According to Bloomberg, Facebook is working on a cutting-edge application that will track the location of Facebook users across the globe to benefit from smartphone social media use. Businesses will be happy to know that 55% of those who have clicked on a mobile ad have an annual income of more than $75,000 as we mentioned in a previous post.
Facebook Passive Location Logging App Features and Details
- The app is scheduled to be released in March, 2013
- The new Facebook app is meant to help Facebook users find nearby connections and would run in the background. This means it would be running continually, even when the app isn't on.
- Facebook created the app to benefit from the portion of its 1 billion users who use mobile devices. This is because Facebook could sell businesses ads based on a Facebook users' location and mobile habits.
- The new app may cause privacy concerns as personal location information would need to be disclosed for the features to work properly. As always, we're sure Facebook would have the option to opt-out of the location logging app.
- Peter Deng, a product director from Google, is leading the team working on the new app as well as engineers from Glancee and Gowalla, both location-based social networking businesses that Facebook acquired.
What You Need to Know About Facebook Passive Location Logging App
You may be shocked to know that Facebook already records your GPS movements when you post status updates or photos with your mobile device. This new application would track your whereabouts in the "background" of Apple's operating system.
Many Facebook users have already agreed to this sort of tracking in Facebook's data-use policy. It states that it will use your location information to tell you and your friends about people and events nearby, or to offer deals that you might be interested in. This also includes relevant ads.
There are already apps such as Find My Friends that are constantly tracking your location to help you keep in touch with your friends. These applications tend to lose business due to privacy concerns.
How Businesses Can Benefit from Facebook's New Passive Location Logging App
Businesses will benefit from Facebook's new application by creating customized location-based alerts based on the user info Facebook provides via the app. According to Latitude, 55% of smartphone users are more likely to visit a retailer's store after receiving location-aware alerts. This is great news for businesses who get involved with location-based marketing.
Are you interested in learning more about location-based marketing for your business? Let me know in the comments!