Colocation Solutions Featured Article

Facebook, Twitter to Add Geolocation Features for Users

By Marisa Torrieri, TMCnet Editor

Posting status updates via Twitter and Facebook (News - Alert) can be cathartically fun – but do you really want all your best pals to know where you are when you make them?

 

Apparently, enough social networkers do. That’s why, after a bit of market research and testing, the two biggest social networking outlets have decided to add the location-tracking feature to their tools.

 

Facebook and Twitter are about to launch a “friend location” feature of sorts starting next month, according to reports. The geolocation add-on is expected to be introduced at the F8 developer conference in April.

 

Meanwhile, Facebook’s rival Twitter is prepping to do the same thing, just as quickly too. Word has the company that coined the phrase “tweet” – and already allows third-party users to attach location info to said tweets – may “flip the switch” any minute on its new geolocation technology.

 

Now, what would really be cool is an application that allows you to make up a location – say, Hawaii or Belize – when you’re actually hanging out somewhere far less glamorous, like Connecticut.

Marisa Torrieri is a TMCnet Web editor, covering IP hardware and mobility, including IP phones, smartphones, fixed-mobile convergence and satellite technology. She also compiles and regularly contributes to TMCnet's gadgets and satellite e-Newsletters. To read more of Marisa's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Marisa Torrieri