I watched the facebook press release today. Here’s the developer blog explaining the new feature and API.
Facebook places is going to change the world a little bit. Facebook users can now check in anywhere using your mobile device. Updates now have locations and you can tag the people you’re with. You can check in to locations and businesses. You can see your friends who are near you. If I’m in a bar or a restaurant I can see who else is there. If I’m travelling, I can see my friends who are near me. I could even see if there’s anyone I know on an plane.
The implications of this are huge. Facebook is set to become the internet. More than that, Facebook is becoming the new phone, the new email, the new photo album. We used only to have our IP addresses. We now have a Facebook ID that we will take with us as we cruise the web.
Facebook has launched with Foursquare, Yelp and Gowalla. Those businesses didn’t really have a choice. Its becoming a case of integrate or get left behind.
Facebook is getting over 35% of the internet’s traffic. Imagine when 500 million people can check into a business on their phone, leave a recommendation and pay using Facebook Credits.
We already have application ideas for this new platform. These are exciting times.