Facebook’s announcement this week of Facebook Places, the company’s location based service, changes everything for LBS and consumers. Why? Mass consumer adoption of location-based services is now within arm’s reach. Facebook Places is integrated directly into Facebook’s iPhone app. It is actually currently the center button in the app – so there is no ignoring it if you’re a user. And it is super easy and simple to use. The huge iPhone installed base, plus the large existing installed base of the Facebook app, combined with the ease of use of the app means millions of consumers will be exposed to location based services for the first time.
Two million dollar questions remain:
1) Will consumers find enough reason to use Places?
2) How can marketers, retailers, restaurants, merchants and other businesses leverage this consumer behavior?
There are others to be sure but these two are primary.
Places will be a key point of discussion at the Location Based Marketing Summit next month.
Select articles on Facebook Places launch:
Gently, Now: Facebook Introduces the Masses to Location-Based Sharing – @ReadWriteWeb by Adrianne Jeffries
Facebook Wants Advertisers To Help Build Out Its Directory of Places – @TechCrunch
The Implications Of Facebook’s “Places” – everyone has their opinions – this one from Silicon Alley Insider
Privacy Group Voices Concerns About Facebook Places – @mashabletech
Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley: Still deciding on Facebook Places – @VentureBeat
Booyah Launches InCrowd With Facebook Places – Virtual Goods News by Alicia Ashby
