Instead, they've pivoted into a boring Yelp competitor. In fairness, it's probably an easier way to make money. But I never hear anyone talking about FourSquare anymore.
I couldn't agree more. And you're right, at one point everyone was always talking about in, checking in and everything, but you just don't see that or hear about it anymore. People would rather check-in on Facebook because they know their friends will see it, unlike checking in on FourSquare where it gets lost in app-space.
Really, the majority of hardcore FourSquare users I still see active are narcissistic bloggers who are always going to conferences or traveling.
I have been in the SF bay area, NYC, Europe and looked up TripAdvisor all the time. I tried to see if Foursquare provided any more useful information. Unfortunately, none.
Navigating the physical world around you? Huge set of opportunities.