I've never used 4SQ b/c I couldn't care less about "checking in", even for discounts. But I use Yelp all the time, and you guys make a good case for giving 4SQ another look. A Yelp with pure data, no subjective anecdotes, opinions, or rants? Sounds interesting.
Lots of subjective anecdotes in the form of one-sentence "tips" you can leave at places, but IMO they tend to be a lot more positive than Yelp reviews, which tend to be disgruntled people kvetching.
Personally the tips are more useful than Yelp reviews. I don't have time or inclination to read long-form reviews, 4sq tips are much more relevant when I'm sitting down in a restaurant and figuring out what's especially good on the menu.
IMO they made a mistake. The Yelp-killer app should've been separated from the 4sq brand, not the other way around. Foursquare is forever known as "the checkin app", if they really wanted to pivot IMO they should've called it something else entirely.
Actually that brings up another thing I really like about Foursquare. You don't just see tips from random people, page's can also leave tips. I have learned all sorts of fun facts from tips left by the "History Channel" or "Food Network".
You still get a lot of subjective anecdotes, but it's easier to digest one sentence than it is someone thinking they write for the New York Times food section. It's my biggest issue with Yelp -- just get to the point, no one needs the waxing poetic about how you came to find this "gem in a city". That coupled with Yelp's shady business tactics[1].
