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:

1. Allowing users to share where they are with their friends.
2. Allowing users to see who is near them.
3. 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.

Without a doubt, this is the most common question I’ve heard from organizations: How do we get started in social media? Most of the people I’ve spoken to and read about are looking for that first definitive step they need to take on their journey to social media fame. My experience thus far has been with nonprofit organizations and each time they are looking to make a splash in this area sooner rather than later. Since these have been nonprofits, and efficient use of resources is the name of the game, they have been eager to bypass all of the fluff.

The answer to this question is always: Conduct a self assessment. Unfortunately, this answer is not always what people want to hear. The truth is that social media does not provide a magic bullet and it requires a commitment of time, energy, and resources. Before any person or organization commits their resources to an endeavor, a certain amount of reflection is in order.

This self assessment can take on many forms depending on the context but certain questions must always be answered.  These questions include:

• Why do you want to get involved in social media?
• What do you hope to gain from your involvement?
• What sort of resources are you going to devote to it?
• Are you willing to make a long-term commitment?

These are just a few of the questions that must be answered before getting involved in social media. I know that every organization thinks it must have a Facebook page and a Twitter account but the reality is that social media is not for everyone. Conducting a self assessment and answering questions like the ones above can either help you better understand the potential that these channels provide or it can make you face the hard truth that a presence in these mediums would not benefit you.