In its ever growing attempt to capitalize on a gigantic database of customer reviews, venue information and check-in data, Foursquare on Friday announced non-member access to its Explore feature.
Using the new service Foursquare members can click on a link button via its Web service. The clickable Foursquare button creates a shareable URL for venue pages which can be viewed by non-members.
Foursquare rolled out the button for its mobile apps earlier in the month but waited to fully launch the new program.
By allowing non-members access to the system Foursquare may be able to better compete with other open ratings and local search platforms. Unlike Foursquare may competitors, including Yelp, do not require user access to view location based data.
Venue pages open up a wealth of knowledge to non Foursquare users including tips, ratings and photo information for most venue locations.
While Foursquare derives most of its value from check-ins, analysts have suggested in recent months that the company must move past that information if it hopes to succeed.
With more than 3 billions check-ins at millions of registered locations, now might be the perfect time for Foursquare to use that database in new and exciting ways.
Do you think Foursquare would serve itself better if it was an open platform that did not require members to log into the system?
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