Facebook Introduces ‘Places’
Facebook recently jumped into the world of location-based services with it’s introduction of Facebook Places. This new service allows users to check in to offline locations and broadcast it to their online friends, similar to other location-based social networks such as Foursquare and Gowalla.
Facebook provides this description of Places:
Places is a Facebook mobile application that allows you to see where your friends are and share your physical location. You can check in to nearby Places to tell your friends where you are, tag your friends in the Places you visit, and view comments your friends have made about the Places you visit. Use Places to experience Facebook in a completely new way by connecting with your friends in the real world.
According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Places will focus on three major features:
- Allowing users to share where they are with their friends.
- Allowing users to see who is near them.
- Allowing users to discover new places around them.
YOUR FACEBOOK PLACES PAGE
Once you’ve claimed your “place,” your customers will be able to use their iPhones or other mobile devices to see a map that includes your business (the “place”) and a list of their Facebook friends who are currently checked in there. Your customers will also be able to view a Friend Activity stream that shows their friends who have previously checked in to the location.
FACEBOOK PLACES PRIVACY CONCERNS
As with all things Facebook, the announcement was followed by public outcry over privacy concerns. The main source of these concerns seems to be the ability of users to “tag” their friends and post their locations on Facebook. Many observers, however, find these claims to be overblown. Something this tells me this debate will continue until Facebook announces their next round of updates or features.
Here are a few sources for more information and tips about controlling your privacy settings:
- The Facebook Places Privacy Setting You Need to Know (All Facebook)
- How to Disable Facebook Places (Lifehacker)
- The First Thing You Should Do With Facebook Places: Don’t Let Other People Tag You (Gawker)
THE FUTURE
What does Facebook’s entry mean for the future of location-based services? Is the former big man on campus, Foursquare, doomed? Contrary to some claims of Foursquare’s death, I would tend to side with Mashable’s Pete Cashmore in concluding that significant changes are underway in the industry but Foursquare’s funeral arrangements are premature.
