http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/08/19/facebook.places.explain/index.html
And the directions for turning it off in the originally posted article are WRONG.
And the directions for turning it off in the originally posted article are WRONG.
Thanks for the heads up to the FB'ers - looks like a good article, but don't need a CNN title thread on this site..lol;)
And once again we learn the luddites spread fear and panic without basis in reality. Here’s the meat of the feature:
“People who have the Facebook app on their smartphone.
Right now it’s available only for the iPhone, but Facebook says versions for the Android system and BlackBerry are coming soon. Currently, iPhone users will see the Places option when they download the latest update to the Facebook app.
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, Places probably won’t change your Facebook use in any way — except that your news feed may start showing when your friends check in.
What about my privacy?
Lots of readers are expressing concerns that the app will take away their privacy by letting others (including, in the scariest scenarios, stalkers or crooks) — know their location.
Some important facts about that:
• If you don’t choose to check in, your location isn’t revealed. It seems basic, but there appears to be a lot of confusion about this. Nothing about Facebook Places (and Foursquare and other mobile apps, for that matter) 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 ways to change that (we’ll talk about changing your settings later) to tell more, or fewer, people. But as is, no one you haven’t approved as a friend can see what you post.
• When you’re 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).
Important detail: If you’re not comfortable with all your friends’ friends seeing where you are, you can adjust your settings to prevent that, too. Otherwise, if you both check in somewhere, their friends can see your location.
• Your check-ins likely will appear in the activity stream on the Facebook Places page for your location — unless you change your settings. (Again, details to come.) So other people who were nearby might be able to see you as well as your friends.”
So anybody that’s not using the FB app on an iPhone and/ or doesn’t check in will be feeding data into Places. People really need to learn to be less prone to panic.