Foursquare Day

Foursquare Day, also known as 4sqDay, is seen as being the first social media holiday. Foursquare (officially Foursquare City Guide) is a location-based smartphone app and social networking service where people "check-in" to places such as restaurants and drinking establishments. Launched in 2009, it has changed over time but has remained as a way for patrons and businesses to connect with each other. Some early features included being able to earn "badges" and become a "mayor" of a place. In 2014, a related app called Swarm was launched by the Foursquare parent company.

Foursquare Day was thought up by Nate Bonilla-Warford, an optometrist and social media fan from Tampa, Florida. A lover of numbers and of days like Pi Day, Bonilla-Warford chose April 16 as the holiday's date because four-squared is sixteen. He first mentioned Foursquare in a blog post on November 21, 2009. On March 12, 2009, he brought up the idea for the day on a forum on Getsatisfaction.com, and on March 22, he wrote a proposal for the day on his blog. He met Jessica Barnett and she helped promote the day, and on March 26, Foursquare made an announcement for the day on Twitter.

A group of Foursquare users in Tampa organized the day along with Bonilla-Warford and helped spread it around the world. It was originally designed just as a day to check-in using Foursquare. On the first holiday, there were 550,000 check-ins and 20,000 new user sign-ups. For the second year, an online poll made "Foursquare Day: When the World is Your Venue" the official slogan. In the past, businesses have offered "specials" to those who have participated in the day. Today, the holiday is celebrated in various ways in different places, and besides check-ins, there have been other events such as parties and lectures.

How to Observe Foursquare Day

Celebrate the day by exploring locations on Foursquare City Guide, and download the app or Swarm if you don't already have them. If you are a patron, use these apps to check-in at places today, and use the #4sqDay hashtag. You could also look for other events related to the day taking place. If you own a business, search for and claim your business if you have yet to do so. Share on social media about the day, and offer incentives to those who check-in to your business.

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