience. I was in Zagreb, Croatia for the very first time last year and wanted to eat dinner somewhere other than my hotel. I tried Google Maps and it was worthless. I pulled out Foursquare and found a restaurant a few streets away that turned out to be incredible! (So much so that when I went back a few months later I went back to the same place instead of exploring.) And now that I mention it, same thing happened to me in Tallinn, Estonia, too. Found a great brew-pub-ish restaurant that I would have never found on my own. And again, went back a few months later on my next trip.

jcfrei 12y ago
Recounting just two occasions to judge the user experience is arguably a very low sample size. Could you mention any other experiences as well?
- canistr 12y ago
  I'm just saying that SF and NY were where I had GREAT experiences. In suburbs of big cities or smaller towns (Seattle, Redmond, Toronto, Waterloo, suburbs of Toronto), I wouldn't categorize the experience as a "delight" in the same way that SF/NY were. I mean, do I really have to give a full report in order for me to be satisfied with the product?
schrodinger 12y ago
I was in Costa Rica looking for somewhere to go for dinner and drinks. Yelp had NOTHING. Foursquare found me an awesome new restaurant/bar a few minutes away that we loved. I kind of assumed from this experience that Foursquare has better adoption in some areas of the world, but I'm not sure.
- thanatropism 12y ago
  I don't think Yelp is even a thing here. You want to look at the websites for newspapers and the like. Rio Show, Veja Rio, etc.
- misiti3780 12y ago

mediascreen 12y ago

I have used it in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Istanbul, Saigon, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Budapest; and I think it gives pretty good recommendations. At least for coffee shops and inexpensive restaurants in the city center. It also works globally as long as there are some users there, while Yelp only supports a few countries.

untog 12y ago

I don't think that targeting major metro areas is a bad idea. The downside to making any geo app is that you suddenly have to provide for the whole world, and that isn't possible. Better to prioritise areas where you get the best benefit for your work - and densely populated areas are exactly that.