facebook places - what's it all about?

Facebook Places was rolled out this month. Basically, this Facebook application lets you  "check in"  to a place through Facebook on your mobile phone so friends can see where you are and what your up to.

Almost immediately after it was released, comments started circulating throughout the Facebook community warning people about the dangers of Facebook Places and how anyone can find out where you are and when you are logged in. It went on to describe that Facebook Places gave the actual address and map location of where you are as you use Facebook.

At the time of writing this blog, Facebook Places is only available in certain parts of the U.S. however further roll out is planned. Also, initially the service is available as an iPhone app or through a special touch.facebook.com web site, which Facebook says works really nice on Android and other smartphones. Apps for other devices are coming soon. Also, by default the application is set to “Friends Only”.

There's technically a way to "check in" using a laptop or desktop computer, but it's hard to imagine many people will go to the trouble unless they're surfing the web in a coffee shop.

If you don't use Facebook on your phone, Facebook Places probably won't change your Facebook use in any way, except that your news feed may start showing when your friends "check in".

so what's the point of it all?

Say you're at your local coffee shop, cafe or restaurant. The idea is that if one of your friends sees your "check in" and is nearby, they can swing by and hang out with you.

You can also leave comments and tips for friends to see. If you like a particular meal at a restaurant, or had bad service there, you can post that info with your "check in" and notify your friends.

The app, using GPS, will also identify other hot spots in your area, and the comments people have left about those places, so you could discover new hangouts.

what about my privacy?

The fear associated with Facebook Places is that you will be letting strangers know your location.  Some important facts worth knowing are:

• If you don't choose to "check in", your location isn't revealed. It seems fairly obvious but there appears to be a lot of confusion about this. Nothing about Facebook Places tells people where you are if you don't choose to tell them.
• The default setting for Facebook Places only sends location alerts to your Facebook friends. There are also ways to change that to tell more, or fewer people, but stock standard, only approved friends can see what you post.
• When you are with a group, Facebook friends can check you in along with themselves to let people know what kind of group is hanging out. But Facebook says they'll only be able to do so if you have checked yourself in at the same place. In other words, nobody can post your "check in" location without your approval (although as always, they could still mention your whereabouts in a status update).
• If you're not comfortable with all your friends' friends seeing where you are, you can adjust your settings to prevent that. Otherwise, if you both "check in" somewhere, their friends can see your location.
• Your "check ins" will likely appear in the activity stream on the Facebook Places page for your location, unless you change your settings. So other people who were nearby might be able to see you as well as your friends.

how to change (or get rid of) Facebook Places?

to change who can see your "check ins":

1. Log in to Facebook
2. Click "Account" in the top right corner
3. Scroll down to "Privacy Settings"
4. Click "Customize Settings" toward the bottom of the page
5. Your default for "Places I check in" should be "Friends Only." You can click that box to expand who can see your "check ins" or, if you want more privacy, click that box, then scroll down to "Customize," where you can specify which of your friends can, or can't, see what you do with Facebook Places. Here, you can click "Only Me," meaning nobody else can see you "check in". Not really sure what the point of that would be, but if you want essentially to shut down the possibility of using Places from your account, there it is

deciding on "People Here Now":

1. Follow the above steps to "Customize Settings"
2. You'll see a line called "Include me in 'People Here Now' after I check in." That's the one that lets other people at the same spot, not necessarily your friends, see that you're there
3. The default should have this turned off. If you want to be included in "People Here Now," click the box marked "Enable." If you don't, just leave it alone. If, for some reason, the "Enable" box is checked, just click it to opt out

if you don't want your friends to check you in to places:

1. Follow the above steps to "Customize Settings"
2. Under the heading "Things Others Share," you'll see the line "Friends can check me in to Places"
3. Click on the box marked "Select One," and you can enable or disable this feature