Facebook Places is
an application designed to keep users connected with their social networks on a
geospatial scale. It provides users with the time-stamped locations of their
Facebook friends who have the application as well, and mutually provides friends
with the user’s own location. Places
can be downloaded onto iPhones, Blackberries, and other smart phones equipped with
GIS software. It is especially relevant to the geospatial revolution because it
allows people to stay spatially aware of one another and electronically connected
constantly, which is of utmost importance in modern times (Green 2003). Simply checking
one`s cell phone enables users to see where their friends are in order to connect
with them. Places aids in planning
such get-togethers by cross-referencing the users’ locations. If a friend is
nearby, one can follow a map designating their two relative locations, or send
an electronic message to alert friends of their proximity to plan a meeting
place together. Places removes the
barriers that had prevented people from being able to locate their friends instantly
in relation to themselves. The application is also helpful in capturing and
preserving memories, by archiving the places and events attended by users and
recording them on a timeline. People can view their past locations, remembering
each place and the people that were there, and review the comments that were made
about that particular event. People are now able to share a critical component
of their lives through this application and can feel closer than ever to their friends
on Facebook by using Places (Michael,
“The Facebook Blog”). The following is a descriptive video created by Facebook
which illustrates the idea behind the application: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfX_ZQag1BM
Christine Jennings
Leslie Chamberlain
Erin O’Neill
Erin White
Shelby Betschel
