Then Facebook and Google borrowed the concept — and even the term check in. Analysts and users alike wondered if those Internet giants would squash Foursquare like a bug.
A Start-Up Matures, Working With AmEx
When the New York start-up Foursquare Labs [1] made its debut in 2009, it quickly began popularizing the idea of “checking in,” or using a cellphone application to tell friends that you are at a particular restaurant, bar or park.
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