1 Play by the rules. The terminology for “checking in” is subject to some debate due to its varied meanings. Etiquette and rules make it an easy choice though:
Check in when you are physically at a place. Don’t check in at forgotten past destinations or random places on your list to get points and badges.
Check in when you have spent a good amount of time at the specified location. Spending quality time in a restaurant, stadium, or movie theater would all be acceptable to jot down. However, passing by the location or standing outside of it isn’t the point of Foursquare.
You’ll only need to check into a place once a day towards mayorship. Making a check-in at 8 am and 9:30 pm in the same day is counted as one check-in.
2 Understand the meaning of “enough is enough”. Sharing places with others may be cool, but the world doesn’t need to know every single place you’re at. Checking into a certain supermarket multiple times may give people the impression that the location is convenient or that there is a valid reason to go there a lot (for example, it has better produce, better weekly sales, etc). Unknown and obscure places such as homes and offices are allowed by Foursquare rules, however, some people wish to play the game more fairly and are against such check-ins. Creating private venues not only provides very fast mayorships, but also clogs up the searches people do around their neighborhood or GPS area. And keeping home and work places private is always a prudent choice.
3 Limit your social networking posts. If the place is somewhere you go on a regular basis, like work or a favorite coffee shop, consider disabling your network sharing for the time being. The last thing you want to do is clog up other people’s feeds with mundane and repetitive places, which eventually could result in people removing you from their Twitter or Facebook accounts.
4 Avoid duplicate venues. Similar to private places, creating your own venue for a popular place makes it harder to play Foursquare. While this might mean that a person can take advantage of quick mayorships, it can confuse other players and cause them inconvenience. If a person realizes that they have checked into a fake venue, then they would have lost the time, points, and possible mayorship achievement.
5 Take the time to write out location tips. Whether it’s informing readers about what to eat or not to eat, the nearest transportation options, or when to avoid crowded hours, leaving tip information makes it easier for future customers to enjoy the venue utilizing the knowledge of things to check out, things to avoid, etc.
Take time to upload pictures of unique things about the venue. Show people why you have checked into the venue.
6 Add new venues or places that do not have a Foursquare page. By adding new information to the website, you’re helping to create a better and bigger community as a whole. “Superuser tools” allows the page creator to update the venue page as necessary.
7 Tell your friends about any special events offered through Foursquare. These events can range from store discounts, manager specials, or exclusive discounts to the current venue mayor.