Atomicdust

@Rick
True, you can’t deny that Facebook is a machine. We may critique what they do, but at the end of the day I’m still updating my status and stalking ex boyfriends…. wait, was that out loud? Totally kidding…

@Michael
Most people I know complained about my Foursquare check-ins showing up on Facebook (‘We don’t care where you are!’), so why would they want to check-in now? Same feature, different tool.

And the nostalgia factor is totally relevant. I looked back at my Foursquare feed from a recent trip to NYC as much as I did my photos! For an avid user like me, the allure of badges and points and mayorships slowly starts to wear off and you start to see the value in check-ins- for recording your ‘travels’ (even if it is local), for introducing you to new places through others’ check-ins…

@Ryan
Good catch! Corrected…

through, not threw

Danielle-
Great post.  I’ve been an avid Foursquare user for a while now.  I’m slowly getting to the point where I’m no longer interested in geolocation platforms all together, much less Facebook’s entry-level Places application.  I’m actually surprised at the number of people NOT using it.  I figured it would take off with all of the people who had never heard or seen Foursquare and thought the Places was revolutionary.  Doesn’t seem like that’s the case.

Anyway, back to the point about Nostalgia.  I get it, and I like going down that direction.  When I was in Chicago, I checked in at a variety of locations around the city and later on realized that what I did, without even knowing it, was kept a journal of all the wonderful places I had been.  Small restaurants that I would’ve never remembered the name of were now documented permanently with a time, date, and location of visit.  It was cool.  But is it a mainstream enough way to document a travel experience?  I’m not sure.

Great post, many excellent points and comments! You have to hand it to Facebook though, they are smart enough to keep expanding and growing and have been successful at almost every turn - even Google or Yahoo before them couldn’t say that!