I have to admit, I was reluctant to do this exercise. I don't like the idea of people tracking where I am. If I want people to know where I am, I'll tell them, not announce it to the world. But after discussing this app in class, I can see some of the merits to using Foursquare, particularly from a marketing standpoint.
The biggest hurdle to using Foursquare was me: I kept forgetting to 'check in' places. Often when I'd remember, I be somewhere outside - like the dog park, and was always surprised to see that yes, you can 'check in' to parks and outdoor places. It was also surprising to see that I was never the first person to do so, even though the places I checked into were never 'busy' with people on Foursquare. So, it didn't take me long to gain badges and points - I'm just a day away from becoming mayor of my neighbourhood park!
The same could also be said about me and the QR reader - I had to remind myself to use it. I mostly found QR squares on posters in the subway and usually while I was struggling to find a place to hold onto while inside a crowded car. So it was never the best time to use it. I went for a walk in my neighbourhood to see how many posters I could find with the QR square and couldn't find any. I suspect this technology still needs more time to become more pervasive... but I'm still curious to learn more about it and will keep looking!
I was also reluctant to "check-in" to locations when I signed up for Foursquare this week, but instead made the choice to be selective about where I check-in to. I think there's a definite advantage to the service for both users and the locations because of the relative ease of use and mutual benefit each "check-in" achieves. While users receive points and potential discounts for the respective services, the locations get an instant marketing boost every time someone checks-in.
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