Foursquare Day (April 16) is First “Global Social Media Holiday”

UPDATE: The Foursquare Day 2010 Badge is now available, and it can be claimed simply by posting a Foursquare Day “Shout Out.” For example, I got my badge by shouting: “Happy Foursquare Day #4sqday all! Try to make it to one of your local parties!”

Friday, April 16–this Friday–has been named the official “Foursquare Day.”

What the hell, you ask, is Foursquare Day? Furthermore, What is Foursquare??

Good question. Foursquare is the latest social-networking craze, in which users “check-in” via mobile device to the various places they frequent in an attempt to gain more check-ins than friends and other Foursquare users.

The Objective: Check-in at more places, and at the same place more frequently, than other users to generate the highest amount of points in your area and earn special badges for specific kinds of check-ins. For example, a user who checks into 20 different pizza places can earn the coveted “Pizzaiolo” badge, or the “Swarm” badge for checking into a Foursquare venue with at least 50 other users.

If you’re not already using Foursquare, there’s never been a better time to start than this Friday. That’s because Friday, April 16 has been officially designated “Foursquare Day”–or at least the company has put its support behind what was a simple idea from a Foursquare user.

Here’s some rationale behind the chosen date, from 4sqday.com:

“[S]ince four-squared equals 16, it would be great to check into Foursquare [and create Foursquare Day] on the 4th 16th of the year, otherwise known as 4 / 16 or April 16th.”

Foursquare Day will be celebrated across the globe in more than a 100 major cities, including Seoul, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, Dublin, Pune, Sydney and Tampa. And it’s being hailed at the world’s first “global social media holiday.”

Foursquare is enticing users to attend these special Foursquare Day events by offering a brand new badge for the occasion: The Foursquare Day badge. (Pictured above.) It’s unclear what exactly you’ll have to do to earn the badge, but checking in at one of the designated venues, during the designated “party” time, is as good a guess as any.

I’m going to do my best to attend the Boston Foursquare Day party, which is being held from 6 PM to 9PM EST on Friday night at The Good Life bar near Downtown Crossing. If you’re in the area, stop by, say hello, check-in and earn your badge.

I’m just hoping Foursquare actually lets me check-in when I arrive, instead of accusing me of, ahem, cheating. (Read more about Foursquare’s recent attempt to crack down on “check-in cheaters.”)

Additional information can be found on the Foursquare Day website or by following @4sqday on Twitter.

AS