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Location-based applications—foursquare in particular—have allowed for start-ups to develop tools that pull data from consumer check-ins to provide useful information. These tools give insight into when the best time is to go to your favorite restaurant and the worst time to visit the mall, or connect with other people checked-in with you. With the recent popularity of location-based services, many of these applications are still in beta or early-stage development.
WeePlaces
WeePlaces not only functions with foursquare, but also works with Facebook Places and Gowalla. An incredibly beautiful, interactive, and animated application, WeePlaces will draw out where you have been—whether it’s pulling from every check-in of all time, from a specific type of venue, or a certain time frame. It will also create a graph that shows how much you frequent certain venues.
Scoville
Scoville pulls data from your foursquare check-ins—and links you with your social network friends–to supply a list of top-rated venues within your network or community. Each “Top Tuesday,” your account will push out a list of your top three listed venues to your social networks. From this, you can find and share new venues and hot spots.
Sonar
Sonar—similar to what it’s name implies—is an iPhone app that links in with foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter to find out if and how you’re connected to other people checked-in at a venue. You will find out if you have mutual friends and how exactly you are linked to start-up a real-life conversation.
Localmind
Localmind, available for the iPhone, allows you to scope out the scene of a venuebefore you visit. Through Localmind you can send a question to anyone checked-in via foursquare, SCVNGR, Gowalla, or any other location-based service. Localmind pings a person there and sends you their answer in real-time so you can make more efficient decisions on where to go and what to do.
4squareandsevenyearsago
A more sentimental and user-delight tool, 4squareandsevenyearsago sends you an email every day of where you were a year ago through past check-in information.
VenueWidget
If your brand is exploring foursquare, VenueWidget allows you to incorporate the tool into your Facebook fan page. Your page can add up to five location tabs via foursquare for your business. The application will pull in information for tabs such as venue address, interactive map, mayor, recent tips, total people who have checked-in, and total check-ins of all time. This app is great for bringing a foursquare promotion to the rest of your customer base on Facebook.
When Should I Visit?
Heading to a museum or zoo this week? When Should I Visit? will look at data from foursquare and tell you when a venue is the most quiet or the most packed. It will also highlight similar venues you might be interested in and show whether they are crowded or not. The app, created by Dan Williams at Culture Hackday 2011 in London, was inspired by a tweet asking the best time to visit the Natural Museum of History. Williams decided to automate this process by incorporating data and information that was already available. The app is not available yet for public use.
Where Do You Go
Where Do You Go pulls information from your foursquare check-ins and creates a heat map of your most frequented to least frequented spots.
WordPress Foursquare Plug-ins
If you are comfortable sharing your latest check-ins on your blog or site, WordPressoffers a plug-in that displays your most recent foursquare check-ins
