Let me tell you about my latest obsession, Foursquare. Y’all need to sign up. It’s so fun. I’m still a newbie though. Ok so what is it? It’s a social networking- city guide- sorta like twitter-thing. It’s perfect for traveling to a new city too. You can see what the local like, where they like to go. The app is free and it’s so much fun! I tell you now, I’m gonna be a mayor soon! You get a crown! Well, not a real crown, but a crown symbol on your profile. I might just wear a crown in real life so people will know I’m the mayor! Here’s what their site tells you:

First things first – let’s get foursquare on your phone. Your best bet is to download either our iPhone app or Android app. If you have a Blackberry or another phone with a web browser, you’re best off using mobile website (and yes, a Blackberry app is in the works!)

If you have a phone that doesn’t have a web browser, you can use our SMS shortcode to check-in by sending messages to 50500 (like this: @ Ace Bar ! enjoying happy hour). Sorry, but this works in the US only for now.

Check-in to places

People use foursquare to “check-in”, which is a way of telling us your whereabouts. When you check-in someplace, we’ll tell your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go & things to do nearby. People check-in at all kind of places – cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices.

You’ll find that as your friends use foursquare to check-in, you’ll start learning more about the places they frequent. Not only is it a great way to meet up with nearby friends, but you’ll also start to learn about their favorite spots and the new places they discover.

Share your experiences with friends

Think of foursquare as an “urban mix tape.” We’ll help you make lists of your favorite things to do and let you share them with friends. Think beyond your standard review – we’re looking less for “The food here is top notch” and more for “Go to Dumont Burger and try the most amazing Mac and Cheese ever.” Foursquare will keep track of the things you’ve done, help you create To-Do lists and even suggest new experiences to seek out.

As you check-in around the city, you’ll start finding tips that other users have left behind. After checking-in at a restaurant, it’s not uncommon to unlock a tip suggesting the best thing on the menu. Checking-in at a bar will often offer advice on what your next stop should be. Every tip you create is discoverable by other users just by checking-in.

Earn points and unlock badges!

Every foursquare checkin earns you points. Find a new place in your neighborhood? +5 points. Making multiple stops in a night? +2 points. Dragging friends along with you? +1.

And as you start checking-in to more interesting places with different people, you’ll start unlocking badges. There are badges for discovering new places and for traveling to far away places. Spending too much time singing karaoke or been hitting the gym consistently? Yes, there are badges for those too 🙂

Become the mayor! Unlock some freebies!

We all have our local hangouts and foursquare keeps tabs on who’s the most loyal of all the regulars. If you’ve been to a place more than anyone else, you’ll become “the mayor”… until someone else comes along and steals your title.

It may sound a little silly until you see the list of places that are offering freebies to our mayors – free coffees, free ice-cream, free hotel stays – it pays to be a foursquare loyalist and check-in whenever you go!