My frustration centers around Foursquare’s inability to know where I am, even after repeated refresh. My suggestion includes better integration with the iPhone’s phone. (I know, what a concept, huh?)

Where Am I?

It happens more times than I can count. I don’t know if the  ”problem” is AT&T, the iPhone or Foursquare. And frankly, I don’t care whose “fault” it is — I’m writing as a frustrated consumer, a consumer who is inclined to soldier through frustrations like this due to the nature of my job. Casual consumers are going to bail, which hurts adoption stats.

Refresh Doesn’t

I’m running errands. I check in one location, hop in the truck and drive to the next location on the errand list. But when I try to check-in, Foursquare still has me at the prior location …. even when it’s miles away!

Like everyone else (I guess), I “swipe down” to force the app to refresh. Only, too often, it doesn’t. The app remains fixed at the prior location.

Refresh not working … I force a search by hitting the spacebar once in the text field. Still no go.

If I’m feeling stubborn (I’m going to make it work, dammit!), then I type in the name of the venue. In this case, it was Trader Joe’s. I’d just driven more than a mile from Fred Meyer (probably five minutes), where I had experienced the same problem when I tried to check in there.

So I type in Trader Joe’s and tap search.

Foursquare “forgets” that I am in Lynnwood. Rather than show me the Trader Joe’s that is my “favorite” — the Trader Joe’s where I am periodically the mayor — Foursquare leads off with Trader Joe’s on Capitol Hill, which is 15 miles away. I have never checked in at this venue. Ever. In fact, I have never checked in to any of the five TJs that show up on the first search screen.

Foursquare devs: this is broken behavior.

How Foursquare Should Work

Let’s say this problem is AT&T’s fault. Or Apple’s. (This FAQ — focusing on Android, not iPhone — makes it sound like a combo of OS and network provider.)

First, if the app isn’t getting new GPS data, tell me that. Feedback. It’s one of the most critical parts of interaction design. The Foursquare app has none. [Note: the interface now has a little crown appear in the lower right corner when Foursquare is accessing the network and thus is temporarily "frozen."]

Second, if I try to force the app to figure out where am I by typing in the name of a venue, why not assume that I’m still in the general area, especially if I have a favorite with the same name as the venue I’ve typed in the search field? You’ve got that data. As an alternative, let me check in by going to my history and saying “This is where I am right now.”

Integration With Telephony

I want to be able to one-click (sorry Amazon) call a venue from inside Foursquare.

In other words, when I want to place an order for take-out (or call to figure out business hours), I want to be able to open Foursquare and (1) easily find the venue; (2) have the description include the phone number; and (3) have that phone number “click to call.”

Foursquare could be about more than “where I am right now.” It could also be “where I’m going next.”

Why not use the iPhone’s address book?

First, mine is a mix of people and work. Second, when I’m out-and-about, the app that is generally open is Foursquare. Third, I think of Foursquare as an app about places where I do business.

Why not use Yelp?

Because its search is worse than Foursquare’s and because I don’t use it enough for it to “know” my regular haunts. And I think of Yelp first as a review site; it’s where I go when I want to learn about a new place.

Why not use Safari/Google?

This is my fall-back, and Google does a better job of figuring out where I am and what I might be asking about than Foursquare does. But guess which app has the more detailed about my habits?

Fixing Bad Entries

I really wish I knew what it would take to be a trusted Foursquare person, someone who could fix mis-labeled venues. Like Trader Joe’s. It is not a Wine Bar!

Then there’s the problem of duplicate entries for the same venue.

Misspellings.

Bad addresses.

I’m volunteering, Foursquare. Use the crowd.

About Today’s Announcement

In making the feature upgrade, Foursquare positioned the app as a direct competitor to Yelp.

First, the most logical head-to-head competition comes with photos:

Tips with photos changes everything. See dishes before ordering them, figure out if a venue looks fun, or easily identify a hard-to-find spot. More info = better exploration.

Notice the choice of business? Restaurants, a key player (and PITA) in the local ad business because so many restaurants are one-offs.

I already use Foursquare tips as a form of mini-reviews. It’s logical, especially since American eat out a lot. (In 2008, Americans spent $575 billion on food away from home compared with $597 billion on food at home.)

Second, developers are assuming we are glued to our friends lives in what I think is an unrealistic manner:

[G]etting a last-minute comment reminding you to order the best dish saves your meal.

Are Foursquare folks really going to be monitoring the app like this? Remember, Twitter quickly morphed from “I’m eating lunch” to “here’s something important about WikiLeaks” … I’m not convinced that this is a reasonable use case (even if it is positioning Foursquare as a Yelp alternative). Maybe, if the universe of “friends” is kept small. (Right now I have almost as many friend requests as I have friends — 138 to 144. I’ve tried to keep Foursquare constrained to people I really know. I have had friend requests from complete strangers in London, for crissakes!)

Finally, there’s a teeny swipe at Facebook:

You can visit your history page on foursquare.com to see all the places you’ve been, with photos and comments preserved.

No need to beat the dead horse that is Facebook’s unwieldy UI and it’s opaque archives. This is the advantage of a single-purpose application, the special tool versus Swiss Army knife (also known as “kitchen sink”) approach to software development.

Yes, these things are interesting, especially the photos. But basic issues with functionality are far more important if the application is going to cross the chasm and reach mainstream adoption.

Default, as usual for “social” apps, is to share with the world. Here’s how to change that.

Get To Settings Options

In the iPhone app, tap your personal icon (lower right corner), which will take you to this screen; then tap the settings icon (upper right corner) for the account settings menu.

Ping Settings

From the account settings menu, select “Pings.” Default is “yes” for friend’s check-ins (“current city”) and when friends comment on your check-in comments. Adjust to fit your preferences. I probably should have friends check-ins “on” given how few of my friends actually live in Lynnwood (my normal “current city”). But when I’m downtown …. no, the potential for floodgates is too great.

Photo Settings

From the account settings menu, select “Photo Settings.” The default will save, in your regular photo library, any photos taken inside Foursquare. I always want a copy of pix that I take and am annoyed at apps that do not do this by default. So I’m a fan of this default setting!

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For those unfamiliar with Foursquare, the service lets users “check in” to a location via their smartphones or laptops and logs their positions on a map that others can see. The more you check in, the more badges and bragging rights you earn.

“The X-factor appeal of Foursquare is in its social currency,” says David Berkowitz, senior director of emerging media and innovation at digital agency 360i. “Giving Foursquare users these badges for completing explicit tasks adds an element of surprise, like a scavenger hunt.”  The badges also help users show off their interests to others, enabling them to connect with like-minded people and keep the “game” going.

Since its launch in 2009, Foursquare has racked up a lot of media attention and over 400,000 registered users. Why is it so appealing? Fans insist that location-based social networks make a night out with friends even more fun, because they encourage competitiveness and exploration. For example, Foursquare users won’t earn points during normal work hours (M-F 8am-4pm) unless they “discover” a location that isn’t in the system. So, if you’re the first to lunch at that new Asian-fusion restaurant next to the office, Foursquare will reward (and publicize) your adventurous behavior. Moreover, if users check in enough times, they can become the “mayor” of any location. “Foursquare is very smart,” blogs one member. “They’ve created a system where normal shmoes like you and [I] are willing to advertise for other businesses for the sheer pleasure of earning points and being crowned mayors.”

Although only a year old, Foursquare has signed business deals with numerous corporations looking to benefit from the check-in phenomenon. Marketers hope that rewarding location-based social networks users and their friends with real-time discounts and recommendations will generate repeat business and build long-term brand loyalty. Metro Canada’s Marketing and Interactive Director Jodi Brown also argues that newspapers should join with location-based social networks in order to provide geo-targeted content that will benefit a “highly mobile” audience. She imagines a future where “you’re checking-in to your university, and we’re delivering you a topical piece of news about policy changes.”

However, many businesses remain skeptical that location-based social networks will appeal to the masses. Several bloggers like Jessica Grose have pointed out that “though hyper-social twentysomethings in cities with endless options may enjoy competing with their friends for the ‘player please’ or ‘douchebag’ badges, the reward system does not hold much [appeal] for anyone older.” Moreover, sites like Please Rob Me use streams of data from Foursquare and Twitter to demonstrate how theoretically possible it would be for criminals or other undesirable individuals to keep tabs on when people are not at home, thanks to users’ willingness to broadcast their current locations.

But in spite of these flaws, the future looks good for companies like Foursquare and its Austin-based competitor, Gowalla.  According to a new report released recently by ABI Research, location-based social networks will generate $3.3 billion in revenue by 2013. Also, for those interested in location-based social networks, but not in darting all over town, The New York Times reports that an application called Miso is “a Foursquare-like app for homebodies.” One thing is certain: whether you’re looking for a new way to promote your business or be social with your friends, check-in applications are worth checking out.

Megan Jeffrey is a graduate student in the MCDM program at the University of Washington. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo. She has worked as an account assistant for Verdin Marketing Ink, a community manager for Serra Media and as a HubPages.com columnist. Megan is currently the social media strategist for the UW School of Drama.

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