Last November, Mashable creator Pete Cashmore anticipated the rise of FourSquare in 2010. He said, "you may wonder which social-media service will become tech's poster boy in 2010. Among the Web’s early adopter set, the answer is nearly unanimous: Foursquare."

Well, it's 2010 and Foursquare is my latest digital obsession. Cashmore was right when he said that Foursquare, like Twitter has an addictive nature, but I would like to see if Foursquare can keep up with social networks giants like Facebook and Twitter.

This week, I'm going to experiment with Foursquare to update my Facebook and Twitter via mobile device rather than Tweetie or Facebook Mobile. I want to see what Foursquare is missing and what it is capable of. Then, I will post another blog entry, here, at the end of the week about what I found and whether or not I think I could completely replace other social media mobile apps with the FourSquare app.

Why Foursquare could be the next big network

Unlike Twitter, Foursquare is a game. Users check in to restaurants, theaters, gas stations and even workplaces to earn points which are then added to a weekly score board measuring the user’s points against those of their Foursquare friends.

The game aspect of Foursquare is key to drawing both Twitter users and Facebook users who haven’t fallen for the Twitter phenomenon. This network doesn't force users to gain a following or get out. Instead, users can simply check-in, win the mayor's crown and earn badges among a small network of friends.

However, the network provides a fix for the Twitter-feins too. Users can sync their Facebook status and a Twitter account so that they can "shout" (the Foursquare equivalent of a tweet) from Foursquare while updating the other two networks.

These two aspects are what I would like to test in the coming week.

You can find me on Foursquare and Twitter @AndyStettler. Follow me and send me a comment.