Geo-location services allow users to share their location with friends on social networks. These services provide value to businesses by allowing them to see which customers are most loyal and reward them. Check-ins through these services can have a viral effect by increasing a brand's visibility through a user's social networks. Popular geo-location services mentioned include Foursquare, Loopt, and Gowalla. While these services provide benefits, they also raise privacy and safety issues regarding how user habits and locations are tracked.

1. GEO-LOCATION
SERVICES
(The Next Big Thing)

2. What are they?
Brief Definition: Applications that
have the ability to share a person’s
location with his/her social network

3. Value To Business?
 Businesses can see who their most loyal
customers are
 Easy to reward them (need top-down buy-in)
 Word of mouth via customers
 Highly localized promotions
 Send a message when user checks in at a
competitor down the street
 Check-ins can have a viral effect
 Brand visibility (can) = Service Friends + FB
Friends + Twitter Followers

4. Some of the Many Different
Services
 Yelp for Mobile
 Neer
 Loopt
 SCVNGR
 Foursquare
 Others include: Gowalla,
Brightkite, Whrrl

5. Who’s Using Them?

6. Issues
 Problems
 Employee Check-ins
 Issues
 Tracking Your Habits Can be Bad
 Privacy
 New and creepier ways to stalk
 Issues with children
 Checking-in to get robbed
 Digital “paper” trails

7. Final Word on Facebook Places

8. References
 Miltsch, E. (2010, October 7). Location-based Services: The Hottest Segment in Social Media. Retrieved from
http://socialmediatoday.com/ericmiltsch/198296/location-based-services-hottest-segment-social-
media?utm_source=smt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
 Smith, A., Zickuhr, K. (2010, November 4). 4% of online Americans use location-based services. Retrieved from
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Location-based-services.aspx
 Van Grove, J. (2010, October 27). Top 5 Location-Based Services [Mashable Awards]. Retrieved from
http://mashable.com/2010/10/27/best-location-based-services/
 O’Dell, J. (2010, April 27). Use Foursquare to Catch a Pair of Jimmy Choos. Retrieved from
http://mashable.com/2010/04/27/foursquare-jimmy-choo/
 Wohl, M. (2010, November 4). How Prevalent are Location Based Services? Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/michelle-
wohl/231569/how-prevalent-are-location-based-
services?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Social+Media+Today+%28all+posts%29
 Gareth. (2010, August 18). Foursquare Marketing Guide. Retrieved from http://www.seo-doctor.co.uk/foursquare-marketing-guide.html
 Burgess, C. (2010, July 12). The “Double-Edged Sword” of Location-Based Services. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-burgess/the-double-edged-sword-of_b_643178.html
 Dolan, J. (2010, November 8). Foursquare: Rest in Peace? Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/jay-dolan/233879/foursquare-
rest-peace
 Van Grove, J. (2010, November 6). On Location-Sharing and the Facebook Versus Foursquare Non Sequitur [OP-ED]
http://mashable.com/2010/11/04/location-sharing-stats/
 Carr, A. (2010, November 3). Facebook Mobile: iPad Diss, Geo-Location Deals, Universal Sign-On and Check-ins, No Facebook
Phone. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/1699925/facebook-mobile-event-location-updates-geo-location-deals-single-sign-
on-no-facebook-phone-g

9. For Fun
http://www.weeplaces.com/dennis-grubbs/