I loved your old program and its various goodies, especially earning badges and mayorships. The delight I derived from earning a new digital badge was unexpected and perhaps a bit juvenile, but very real. Getting new badges was like getting tiny surprise presents. It's those tiny surprise presents that kept me using Foursquare and sharing it with other. "You, too, can get tiny presents!" I explained to my friends. "And yes, I am the Mayor of Gino's."
You updated the program earlier this year to a check-in app called Swarm, and when doing so, stealthily stripped away my beloved badges and mayorships. I didn't notice this for a while, but now I am onto you and I cry foul! Why would you take away the fun stuff and leave only the checking in part? Who wants to check in when you get absolutely nothing for it? You are ruining everything - waaaah!
I realize that a 40-something adult shouldn't be crying over phasing out digital badges, and I will cease my caterwauling. However, now that I've gotten your attention, I will use this opportunity to share with you my beloved badges (in part to document them here before you decide you need more server space and remove them from users' Foursquare vaults).
Thank you, Pee Wee Herman, for giving me the exclusive badge for checking into your SXSW movie premier. Thank you, airports hither and yon, for allowing me to check in so many times that I leveled up on the Jet Setter badge 8 times. Thank you, Foursquare, for badging me when I voted in November '12, when I visited the Motor City in '13, when I hit my "ten hundredth" check-in a year ago.
Sincerely yours,
Erin
P.S. Now what do I do to get tiny surprise presents? The hunt is on...
