A few weeks ago my life underwent a dramatic transformation. No, I didn’t lose a million pounds by swearing off chocolate and soda, and no my dog didn’t suddenly start talking back and tell me that all those stupid things I pretend she is saying are just that, stupid. And no, it wasn’t anything that would lead into a lucrative reality show contract or a Lifetime Original Movie. My life changing moment came when I finally gave myself over to AT&T, and got myself an iPhone.

There was a time when I cursed Steve Jobs for making something so cool, and yet so unaffordable. But when it came time for my contract to expire and the cell company that I was so loyal to for many years decided they were going to get all Dr. Evil on my bank account, I made the leap and actually saved a couple hundred on the purchase price of my phone and will hopefully once again be entitled to using all of the minutes I paid for before I begin being charged per minute (no joke, and I highly recommend doing a spot check and making sure that they aren’t charging you overage charges too early every so often – not that a certain cell company whose logo appears to be inspired by a bumblebee would care and refund you or anything).

But it wasn’t just the fact that I now have an app that allows me to auto-tune songs for my dog, it was also the introduction of foursquare to the St. Louis area right around that same time that got me all excitamatated and hooked on my iPhone. What is foursquare you may be asking, and how can that possibly be better than the I Am T-Pain application? Allow me to explain…

Did anyone go to see that movie Gamer, where Dexter plays a ringmaster-type-dude in a mmorpg (massive, mulitplayer online role playing game, like World of Warcraft) where the players are actually controlling humans? Yea, not too many people did so don’t feel bad, but for the purpose of this explanation think along those lines but way less intense. Foursquare is basically like Twitter, scouts, and The Sims all combined together and being played in real-life. And it is completely addicting.

It works by taking your typical day and turning all of your errands and stops around town into a board game of sorts. So, when I go to Targét, for example, I pop-out my iPhone and use the foursquare app (they have this available for all sorts of different types of smart phones, not just the iPhone, and a text option) and I check in. I get points for checking in, and all of my friends on foursquare will see that I checked in there if they so choose, and they best be choosing to see where I am going. When you check in somewhere you have a chance to make recommendations about the spot, and you are alerted about rec’s from friends about your stop and other places nearby.

Depending on your foursquare activity you can also earn badges – that’s where the scouting thing (but way cooler) comes in. My personal favorite – if foursquare registers that you have checked in at the same place that friends who are also members of the opposite sex have checked in at two nights in a row, you get the “Playa Please” badge.

You can also be named mayor of a place when you check into somewhere more times than any other user, and you can oust others from their mayorships. Due to me pleasant, recent bought of sickness, the associated chicken noodle soup cravings and some kitchen difficulties I was recently was named the mayor of St. Louis Bread Company in Brentwood… and I am somehow doubting that anyone is interested in ousting me from that position. If you are, however, I would be more than happy to cough on you. Foursquare is rumored to be working on a putting something in place that will give businesses the ability to offer specials to the mayors and check-inners of foursquare through the application.

Long ago, and not so far away, there was an application called Brightkite that had the same idea: check in places and see if your friends are there. I used it for about a week, but decided that most of the places I went were so boring I had no incentive of sharing them with people. But, faced with the opportunity to win cash badges and prizes mayorships, hellz yea I am going to take a second to check in while I am pumping gas, getting my overpriced latte or fighting to unhinge a cart from the mess by the front doors.

Like other social media, foursquare offers a way to keep track of your friends. And like other social media, it is another route for potential stalker action. What with me being so outrageously gorgeous, and everyone – paparazzi included – clamoring to know where I am (excuse me, I just threw up in my own mouth a little) I am being a lot more selective about whose friendship I accept and whose requests are ignored on this new app. In all seriousness though, unless I have met you and am relatively confident you aren’t interested in robbing me blind or lacing my gas tank with sugar in the parking lot, I am probably going to think twice about being your foursquare friend. No offense or anything, but I also probably am not too interested in where you are getting your latest caffeine or wine buzz if I don’t know you either, so I am not sure why you would be interested in where I am getting (or not getting as the current case may be) mine.

It’s the idea of making social media a game that has me singing the praises of foursquare… through the I Am T-Pain application. Seeing all the places my friends are exploring around the city and just knowing that people are getting out and about makes me want to get out and about. And my inner competitive beast makes me want to go all kinds of places just to get points and badges. In my opinion, anything that motivates folks to get off their couches and start getting active around their communities is definitely social media at it’s finest. That is why for you should think about joining foursquare.

Melody is the Managing Editor and resident Gadget Geek for Girls Guide. She is a freelance writer for blogs and such, and her primary focus is Girls Guide. You can email her at melody [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter- @cosmosgirl.