Facebook is finally going to enter the location game at this April’s f8 conference, according to a report this morning on the NYT’s Bits blog. And they’re looking to take Google head on.
We’ve been hearing rumors about Facebook’s location features for a long time, but the buzz has picked up in the last few months. Those rumors got legs in October, when we noticed that the site had added language explicitly talking about location features to its rewritten privacy policy.
The question now is exactly what this location sharing will look like. I’ve heard that Facebook has tested simply attaching location data to user status updates, similar to the way Twitter does it. According to the report, Facebook will also offer an API to third parties, presumably allowing services like Foursquare to send their location data into Facebook (it’s unclear if data will also flow the other way, but I suspect it will once Facebook can get the privacy settings right).
Perhaps the most interesting part of the Times piece is the assertion that Facebook isn’t looking to beat Foursquare, Gowalla, and similar location based services — something that I believe it could easily do if it wanted to. Rather, it’s looking to beat Google in the small-business advertising space. The Times report doesn’t say much on how exactly Facebook is going to do that, but I suspect it will involve getting as many third parties as possible to integrate its API.
Can someone please tell MG-Tool that Foursquare is officially DEAD!
No, sounds like the opposite. Facebook will feed off of services like Foursquare, Gowalla, etc.
yeah right, facebook users are going to use foursquare to check in locations so that they can update their facebook status and the their facebook friends to check the facebook business page
Foursquare isn’t going to die folks, it will continue to grow. Bold statement I know.
Smart move by Facebook, can’t wait to learn more.
Just like Yelp and foursquare, geo-tagging/location capability is starting to become the future. The only question is, FB has a lot of problems with privacy — Won’t this be an issue again with this newly planned location based service?
Pretty cool
Would be great if Facebook embraces the other services and helps them integrate with it rather than taking them on directly. It could also really help the startups like Gowalla/Foursquare to quickly grow their user-bases if Facebook promotes them to its users.
We can only assume that facebook will integrate the location features in their existing platforms. that’s even better than collaborating exclusively with a service
Location “games”! Location “Wars”! War! Big words. Just my opinion that businesses these days just make fun of technology. What I’m trying to say is, one business, kind of, *invents* something new, and all other related businesses copy the idea. Sure, to keep users attached to your business, they have to JCP (just-copy-paste) the idea, but this seems to get old now. Location.. location.. location.. ahhh, privacy issues, and old BS repeats again and again.
I think it’s time we see something that’s completely new, something that’s legit-ly helpful and important to this world. I mean, location update asking “Where are you right now?” with answer “I’m taking crap in restroom, happy?” might not be too useful. Guys follow what I’m saying?
Sorry, but this is just my opinion.
Completely agree. I think that, in order for innovation to come, these happenings (copy-cat products) are necessary.
Soon, someone will put it all together, and apply it for something truly useful.
Facebook is HUGE especially for small business owners. I helped one in Menlo Park, just for fun, promote its grand opening…it really helped drive a lot of local word of mouth and community! It tapped into nearby schools, businesses, etc. over night. Even with only 340 fans, that made a HUGE difference right away …
A Facebook page plus better location based services…even more powerful!
http://www.facebook.com/philstreasurepot
Google has so many little fires that it needs to start putting out otherwise they will be the next Yahoo.
Whilst Google is looking to take on the likes of Microsoft, Apple and expand into other areas they have forgotten about their biggest pie the advertising field. Soon Facebook could make adsense a has been.
Facebook entering the geolocation space will make geolocation become mainstream.
Better be a damn way to turn it off from the get go instead of implementing control settings after people complain.
What, you think that Foursquare, Gowalla, etc are not themselves trying to go up against Google in the small-business advertising space?
Even if facebook integrates nicely with gowalla and foursquare, should facebook become the main portal through which users check-in and interact with location settings, facebook still is better positioned to monetize the whole process. So, even without directly competing with the existing services, facebook is still capturing a large portion of the potential revenue from location-aware advertising.
If you have a milkshake and I have a milkshake….
Here’s Facebook trying to rule the world!
When is Facebook going to have an original idea?
Awesome! That now adds to more facebook features :)
Big brother is watching you. yes, you.
It’s about time. This niche is huge !
When facebook’s location feature gets turned on I think users will not embrace it immediately because the underlying concept that you use facebook to communicate with friends and family and alot of users like to keep that circle private. Facebook fan pages will have a benefit of sharing their location though because alot of businesses use fan pages… Uh-oh that might be competition for my startup – http://www.YourLocalBlog.com – a hyperlocal map-based blog network. Now if I could only confince facebook users to start a blog on my network and syndicate it to their fan page! Remember blogs are the core of a good social media strategy.
Am I the only one who isn’t at all interested in this feature?
http://lambaround.blogspot.com
I wonder how they are going to do it? Is it via triangulation or GPS? Have they struck deals with operators to allow WAP updates to contain location?
I think it will look like this :
http://mobileinc.co.uk/2009/05/concept-location-based-lbs-geo-status-updates-on-facebook/
and:
http://mobileinc.co.uk/2009/11/mobile-location-really-is-about-to-get-interesting/
Surprise, surprise – in an interview in Germany´s FAZ newspaper on February 15, 2010 Sheryl Sandberg explicitly rejected the idea that FB would develop location based features: In her own words: “We will never automatically track where our users are. But we are a platform. I know developers who work on location based products.”
All the best
Jörn
Please feel free to visit http://www.mydecision.eu
We can only assume that facebook will integrate the location features in their existing platforms. that's even better than collaborating exclusively with a service