The All Facebook blog reports that Facebook is issuing RFID tags to all the delegates attending its f8 developer conference:
All attendees of the f8 developer conference are receiving special RFID tags that enable them to check-in to various locations throughout the conference venue. The service lets you tag yourself in photos, become a fan of various Facebook Pages, and share activity to your Facebook profile.
“One can imagine that RFID would be extremely useful for enabling users to check in to various locations, however in its current form, there’s little disclosure on what each check in results in,” the blog continues. “The process is clearly an early stage test to provide some entertainment value for attendees of the f8 event. It’s definitely interesting though and it’s a sign that we may see other location announcements in the coming hours.”
Could Facebook have plans to provide RFID cards to its 400 million users around the world? While that is highly unlikely, enabling users to check in to locations using their NFC phone does provide Facebook with a clear business model. Like Apple, and Google too, it has the potential to build a serious business around using near field communication to provide location-based mobile marketing services and mobile coupons to businesses and brands around the world…
Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions
I think location based apps are cool but I definitely think that there are 2 different kinds (and I use both, depending on what the purpose if)
1)the ALL-INCLUSIVE. announcing where you are randomly to a group … unspecified people knowing where you’re presenting a slideshow, fashion exhibit.. though even for me, as a girl, I am SLIGHTLy worried at the prospect that if I don’t know that group (or can’t name or find out names of people who sought my location).. it could lead to an ugly scenario. But that’s kinda why FB is perfect (you can say I’m IN the hood of ______ without disclosing exact place.. .and I always have the nightmare scenario that if I say what restaurant I’m in, some weird person will come and sit down and it would be awkward.. and that’s a best case scenario of that)
2) the EXCLUSIVE for your REAL friends and family etc… this is the really critical one since it should be an app that makes you feel fully in control and connected to your network of people. I happen to think making a permission based app (the only one out there that’s really rocking this is Echoecho… ) is the only way to go.. that there are times that I do NOT want my mom to know where I am or the guy I’m supposed to meet for a drink (like he needs to know I got detained shopping for shoes!)…
I think there is both an embrace and resistance to location based services which is a push/pull from the “it’s all about me” mentality that we all enjoy and yet the “but REALLY, here’s something for my REAL friends and family that no potential stalker should have access to”
I personally kind of got over Twitter and following people (because I’m much more focussed on making my own life exciting rather than trying to live vicariously through others) so the best tools for me are Googlemaps (for navigation) and Echoecho for location sharing with my friends (when I need to let them know how far away I am or if we’re trying to find each other in an unfamiliar hood)… FB of course will always be FB and kind of depends on my mood:o)