Foursquare hits a billion check-ins, looking forward to ‘the next quadrillion’

By Trevor Mogg September 20, 2011

Location-based social networking service foursquare said in a blog post on Tuesday that it had hit a billion check-ins – that’s a big number for a service that only launched two years ago.

“….a billion check-ins was pretty cool. Thanks for helping us get there, and we look forward to the next quadrillion,” the blog post said.

The milestone has given the company an opportunity to take some of the data and turn it into a video, resplendent with twinkling lights.

The foursquare blog post explains:

“Because we’re data nerds, we put together a video of what a week of check-ins looks like on foursquare. We think it’s pretty, but, more than that, there’s some really awesome data there. Watch it a couple of times to see the patterns as night settles over the globe, as venue categories ebb and flow on different continents, and as teeming cities wake up and fall asleep. It’s even more awesome in full-screen, in all its HD glory.”

And here it is:

New York-based foursquare claims to have more than 10 million users with over three million check-ins taking place every day.

The service allows anyone with the foursquare app and a GPS-enabled device to check in at specific events, or various locations such as restaurants, museums and hotels – basically anywhere. Users can leave tips about a place, providing friends and other users with (hopefully) useful bits of information. The app also lets you keep track of the whereabouts of your friends.

According to foursquare, the service aims to make cities “easier to use and more interesting to explore.”

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