Internet Foursquare社交网站即将成为互联网行业的下一个热点。 放大这张图片 Internet Foursquare用户可以通过智能手机到“汇报”。而商家则会为一些经常造访的用户提供相应的优惠。 放大这张图片 Internet Foursquare公司联合创始人纳文·塞尔瓦杜莱(Naveen Selvadurai)。

I Guess there was no better time to find out about the social-networking website Foursquare than on International Foursquare Day.

我想，在“国际Foursquare日”这天来了解一下“Foursquare社交网”是再合适不过的时机了。

Billed as the world’s first social media holiday, it was held on April 16 (the four-squared day of the fourth month).

作为全球首个社交媒体节日， “Foursquare日”选定在每年的4月16日（因为4的平方等于16）。

With smart phone in hand, I went down to my local bar to find out what the Internet’s “next big thing” was all about.

我带着智能手机，来到住处附近的酒吧，准备一睹这个互联网新风尚的真面目。

Here was the first big change: Foursquare is one of the first social networking sites that require you to get off the sofa and out of the house.

第一项大变化就是：作为社交网站首开先河者之一，“Foursquare社交网”鼓励用户离开沙发，走到户外。

At my local bar, I “checked-in” to find thousands of users from around the world that had joined me. People were checking-in at bars, restaurants and stadiums around the world to receive points and a special “badge” for the day.

在酒吧里，我报到后就开始寻找起世界各地的好友来。在“Foursquare日”这天，人们在全球范围内的酒吧、餐厅、体育场中登陆Foursquare汇报,获得积分和特制徽章。

In China, fellow users checked-in at places in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

在中国，年轻用户们可以在北京，上海，香港三地登陆Foursquare报到。

Unlike other foreign social media networks, Foursquare is finding it’s foothold in China.

与其他国外社交网站不同的是，Foursquare找到了在中国的立足之地。

Part-game

角色扮演游戏

Foursquare is part-game; a social media interactive contest that requires users to check-in when they are at a bar, restaurant or any other public place. Using a smart phone, you simply launch the Foursquare app and the phone’s internal GPS tags your position. It’s a cinch.

Foursquare是一个角色扮演游戏，即一项社交互动比赛。无论用户置身酒吧、餐厅、还是其他公共场所，都需要登陆报到。你只要在智能手机上开启Foursquare应用程序，手机内置的GPS系统就会确定你的位置。这真是小事一桩。

For each check-in, Foursquare rewards points to your tally and sends an alert to your friends telling them of your location. Passers-by may also log-on to Foursquare to find out if a particular restaurant or bar is popular. The app keeps track of how many people have checked-in at a location each night.

每一次报到，Foursquare会奖励你一些积分，并向你的好友们报告你的位置。游客们也可以登陆Foursquare来看看某餐厅或酒吧的受欢迎程度。该程序会记录下某一地点每晚报到的人数。

Mike Fung is a media producer at an interactive agency and was one of the early adopters of Foursquare in Shanghai. He’s one of the people who helped “map” the city by checking-in at places for the first time.

Mike Fung是一家互动广告公司的媒体制作人，同时他也是上海Foursquare早期用户之一。通过在不同地点报到，他和许多爱好者一起绘制上海的Foursquare地图。

“There were very few locations, so I added a bunch,” Fung said. His friends jumped on the bandwagon, and the game began.

他说：“由于Foursquare上的地点实在有限，所以我又添加了好多地方。”他们的朋友们也加入进来，一场游戏开始了。

The check-in points separate the men from the boys. It’s also the aspect of the game that separates Foursquare from other social media tools.

Foursquare会根据报到积分来选出强者。这也是Foursquare区别于其他社交游戏的一点。

When you check-in and accrue points, you get “badges” for certain behavior. For example, you receive a “Bender badge” for visiting the same bar four days in a row. A “Crunked badge” for hitting four bars in one night.

报到后，你会获得积分；并且根据你的状态发放不同的徽章。例如，你如果连续四天造访同一家酒吧，那么就会收到“Bender”（ 狂饮者）徽章。如果你一个晚上造访四家不同的酒吧，那么就会得到“Crunked”（狂醉者）徽章。

Apart from the badges, the main feature that has every Foursquarer feverishly checking-in is the chance to become “mayor” of a particular place. If you check-in at one location more than anyone else, you are crowned ruler of the domain.

除了徽章以外，Foursquare还有一个最大特点：如果用户前往某地的频率超高，那么他就有机会成为该地点的“地主”。如果你前往某地的次数超过其他人，那么你就会成为该地的统治者。

Part review site

大众点评之地

Bars and restaurants are realizing Foursquare’s potential as a marketing tool and doing their best to become Foursquare friendly.

酒吧及餐厅等商家正逐渐意识到Foursquare的潜在商业价值，并努力成为Foursquare的合作商。

Chad Lager is the manager of Fubar in Beijing. He has started to use Foursquare to offer deals to passers-by.

Chad Lager是北京一家酒吧的经理，他开始试着在Foursquare上向游客们推销生意。

“I use the 'shout out’ when I’ve got live music,” Lager said. A shout-out notifies people when bands are playing nearby.

他说：“当酒吧举办现场音乐会时，我就会使用‘喊话’功能。”当附近有乐队表演时，Foursquare上就会向人们喊话。

For added incentive, the Mayor of Fubar always drinks at half price.

更具吸引力的是该酒吧的“地主”可以享受半价优惠。

This interactivity has cemented Foursquare’s popularity among bar and restaurant-goers. People can leave tips about the venue’s best meals and drinks and leave comments for fellow Foursquarers.

这种互动行为使得Foursquare深受酒吧及餐厅老板们的欢迎。人们在Foursquare上可以为商家的美食美酒提供小费，并为年轻用户们留下点评。

Ultimately, Foursquare is changing the way people socialize. Not only is it taking online gaming outside, and providing a fun and easy review site, but also it’s allowing new social interaction.

综上所述，Foursquare正在改变人们的社交方式。它不仅将在线游戏移到户外，向用户提供一个有趣且轻松的大众点评网站，更主要的是它正在创造一种崭新的社交模式。