White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Foursquare Checks Into National Day of Service With 2013 Badge

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Of course there’s an unique Foursquare badge for the Inauguration, but there’s also one for the Day of Service. The partnership between Foursquare and the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced the new badge today for those attending the January 19 event on the Mall. If you’re not in the District, PIC has information on nationwide service events.

“At Foursquare, we were so inspired by the idea of a lifelong commitment that we created the first Foursquare badge to reward volunteerism,” said Foursquare CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Crowley. “Along with the Presidential Inaugural Committee, we encourage all Americans to get out and serve in their own communities to celebrate the inauguration of President Obama and the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Besides, there’s a better chance to unlock this badge than the “I Tried to Check-In At the Inaugural Parade 2013 But AT&T Failed Us.”

The White House Leaves Tips on Foursquare

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While President Obama is travelling throughout the Midwest this week checking in on the American people, he’s also checking in via Foursquare, the location-based networking website. According to the official White House Blog the administration is “excited to launch” the president’s latest venture into social media as he kicks off his economic bus tour.

You can follow the President on the road through Cannon Falls, Minnesota; Decorah and Peosta, Iowa; and Atkinson and Alpha, Illinois. Through the new White House page on Foursquare, you can keep up with the President’s tour and check-in to let your friends know you’re there.

The administration already has a Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Flickr account where people can engage with officials.

C-SPAN Checks In with D.C. History

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C-SPAN taking its digital roots further into the District with Foursquare may not sound important, but it’s fantastic news for trivia nerds.

The cable channel’s reason for joining the geo-tagging service is simple enough: be ‘friends’ with C-SPAN. Check in at a certain D.C. venue and get a bit of history. If you check into the Washington Hilton, you’ll get a prompt to watch the 2010 White House Correspondents Dinner speech from President Obama. The plan, according to Fishbowl DC, is to further expand  C-SPAN’s Digital Bus to tag political locations across its U.S. Tour.

Of course, it’d be just as nifty to learn some history depending on where you’re near–such as getting a nudge to go past the old Yenching Palace address in Cleveland Park that closed three years ago and helped end the Cuban Missile Crisis. Or if you happen to be at Good Guys, find out about the Russian spy who escaped through a bathroom window and ran up Wisconsin toward the Russian Embassy.

So friend C-Span and hope they start adding more of the fun side from the Beltway gang.