July 17, 2008
Although Facebook and MySpace have both launched iPhone applications that are useful for heavy users, "they won’t drive new users to the services because they failed to leverage the killer iPhone feature - location awareness," states TechCrunch's Arrington. "Social networks today rely on friends of friends or real world connections to drive growth. But a handful of iPhone-only social networks actually help drive new connections in the real world. And the backbone of those applications is location awareness."
Due to all the hype about sexual predators, MySpace and Facebook have both had to really tighten their privacy policies. Adding a feature by which users can see the profiles of other users near them raises all sorts of concerns, which he says is why they haven't done so already.
Although Facebook and MySpace have indicated that, at some point, they will roll out applications that make use of the location feature, Arrington warns of the dangers of waiting too long as one of the early networks could develop a substantial lead.
Comments | 3 Total
July 17, 2008 at 8:30am by Rachel King
Adding GPS to MySpace and Facebook would only heighten already pressing concerns on privacy. It is obvious with past MySpace cases, especially, that social networks like these can be taken advantage of by sexual predators and other obsessive followers. If someone really wants his/her location to be known, they have the right to post that information on their profile, but don't subject the rest of us to it as well.
July 17, 2008 at 1:40pm by Mariusz Andryszewski
Something tells me that Mike is right by saying that upper-comers have a great opportunity with seizing the moment with geo-location aware apps. While Facebook and MySpace have valid concerns and reasons for security tightening, the technology is there and that niche will be filled by someone.
July 17, 2008 at 8:47pm by Carel Two-Eagle
If I want to tell someone specifically where I am, I know how to do it; and this applies to us all. If someone wants to get my locale automatically, I'm gone 'yesterday'. Privacy is a RIGHT, not a priviledge. I've attracted stalkers more than once, by being "a woman in an unusual business for a woman & the idiots didn't like it". This isn't about 'fear' on my part.. It's much more about preferring (hugely) not to have to bash my way out of a situation caused by some dimwatt's personal (skewed) perspective. For whatever reason, the cops invariably ask what the (potential) victim (me) did to bring it on! For me, it's simple - I got up & got dressed & went out into the world and did my work, and some wacko 'didn't like it'. Well, duwahleh!, Isn't that to0o bad?!?! Have I ever been hurt by one of these idiots? No. Have any of them ever been hurt by me during a stalk and attack? Yes. No apologies from me - they picked it; I finished it. I gave them the opportunity to go away & stay away.. But if they hadn't been able to find me automatically, I wouldn't have had to pound them to mush, and I wouldn't have had to deal with the adrenaline stress for weeks afterward, which is no fun in itself. I refuse to live like a hermit; on the other hand, I have an absolute RIGHT to my privacy, and no "service" has a 'right' to invade it or help someone else to just because I took a page on that 'service'. The 'services' are there to SERVE ME, not invade me or help some dimwatt do it. I rattle my tongue for MySpace and Facebook. Keep up the good work, you two! Applause! Applause!