What You Need to Know About Facebook Places

August 31, 2010 No Comments

A couple of weeks ago, Facebook released a new feature on their website called Facebook Places. This lets users share their current location with their friends, see who else is there and find new places to go and hang out. Besides updating your location, you can also tag your friends who are with you.

Lately, there has been a lot of concern about Facebook Places, unsurprisingly about security issues. Well, it is indeed a big concern. However, Facebook assures us that this application is safe and secure and users have total control over what is shared with the world. It’s all in the privacy settings.

Security Issues

First, there is the concern about anyone in the world knowing where you are. The information that’s been scattered all over the Internet is that every time you login on your Facebook account, people can find your position via GPS on your mobile phone. This is not true. In fact, Facebook set the default setting of Facebook Places to be shared only with your friends. Users can then change this setting to enable no one, specific people, friends of friends, networks or everyone else on Facebook to see their Places update.

There is also the concern of other users about being tagged in their friend’s Places update. Whatever the reason may be, some people just don’t want some info shared with anyone such as where they are at the moment. If you have friends who also use Facebook Places with you at that time, you would really feel concerned that you might get tagged and people will then know where you are. Again, Facebook puts this in the hand of the users by letting them authorize tagging first.

Some users also do not want other checked in users in the area to know that they are there as well. The answer is really simple: don’t update your Places status. However, you can also just disable the feature that includes you in the list of people who are currently in that same place.

Facebook Places report button

Facebook also gives special importance to their users under the age of 18. For minors, Facebook Places updates are only visible to friends no matter what settings they choose. If they are tagged in an update, even if the person who tagged has a less private setting, it will still be visible to friends only. The same is true with being included in People Here Now.

Users are also given the ability to report places with incorrect information, permanently closed, duplicate, or potentially abusive by clicking on the report button and choosing the reason for the report.

Who Is It For?

Currently, Facebook Places is only available for iPhone users in the United States who have the latest Facebook application installed. Other browser-enabled mobile devices can also access Facebook Places via http://touch.facebook.com and then going to the Places tab.

People who like to try and visit new places within the United States may find this application useful as it can let them share with their friends where they are and what they think of the place. Who knows, some of your friends who you haven’t met in a long time might also be there.

Celebrities might also find this application very useful for updating their fans and followers about their current touring location, where they might be performing later tonight, or where the meet and greet is happening, whatever they want to share with regard to location.

In the future, Facebook Places will also become a new marketing environment for businesses. Marketers would of course want to cater to people who are near their business establishments. For example, a hungry tourist in a different city might want suggestions which restaurant within the area is great. There are many possibilities, and we will see that unfold very soon.

Images courtesy of Facebook