Why can't i check in from the website?

I would like the regular website to support checkins too, though, since I'm not infrequently prowling around town with my laptop.

brightkite does a nice job with both using loki and geocode (?)

just had this same issue. sitting at a new starbucks on 19th and park, trying to figure out how to add that location and check in from the website on my laptop

love you guys anyway :-)

oh yeah, heres a screenshot of a bug i got trying to add the starbucks location

oops, just saw the suggestion to go to the mobile site, dont know why i didnt think of that :-) ill just add the new location from the full website, and then check in from the mobile.

sometimes im just too lazy to reach into my bag to pull out my phone :-)

haha

Hmm.... I get that you are trying to encourage a certain type of use and interaction with foursquare, but at a certain point you really need to take a look at what your 'customers' are asking for with Usability. This doesn't just refer to this problem, but multiple questions in this forum that seem to have been persisting for the past several months and still haven't been addressed (Lots of, 'we're working on it' s but no follow through or visible progress since then).

Instead of taking the 'This is what foursquare is supposed to be for' approach it seems to me like it'd be beneficial if you folks would let foursquare bend a bit and be more adaptable. I'm not saying do everything every random user asks for, but there are some resounding issues that make foursquare really frustrating.

I think foursquare could be a lot of fun, and I'm enjoying using it for what little I'm able to now. But until it becomes more flexible I can't really encourage my friends to join in the fun. (For one I can't view their histories so what would be the point)

Now if it was a matter of resources that might make more sense to me...

But back to topic, it just seems on a basic level that not being able to check-in via the normal web interface is just plain silly.

how do i delete a check-in (which I thought was new - but was on database - but not the one I am in)... how do i delete/correct?

You can checkin by going to

http://m.foursquare.com/checkin

But as Naveen mentioned it before this action beats the purpose of foursquare , that is going out and finding places.

This feedback is coming to u from Toronto, Canada..we just got foursquare and it is cool idea.

What I would LOVE to have on the main website: an option to "checkin in the past" ...

My iPhone died at 10pm, while I was still out and about, but when I got back to my PC at 11:40, I could only "checkin" at the current time, as opposed to checking in from the past.

And I had a tweetable moment: "You know you're addicted when ..." your battery dies and the only reason you're upset is because you can't check-in on foursquare. ;-)

if that is to prevent 'cheating' (checkins without being present) - you shouldn’t make sure the m site isnt accessible for immobiles ?!

Why allow check-ins when you're not there anyway. If the whole point is to get out and visit the community, then why not require that you're actually there in order to check in? Gowalla.com enforces this, for example.

What about those of us that use VPN?

I understand the idea of encouraging people to get out and about. But it is infuriating when people tell me *how* I should use the service. As if there is one, Right way.

My suggestion: listen to your customers.

Not that I hate other users, but really listening to everyone is a really great way to make a mediocre product. Please make Foursquare exactly as you see it. Let it live or die on your passion.

I can it both ways. I see foursquare as trying to be 2 things:

1. An opportunity to see venues around you. You can use To Do lists for places to go and things to see. Therefore, the ability to check-in whenever and wherever makes sense.

2. A game with point and a competitive spirit that is achieved by visiting the most places or the most often with rewards such as the Mayor title, pins, badges, whatever. In this context, fairness is important, and rules can encourage fair play.

Just an observation.

In geocaching, there are multiple ways to play also, but over time they found that it was important to be clear on rules because the competitive game aspect of the activity is strong for many of the people who do it. My comments/opinions of foursquare are probably tainted by my geocaching experiences -- or maybe just a lack of sleep...

Employee "Naveen" says:

"The idea is to "get out and do stuff" and with that in mind, we've only given you ways to check-in when you're mobile: over SMS, using mobile web or the iPhone app."

With all due respect, I think this a major lack of foresight or a lack of understanding about how I see foursquare being used now. If you look at actual market data, a good percentage "get out and do stuff" with their laptops.

When I look at the list of initial venues being added in my city (Indianapolis) I see many where they typical demographic consists of users with laptops using free wi-fi services. I don't necessarily seeing the advantage to forcing users to use their mobile device. Why not give us the option initially and see what happens? After 6 months or a year, you can review and see what % of users are actually checking in from a laptop.

In addition, with the rising sales of inexpensive netbooks, they are quickly becoming a viable alternative to the relatively smaller interfaces on smartphones.

I'm still somewhat amazed at the "get out and do stuff" that's supposed to mean we can't do them with our laptops. Being mobile does not mean we are sans laptop.

Agreed and agreed. Please let us check in from the web site. It makes it easier for Blackberry users who frequent wifi cafes. Tons of freelancers out there who are very often with laptop.