Now that Facebook has decided to one-up Foursquare and other location-based platforms I thought it might be useful to think about what Facebook Places means for a brand. By now any social media savvy person knows the do’s and don’ts of checking in (if not, see my previous article here). There are some game changes that have come along with Facebook Places that matter to your brand.
Game changers that matter
You’re not always in control
Other people can check you into places. This is by far the most important feature to be aware of. Once you start accepting check-in tags from your friends you won’t be able to individually control where you’re checked in. There is a way to change this in your privacy settings, which I suggest that everyone does. Getting checked in by other people isn’t the end of the world, but you’re better safe than sorry.
This is only the beginning
Now that Facebook has jumped on the geolocation bandwagon, it’s only a matter of time until a large percentage of their 400 million users start using Places regularly. Location is going to play a much larger role in the social space now, and for some it is important to think about what your place will be in Places.
Will you participate in a location-based life?
If you are going to play in Places, ask yourself a few questions to make sure you’re not damaging your brand.
- What image am I trying to have?
- How might this affect that image?
- Who is going to see this?
- Is there anyone I DON’T want to see this?
- Is there anyone I DO want to see this?
- What kind of person does this make me look like?
