Location, location, location. It’s all the rage. And Facebook, not to be outdone by any other Social Media platform has announced a new location based “check-in” function. This feature is directly aimed at Gowalla and Foursquare which are based around mobile check-in.

The Right Fit?

Is this new direction right for Facebook? Not likely. Gowalla and Foursquare were created around location and mobile technologies. The ideal use case for those platforms involve a user on a mobile device, active GPS, and the software loaded on the device. And the reason you would “check-in” or notify others of your location is to meet up with them.

Many folks on Facebook use the platform to view what’s going on in their friends’ lives. Not many make the next step to engage in face-to-face interaction. I know FB wants to stay competitive but I don’t believe this is going to work for them.

Privacy Alert

We’ve alerted you before about FBs ongoing privacy changes. Keep your eyes peeled when the new location feature is launched because there are ramifications for your privacy.

The Future

You haven’t heard the last of location-aware functionality. As a matter of fact, the more smart phones and mobile devices that are used the more location-aware apps will be created. So if you are worried about people knowing where you are, you might as well throw away your mobile phone and mobile plan and start building that bunker in the backyard!

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