Foursquare makes a game of mobile social networking

The first time Twitter got people buzzing was at the SXSW Interactive festival back in 2007, so the event has a good record of launching Next Big Web 2.0 Things.

So what's hot this year? Well, it's an iPhone app called Foursquare which has a (loose) mobile gaming angle, according to Mashable.

Actually, it's a location-based mobile social network that ties in - inevitably - with Twitter. You post your current location from the app to Twitter, allowing your friends to find you.

But the interesting thing from our perspective is the fact that it's got a very game-like reward structure: using the app earns you points, and there are badges to win too with titles like Crunked, Super User, School Night and, er, Douchebag.

It's been suggested before that modern social networking is effectively a game - think people boasting about how many Facebook friends they have - so Foursquare merely puts a structure around it.

Anyway, even though that gaming angle is loose, the app is well worth checking out if you're interested in new developments on the LoMoSo side of things.

We promise to never use that abbreviation again.