Foursquare’s CEO Steve Crowley tells Tomio Geron of Forbes at the SXSW (News - Alert) in Austin, Texas, “My mom’s not going to say, ‘Hey, have you used that new location-based app?’ because that’s not how we talk.” Instead, Crowley says it goes more like this, “Hey, do you have that app that lets you know where your friends are? Or do you have that app that finds where new restaurants are?” But regardless of how you phrase it, Crowley is definitely determined to make that app Foursquare (News - Alert), and he wants Foursquare to be as attractive to mom as it is to his existing fan-base of hipsters.

Foursquare consists of “check-ins” and “badges.” Additionally, users are awarded for checking in. But now the company hopes that by recycling this data, users will have a custom-made map that tailors to their preferences. For example, if you have a pension for trendy cupcake shops, Foursquare takes note of this and for your next trip to Chicago all similar bakeries will be marked for you. Before, travelers would rely on services like Yelp (News - Alert) to guide them through the unfamiliarity that comes while traveling.

An app that markets restaurants for tourists? Merchants are jumping on board. Foursquare currently has over 750,000 merchants that recognize the benefits of additional advertising. Crowley disclosed the company’s intentions of adapting Siri-like applications during MWC where he was invited as a keynote. Potential customers only need to say, “Find me sushi!” and like a magical genie, users will be directed to Yamamoto on Main or the Geisha House on Vine.

Aside from competing with Yelp, Facebook and Google (News - Alert) also offer similar services such as Highlight and Glancee. These apps assist users with meeting new people. But meeting new people is not an interest attributed to your typical hipster. An old post on Hanfordlemoore about an “App idea: Foursquare for hipsters” states, “Instead of ‘checking in’ to places when you arrive, you ‘check out’ when you're leaving and post a snarky comment about how it's not cool anymore.”

Foursquare has always been friendlier than that, but since the direction Foursquare is now going towards is providing an app that is more location-focused, people regardless of their social situation can all benefit from knowing the location of the nearest Brooklyn-style pizza.