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Mashable CEO and founder Pete Cashmore interviewed Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley about the future of the company and the general idea behind it. Part of the vision Crowley outlined during the Q&A at South By Southwest Interactive included an announcement that the company is broadening its API and starting its Venue Project to “harmonize” place databases for other developers to use. I can already see this API getting injected in every social network out there.

“We’re really doubling down on our venue API,” said Crowley, “so that all the stuff that we’re creating for the product can be used by other people in the outside world.”

Crowley also emphasized the importance of using Foursquare to engage with the real world, pointing to the benefits of earning badges as a way to encourage people to go to the gym or visit a museum.

I see this badge thing as a current web trend. A large programmers community such as Stack Exchange has badges for almost every action taken as a member. Envato marketplace also has badges for activity, selling, buying and participating to network actions.

Users need a place of their own, an online life, an alternative life with recognized merits via badges.

Source: Mashable.com