Facebook Places : Geolocation for the rest of us
Filed under: Android, Apple, apps, cyber safety, entertainment, Facebook, gadgets and gizmos, geolocation, innovation, iPad, iPhone 4, lifestyle, mobile internet, mobile phone, Next G™, smart phone, trends, Twitter
Reading the first of Kristen Boschma’s Digital People series of interviews recently, one of Trevor’s responses perked my nerdy interest in making reference to Geo-tagging & location-sharing, specifically:
“[In Australia] .. it needs a major catalyst to get it cranking.”
Australia – meet Facebook. Your catalyst.
This month, via Livestream, the Facebook Blog and echoed out via a the many tendrils of our social media pipelines, Facebook launched their next ‘big thing’.
Facebook Places looks set to pick up the pace of the trail blazed by incumbent services such as Foursquare, Google Lattitude, Gowalla, Yelp & Brightkite – giving you the ability to share via any GPS enabled device your current location with friends, family or followers, even tag your friends at a given location in much the same way you can tag them now in status updates and photos.
The service will be able to be blocked via your Facebook privacy settings, and for minors will only be available to those categorized as ‘friends’, moves heralded by some as a positive improvement on the use of subscribers data, in light of recent concerns about the evolution of the Social Networking giant’s approach to user privacy.
While Facebook Places is not currently available in Australia, it’s only a matter of time before we start to see checkins drop their way into our News Feeds, praising (or pillorying) the businesses, venues and events attended by our connections. Soon we’ll all be able to digitally high five our local coffee spot, announce our arrival at the latest hip and happening discotheque, or offer our sagely advice on the best Butcher from which to procure one’s bacon.
Although geolocation certainly isn’t new (in addition to the services mentioned above, Twitter, for example, has had optional geolocational ‘tagging’ of tweets available for some time) location based social networking in Australia has been popular primarily with the hyper-connected digiterati, and has thus far remained mostly within the domain of these early adopters, geek sheikhs and technophiles. The ability to ‘checkin’ via Facebooks touch site, or the popular iPhone & (presumably) Android applications – combined with their ability to be wielded by other new & existing services via the Technomancy of API’s ( or Application Programming Interface – arguably the ‘rocket fuel’ in the engine of Web2.0 ) – could mean we’ll see a new boom in the use of GPS for fun, folly and fortune.
Given our nation’s growing love of Facebook, and the effort the popular social networking site is taking to tie together virtually every aspect of our collective online experience – will Facebook Places be the catalyst Trevor suggested was required for popularizing G-Loc in Australia?
Further reading:
Techworld Article: Geolocation 101
Linkedin Answers: Benefits & Dangers of Gelocation
I have to say it certainly raises some serious question marks, sure there is some positives but there are also some hazzards there that I feel need ironing out.
It would nice to actually take back my time instead being expected by app or site peddlers to divulge all. Will geotagging become the next way of keeping up with the Joneses?
Like the annoying twats who love to show off their latest trip, will we have the same sort of showing off take hold? I’m more excited about switching off than switching on…
Might not be everyone’s cuppa tea but I do believe any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic so this might just seize the bacon in the long run.
I noticed Places popped up in my iPhone list just the other day, wondered what was going on, thought I had been pwned, thanks for bringing the light CVU.
BACON! Wait, what was the article about?
Another was for stalking people is always welcome, but if anyone wants to find ME they know where I am. Hiding under my rock with a bottle of red wine.
It will be interesting to see how many of the less technical population will take up this feature – I look forward to seeing some analysis!
GPS for fun (and profit) is already here for anyone with a GPS-enabled device (albeit in a small community) with the global treasure-hunt that is Geo-caching.
I (and my 9yr olds) have been huge fans of this for years… it’s an almost free (possibly pay for an app or GPS unit) activity that is a great way to ensure hours of physical fun with some solid informative learning in it as well.
If you are at all interested, you should check it out – try it once and you’ll be hooked:
http://geocaching.com.au/
It’s probably a lot more fun than being tagged by a so-called-friend while nicking into crispy creme for a guilty afternoon snack…
CR: Nice observation. Indeed, Geolocation, as with so much we do online, has it’s potential benefits, and hazards. The key I think is trying to remain informed on which is which!
Brent: Keeping up with the Joneses was never really my thing – I’m more likely to be hiding under a rock like Jelly, although rarely with wine.
I think I know what you mean by “I’m more excited about switching off than switching on” – I still get a little thrill with each new Facebook application I block to prevent the cluttering up of my feed!
Dan: “Places popped up in my iPhone list just the other day”
Really?! Given it’s not ‘officially’ rolled out in Oz yet – does it work?
Jelly: “Stalking”
Many a truth is spoken in jest they say – we all remember ‘Stranger Danger’ right?
M@: I’m not a ‘cacher myself, but know a few who are and love it. Happy hunting!
Readers all:
A reminder, in light of the comments here, and some arising on the Telstra Facebook page:
The information you put online can be viewed by others, human and automated data munching machines alike – you can be (and should be!) in control of that visibility at ALL times.
If you don’t understand Facebook’s privacy controls – take some time to figure it out. Recruit your favourite techhead (I wouldn’t suggest Tony Abbott*) for an hour or two to go over it with you.
Search, and (re)search. There are new scams and threats being created every day – fortunately there’s a lot of information out there to help you comabat this ‘dark side’ of the internet, supplied by very dedicated and very clever people who know their stuff. A lot of time, frustration, and possibly your valuable & personal information can be saved by spending just a couple of minutes with Google.
On the flipside of the coin…
I think there are some genuinely positive uses for geolocation services like Places, many of which revolve around how businesses interact with customers, and also our ‘real life’ connectivity – whether it’s keeping track of the kids or sharing new places and experiences with friends – even making new friends with similar interests.
I’d love to see any examples you might have of these type of experiences from existing Geo-Loc services, and from Facebook Places as it rolls out – so keep those comments coming!
* – It’s a 7:30 Report watchers’ in-joke. I didn’t fully realize the potential humour in political interviews myself until I discovered Twitter.
We have had this kind of technology for years and probably invented it in Amateur Radio fields. Its called APRS or Automatic Position Reporting System. http://www.aprs.net/
So now someone who’s hacked your facebook account knows your not a home and can burglarise it.
Hope you have the iphone/android application that allows you to monitor your home remotely and call the police.
Are you sure it is not available in Australia? One of my friends has started checking in all over the place according to my news feed, and that was the first day I noticed facebook places.
Ha! Just got an invite to join (spy on) a friend in Google Lattitude (which, sincerely, I’d forgotten all about) It’s a little different to FB Places in that it’s map based, rather than wired in to a specific location ala Facebook – what do you guys think of this method?
Personally, I’d love to see some kind of Massive Multiplayer Online Choreographed Dance Routine via Lattitude. You think it’s likely?
And places is up and away in Australia!
Check it out, have a play (be careful though!) and come back to let us know what you think.