It’s without question that I consider myself a very active Social Networker and while I have the expected Facebook profile, I am using things like Yelp, Foodspotting, Foursquare and Swarm much more when it comes to my visits to clubs, restaurants and bars. Each of these networks offers me the ability to share over to Facebook but to be brutally honest I don’t always feel like doing that. Swarm is connected to Foursquare and is the “check in” app that they created. Essentially you arrive at a place and find it on Swarm and log it in. Each check in earns you phony coins and shows you a “leader board” against those in your friends list. I get a kick out of it and recently was sent an email denoting my 2016 highlights. I downloaded the images and figured I would speak about some of them in a site post. Here we go.
Swarm calculated that I checked in some “622” times but the actual number is much higher since I didn’t always remember to do it. It happens.
I’m almost embarrassed by it disclosing that I like going to bars. It’s true that they are often the pre-concert pit stop to meet friends and to eat but in my defense I didn’t always have a drink of alcohol. I’m a lightweight and last year I did quick a few months without anything of the sort in my system, but that is a topic for another post – maybe 🙂
I earned a decent batch of those imaginary coins and I wish that they could be exchanged for something cool. Perhaps coupons or Gift Cards to movies, or electronics stores would be a fantastic idea. Hey Swarm folks get on that.
I was both happy and stoked that my “Metal Horns” sign was my most used sticker. Oh these are the little options that you can add to your check in so when you hit a bar you can select a beer or champagne glass or a hamburger if you check in at a burger joint etc. Readers of the other website know that I am going to a lot of shows, Metal media events and screenings related to the stuff. That makes this sticker a very used one.
This check-in got the most coins because it was election related. This is the place where I have to vote when I choose to cast my ballot. I am going to venture a guess that based on how many people were checking in to vote made this generate that amount of points.
The stickers that I unlocked after numerous check-ins for a regularly done activity or space are shown below. There are some funny ones for sure.
I wasn’t surprised to see that these three places were the most checked in to over the course of the year. PiercingMetal readers know that I have upped the game in the comic book narratives over there so hitting the shop on a regular basis to see what is out and needs a discussion point is very important. Foodtown is right near my secured media sanctum so I do go there a LOT for every little thing and Smith’s…..well, they did say that I like checking into bars earlier on.
Your friends can check-in and add you to their activity and that not only saves you a little bit of work but shows you interacting with other users. I don’t remember to do this enough but my buddy Gio does and that made him my Swarm BFF. He has a website too and since some of that content is a little more for adults only, I will direct you to his Facebook Page right HERE – give him a “like” when you have a moment.
Glad to see “Music Venues” as a big hit in Swarm and the reason the train stations show up is because when I am traveling around Upstate and New Jersey, I do a “passing through” check-in for each and every lengthy stop. It let’s me see what is around there when I do it and it keeps me amused on a usually boring train ride.
When you achieve a certain amount of check-ins you become “The Mayor”, sometimes this comes with a coupon for something but not always. I remember once in the old Duke’s Bar my mayorship earned me the chance to have $1 pints of Bud Lite. I don’t recall much after that one but I digress ;p
I wasn’t surprised to see this because with the shows happening at the nighttime part of the day, it makes my attendance at Nightlife Spots on the high side.
I don’t always remember to take a photo and post in Swarm. Here is a trick on that. Take the photo first with your camera so it stays in your main Gallery and then access it in Swarm so it can be shared there or over to Twitter and Facebook as well. It’s easier despite sounding like an additional step.
So there you have it, my yearly running about the mighty metropolis that is NYC and of course the places that I have visited outside of here. If you are not using Swarm yet you should give it a chance and find out what friends are on their as well so you can keep up and perhaps adventure together for the sake of commerce. I should stress that you only add friends or colleagues in an immediate circle to your list and leave strangers on the outside. You cannot follow another user on Swarm unless you are friends and we only add those we know as well without exception. Some of the other socials that are used very regularly are listed below and you can follow all of them if anything presented there is of interest to you. I hope you enjoyed this little presentation as it was fun looking back on it for you.
Official Social Networks Of PiercingKen.com:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/piercingken
Foodspotting: http://www.foodspotting.com/kenpierce
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/piercingken
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/piercingken
Yelp: http://www.kennypierce.yelp.com