Foursquare s Most Popular Places for 2010

Foursquare, a social media tool that encourages users to “check-in” at venues, realized a phenomenal 3,400% growth last year, with 381 million check-ins worldwide.  The company just released a fun infographic that reveals the most popular places in 2010, according to its members’ updates.
It appears that New Yorkers are more eager to share than others.   (Okay, they’re only sharing their whereabouts, but still…)  Venues in NYC rank #1 in the categories of hotels (Ace Hotel), art galleries (The Museum of Modern Art), music venues (Terminal 3), and food and drink (the Union Square Greenmarket).
Foursquare has six million registered users and clearly continues to grow.   Last August, though, Facebook, the hungry giant of social networks, introduced Places, a smartphone app that serves much the same purpose as Foursquare, but featuring effortless integration with other Facebook services.
Just how many different tools users are willing to use to broadcast where they are and what they’re doing, and how their desire to share will conflict with growing privacy concerns, will become clearer in the coming months.  Check-in soon for updates.
Ann Shields is Online Senior Editor at TravelandLeisure.com.
Foursquare infographic detail, courtesy of Foursquare; Museum of Modern Art photo, courtesy of MOMA;  Union Square Greenmarket photo by Ann Shields - By Ann Shields Technology - Mobile, Maps Comments