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Facebook has launched one of its newest features that allows you to broadcast wherever you are to your closest (Facebook) friends. The Facebook Places feature is comparable to other networking sites like Foursquare and Gowalla which are also location-based services. With over five million users worldwide, Facebook has posed a threat to its competitors like Foursquare. The feature was first launched in August in the United States, followed by UK and Japan and finally in September, Canada became the fourth country to launch Places.

Facebook Places is a geo-location service in which a Facebook user can “check in” at a specific place he or she is currently located. The application can be accessed though the web at touch.facebook.com or using the Facebook iPhone application on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. You can update your status and check in at the location to let everyone, or just your friends, know where you are. You can also tag friends who are with you at the same location.

Alternately, you can see where your friends have checked in and with whom. A list of available locations can be viewed from other people’s check ins or you can also add your own location. Hanging around downtown Granville Street and trying on some new finds at the Pacific Centre Mall? Your friends will catch you there in no time.

Many users adore Facebook Places, but even businesses have a reason to love it! Restaurant owners, hotels, spas, and many other establishments can make use of the feature to advertise and promote their products and services. The L’Hermitage Hotel on Richards Street, for example, would benefit when a patron checks in and lets the entire community know how well they treat their guests. Many businesses are using this opportunity to reach out to more potential customers.

Despite its benefits and its many users, some have concerns over privacy issues. Facebook continues to respond to and resolve the issue by revising its privacy and security settings. In addition, there are options for users to edit the settings of the feature and even turn it off. Many do not like how you can check in or tag other people with you at a location as they find it invasive in terms of their privacy and security.

With Facebook Places, there is more to just letting everyone know where you are, right this instant. By letting friends and others know where you are and where you’ve been, you’re essentially sharing your personal places of interest and possibly even creating an opportunity to meet new friends who frequent the same places. So, if you’re hankering for some delicious seafood, and decide to stop by the Blue Water Café (Hamilton Street) check in and instantly let your friends know – maybe they’ll come by straight away to join you. You won’t have to eat dinner alone with Places.

Need help setting up Facebook Places? We can set it up for you and offer consulting around it’s use. Give us a call!