Facebook Places: Still Not the Bleeding Edge of Location-based Services

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While Facebook Places has several odds in its favor, it’s misses out several features. No doubt Places will enrich the social networking experience on Facebook. Users will be able to tap a new Place icon in the Facebook app on their iPhones and find out their friends and destinations more easily with a map. It will provide a new way for people to share information in an engaging way. With services like Foursquare and Gowalla already linked up to Facebook, the social network with a huge user base might taste success within a short period. That said, the location-based services won’t be the favorite as it misses out a number of features.

No Incentives

One of the positive features in Facebook Places is that it won’t provide games. However, that might not be pleasing to many users who are drawn to these sites for incentives. In most cases users look for gaming elements, virtual rewards and other frills to keep coming back to the location sharing service. Facebook with a plane-jane ambiance doesn’t look an cool destination for destination-hoppers.

The users won’t be disturbed by Facebook page. However, users can’t keep check-in notices off Facebook page, unless you block other kind of status updates. You might not block the merchants from including your check-ins at the establishment in their Facebook pages.

No Real-time stats

Facebook Places miss some of the most attractive features in Foursquare like suggestions about location. Evidently Places will miss the real-time stats feature that logs information on “the frequency of their visits, gender breakdown and the tips visitors have left”

No Trips

Those who have been using the “trips” feature in Gowalla with which users can string togather to offer recommended tours will feel for it on Facebook.

No Societies

Now let’s compare Places to Whrrl. In Whrrl you can check in, post photos and comments and win points. Further you can join the so-called societies in Whrrl that provide you information about user recommendation and special discounts for a particular venue.

No Virtual Currency

MyTown could be another location-based service that offers some exciting features missing in Facebook Places. In MyTown users are awarded virtual currency that can be used to purchase properties.  The properties in MyTown are based on the real-world check-ins.

Conclusion

Given its user base Facebook’s Places will not make a top business until it introduces features comparable or better than location-based services.

In case you have some on thoughts to share on Facebook Places, don’t hesitate to drop in your comments.