Facebook to Launch Location-based Services
Where are you updating from?
Facebook has reportedly been toying with the idea of location-based features for a while, and it looks like we could see the fruit of its labor tomorrow, as BoomTown reports Facebook will Wednesday roll out a geo-location offering to rival services like FourSquare.
For those unaware, FourSquare is a service that allows people to 'check in' to different venues and locations (malls, restaurants, parks, hotels, stores, etc.) via their mobile phone. The idea is that by sharing your location or what you're ordering and where, you're sharing your favourite places to eat, hang out, or shop with people on the service, opening them up to places they may never have known existed. Some businesses even offer special deals for Foursquare users who have checked-in at their location more than a certain number of times.
Facebook updated its privacy policy late last year and included a clause about location-based features coming in the future. However, plans for location services were put on the back-burner when confusion and negative feedback regarding the new privacy settings demanded the attention of staff at the social network.
Last week, CNet cited multiple sources who said the company would announce a 'check-in' feature in the coming weeks.
"It's going to take the form of an application programming interface (API) for third-party companies on the Facebook developer platform, integrating existing "check-in" start-ups more deeply into the massive social-networking service and in turn permitting location-aware data to become a part of existing platform applications."
There's a Facebook event scheduled for tomorrow, so we'll report back when we know more.
Would you use a geo-location service, similar to Foursquare, if it was integrated into Facebook? Let us know in the comments below!
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Isn't that what google latitude does???
First... to not give a damn about Facebook.
An app to post your location .. like the mall so someone can go and rob your empty house.. gotta love an app like that.
I don't find the idea of revealing to everyone where I am - and therefore, where I am not, such as at home. Big Brother's watching, why should I do his work for him?
*appealing
I'm right here Mr. Government agent looking to bump me off for body parts!
We may as well get our tracking devices implanted now, as its going to be happening in the near future
Oh this is perfect for lonely people who need attention and to tell the 100+ people on thier friends list (who they dont even know) what they are up to and where they are at all time of the day, YAAAY....
An app to post your location .. like the mall so someone can go and rob your empty house.. gotta love an app like that.
Yeah, no lie. Or worse... making it easier for someone to be abducted. They made a big deal about cyber stalking a few years ago, and how we needed a whole bunch of new laws to protect people. Now, we have people serving themselves up for stalkers via Facebook.
Sooner or later we need to get to the point where we stop spending some much money and effort protecting people from their own stupidity.
I don't find the idea of revealing to everyone where I am - and therefore, where I am not, such as at home. Big Brother's watching, why should I do his work for him?
You seem rather unfamiliar with today's average internet user, so let me educate you. You average user will post to Facebook something like this:
"Planning to take a vacation out of state next week and that, LOL, hope no one steals our stuff *WINK*WINK*."
-and-
"Oh shoot, we got halfway across the state and I remembered I forgot to lock the back door. If you happen across 123 Pine St. please don't steal my stuff LOL."
-and-
"Not gonna be back till friday afternoon, 4 whole days with no one at the house. I wonder if the neighbors ever fixed their porch light, its so dark in the backyard without it, especially near the kitchen door I left unlocked."
They will Twitter that they're "On Bus Corner 8th & Main" ... "Off bus at 4th and Main" ... "Damn, meant to get off bus at 2nd and Main LOLOL" ... "Ooops, dropped keys typing last tweet, LOLOL" ... "Gettin fat cash at ATM goin out wit peeps 2nite, hit me up at Club 7!".
Basically, these people don't give a rats ass what information they reveal, which is why Facebook is all too happy to use that information for their own profit.
Heck, remember when the wife of the head of the CIA posted on Facebook her families vacation itinerary? Somehow, she didn't think it might be a problem if someone knew exactly where the head of the CIA and his family were at all times.
Oh this is perfect for lonely people who need attention and to tell the 100+ people on thier friends list (who they dont even know) what they are up to and where they are at all time of the day, YAAAY....
100+? the real lonely ones have 400-600+!
great idea...let thieves know when you are not home...real smart
Facebook kinda had this feature already I thought, atleast when it was first starting out. I remember signing into FB in the dorms and people would be able to see exactly which freshman building i was in.
It would state " is currently signed in at Rhoads Hall"
Sooner or later we need to get to the point where we stop spending some much money and effort protecting people from their own stupidity.
I think this country would turn itself around once we stopped doing just this. The fact that we waste sooo much money protecting stupid people from themselves is crippling america. give it 50 years and the population of "stupid" in america will drop 80% due to natural selection.
Wow, why would I choose to give facebook more marketing information? Ugh, Big Brother indeed.
An app to post your location .. like the mall so someone can go and rob your empty house.. gotta love an app like that.
Burglarize is the correct term.
funny how a few years ago privacy was a huge concern.
now people are just throwing away
Does google own some part of facebook?
I believe google does not own any part of facebook. This is one of the reasons why I canceled my facebook. And you cant really cancel it you can always log back in.
I think this is more likely to be you are walking down the street and yoruphone suddenly pipes up, the message on screen says:-
"Stop, look left - see that ice cream parlour? Come in and try our new pistachio and mint flavour!"
It's a step towards the targeted advertising seen in Minority Report, it will get very annoying very quickly unless we learn to just zone it out like we do with all the other passive advertising we are bombarded with walking down the street.
I believe google does not own any part of facebook
Not yet, give it time...
Facebook is simply a CIA data mining front.
Does anyone really believe that burglary, home invasions, stalking, etc. are an artifact of 21st social media? Criminals seek out the easiest victims, e.g., no one answers a door when casing a home and an obituary identifies time and place of funeral, so grieving family will not be home. I can just see the desperate drug addicts of the world scanning location-aware social media sites for potential victims – say within 150 mile radius of their hopeless lives.
Posting a picture to your friends and family from Maui – “wish you were here” – provides the same information as your latitude/longitude from a GPS enabled social media app. If you can’t trust your friends and family, you have much bigger problems than the threat from location-aware technology. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water (unless the baby is tagged with an RFID tag).
New App from FaceBook! Ever wanted to get mugged by your friends in a public place? Well now you can! New FaceBook feature allows you to post your info for everyone to see! But wait, there's more! Also great for being stalked! Ever wanted a pervert to follow you everywhere you go? Well now you can!
Absolutely free!
But because we did this for you guys, we won't be putting a dislike button...
More information for Facebook to sell.