Last night Facebook announced their play in the location-based network space (called Facebook Places) which opens the door for 500 million+ potential users to start “checking in” to real-world locations, something that only 1% of U.S. adults are currently doing with networks like Foursquare and Gowalla.

This move brings “check-in” behavior to the masses.

After watching the live video announcement, a couple of things stuck out to me. Let’s digest the business and personal implications.

Location Sorting
Foursquare and Gowalla serve up listings of nearby locations based on where you’re standing, but Facebook adds another ingredient to the proximity algorithm: Nearby places it thinks are most interesting to you. Facebook can do this because it sits on mountains of data about our lives and interests. For example, if you’re male and way into comic books, Facebook knows this, and it will potentially add more importance to the comic book shop two blocks away instead of the bridal store one block away. If a mainstream audience takes to Places, this is another step towards Facebook becoming one of the most powerful marketing platforms of all time – right up there with Google.

Targeted demographic data of users + their real-world hang-out overlay = marketer’s holy grail.

Privacy
Facebook gets beat up about privacy issues all the time and I feel like they’ve learned some lessons with this launch. To paraphrase one of the presenters, Places is “not about broadcasting your location to the world, it’s about sharing your location with friends.” You can switch your setting to share your location updates with everyone, but by default Facebook allows you to share with friends only. However, friends can tag you in their location updates – you’ll have to manually turn this feature off if you don’t like it.

Side rant: To me, privacy is a personal life management issue. It’s about having control over the flow of your information. Most people don’t realize that social networks have matured over the years to give you multiple layers of privacy controls and settings. My response to anyone hand-wringing about the privacy implications of Facebook Places or Foursquare would be to get educated on the privacy settings and the network’s terms of use, or simply don’t use these features.

If you need a walk-through, Wayne Sutton has already posted a great step-by-step guide to adjusting your Facebook Places privacy settings.

Partnerships
During the launch, Facebook announced key partnerships with Gowalla, Foursquare, Yelp and Booyah’s MyTown. Many of us were wondering if the Places product would be a competitor to these services, but for now it looks as if they’re going to be friends – or at least acquaintances. This “blessing” by Facebook doesn’t put the other guys (Loopt, Brightkite and Whrrl) in a very good spot. Even if check-ins become a commodity across multiple platforms, this won’t negatively impact Facebook as long as they already have the massive user base and the most data.

What do you think about Facebook Places? Be sure to leave your comments below. Here are a few thoughts from tweeps in my network:

Image credit: Engadget.com

This morning I was reading a story on Yahoo! News about the Barefoot Bandit, and couldn’t help but glance down at the comments section. As usual, a flame war had broken out and somehow completely derailed off-topic into a cesspool of racist, vulgar, hateful, disgusting dialog.

This sort of thing happens all too often on news and media websites today – large and small. And it needs to be fixed.

Last February I gave a talk at the Midwest Newspaper Summit about using social features to build community, and the good and bad that comes with it. I gathered a few examples of how publications and media properties are addressing the “comment warz” problem, and I wanted to share them with you here. Without further ado, here are nine ideas for fixing the problem with comment sections:

The “Cooling Off” Period. Engadget (a global tech blog) and Pantagraph.com (a Bloomington, IL, newspaper) both temporarily shut off comments because things had gotten so out of hand. Engadget’s editor wrote:

Some of you out there in the world of anonymous grandstanding have gotten the impression that you run the place, but that’s simply not the case.

You can read the rest of Engadget’s editor comments here, and Pantagraph’s here.

Participation from editors and writers. Jeff Jarvis says a contributing factor to the commenting issue is that editors and writers don’t get into the trenches. He wrote in a March 2010 blog post:

We throw our product over the wall and let people reactwhile we retreat into the castle and shut the gates so we cannot hear them. They know they are talking to bricks and so they shout and cover them with spray paint.

If the media jumps into the conversation itself, would this temper the dialog?

Ban anonymity altogether. If a real name and avatar is required, commenters might actually behave themselves and own up to what they post. I believe that serious debate can still happen among real people with real faces, and that respected news brands can actually be eroded over time by relentless, uncivil conduct by anonymous commenters.

Allow community moderation. Letting the community enforce rules by “flagging” or “burying” bad content has been around for a while, from Digg.com to Craigslist. I wish more newspaper sites would adopt this functionality. Some have, but others are lagging behind.

Enforce the commenting policy. Many media sites have commenting policies, but how many are actually enforcing them? Staying black and white (and consistent) with the rules will help deter Internet Trolls.

Create a “hopper.” My friend Ben Godar told me about this. I can’t remember the publication he referenced, but I thought the idea was brilliant – build a “hopper” that captures (but doesn’t publish) the first three comments from all new commenters. Think of this as a vetting process for anyone new to your site, and they only get to participate after proving that they can contribute in a productive way.

Detach comments from the article. I really think that a lot of abusive Internet Trolls get off on the fact that their comments are attached to the original content. The Des Moines Register recently started experimenting with linking off to comments instead of showing them below the story. I love this because it removes the whole power trip factor.

Wipe the system and reboot. I’ve read about a few rare cases where publications have actually done this as a last resort – completely destroying the database of user information and content and starting anew. I’d call this the “Scorched Earth” method.

Pay-per-comment. A very intriguing – and possibly controversial – solution forwarded by Scott Hale while I was in Omaha a few weeks ago. Would people be more behaved if they had to pay a nominal fee to comment? Think about the mainstream popularity and comfort level with online “credits” right now. For example, users dump $10 into an online service and that gives them 100 credits to perform multiple actions – this is commonplace on stock photo sites, social games (Farmville), dating sites and Facebook. It could easily be incorporated into newspapers as an additional revenue stream.

What do you think? Can comments be improved by enforcing any of the above scenarios? Can publications ask for civility but still maintain free speech? I’d love to hear from media professionals and journalists below. Chime in!

According to a 2009 Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, 90 percent of Internet consumers have some degree of trust in recommendations from people they know; only 62 percent place their trust in television advertisements, and the numbers are even lower for other forms of traditional advertising. So what does this mean for social media?

For that 90 percent who trust the recommendations of people they know, they’re not just taking tips from family and friends, but also from their online connections. Think about it: if you read a rave online review about a restaurant, you’re more likely to check out that restaurant on your own, even if you’ve never met the reviewer.

Our online connections influence our decisions.

From a business standpoint, tools like Google Reader provide an efficient way to keep tabs on what people are saying about your company. And by reaching out to opinion leaders in the online community, you will find people who can vouch for your company, connect you with your audience in a new way and serve as contacts in the future. (You’ll also be able to track down negative messages and address a concern right where it’s voiced.)

Here are a few tips for getting started with blogger outreach:

1. Make a list of key terms and phrases bloggers might use to reach the audience you target. This list should be pretty exhaustive—try out different combinations, singular and plural forms of words (blog vs. blogs), even popular misspellings. Use Google’s blog search feature to generate a list of results, then scroll to the bottom of the page and choose “Subscribe to a blog search feed for [search term] in Google Reader.” You’ll also want to subscribe to your company’s name, Twitter handle and any other identities bloggers might use to reference your company. As new blog posts that fit your search terms are made public, they’ll automatically be fed to your Google Reader account.

2. Look at the posts that seem relevant to your company or your industry. Identify the bloggers you’d like to reach out to, and narrow your list down by their reach and influence. Eliminate any that haven’t posted within the last few months.

3. Take some time to get to know their focus, tone and audience. Connect with them on their turf by commenting on a post or two that are relevant to your own company’s focus—this shows them that you are familiar with their blog and that you want to join the conversation. Engage with them before you need something from them; establishing relationships now will give make it easier to reach them down the road.

4. Reach out to the bloggers you select to offer your “pitch.” Stay away from form emails—this is your opportunity to show that you really want to connect with them individually. In your email, explain why they and their readers will care about your brand. Personalize it by referring to a particular post on their blog that caught your eye, or use a specific example to show how your pitch is relevant to them. Some bloggers receive hundreds or even thousands of unsolicited pitches each day, so make sure yours is compelling and unique.

5. Be prepared to provide additional information, resources and logos to them. If they’re taking the time to write about your brand, you should make it as easy as possible for them to do so.

6. If a blogger you contact does write a post about your company, promote their post through your social media channels. Not only will you share their coverage with your fan base, but you’ll also drive traffic back to their blog and reinforce your commitment to staying connected to them.

If you’re less successful than you’d like, set your sights on bloggers who may receive fewer requests. Continue to monitor your Google Reader feeds, and stay engaged with the bloggers you’ve connected with. The more authentic your relationships with these bloggers are, the more likely they’ll be willing to help you out.

What are your tips for connecting with bloggers? Share your thoughts below.

[Photo courtesy of macalicommblog.com.]

On Wednesday night I gave my State of social media in 2010 presentation to Omaha’s Social Media Club and posted three of my predictions about the SM space that morning.

Below are the remaining seven, plus the full presentation. (I used the Prezi platform and loved it. Are you using it yet?)

Prediction #4: Newspapers are changing shape, fast. Publications, over the next couple of years, will shift more and more resources into digital and social platforms. Printing on paper just isn’t a sustainable business model. Journalists themselves are changing shape, too – becoming content curators in addition to creators. Institutional news brands will start licensing content from other (more upstart) sources, similar to what is already happening with Silicon Prairie News and the Omaha World Herald. The “paywall” problem will likely be solved by those who impact search – Google and Facebook.

Prediction #5: TV will spread across many platforms and devices. Television content is breaking away fast from cable companies and the box that sits on top of a dresser. iTunes, Netflix, YouTube and Hulu are already emerging as the new “channels” for delivering content – and you’ll receive it a number of ways: tablet devices, mobile phones, laptops, gaming consoles and that large screen television in the basement.

Prediction #6: Cars and planes will become mobile devices with amazing social apps. As soon as we have Wi-fi in of our modes of transportation, all sorts of new opportunities open up. Imagine if cars and planes were synced to our social networking IDs – we’d have Foursquare overlays (where your friends like to eat) on GPS navigation systems. And seat-back touchscreens in planes that synced with LinkedIn and told you who else is on board in your industry.

Prediction #7: All websites will be social. Technology like Google SideWiki is forcing all websites, everywhere, to be social – whether their creators like it or not. Facebook will probably create a similar (and more mainstream) social overlay / annotation system. The days of websites as static “destinations” are over.

Prediction #8: Twitter will evolve away from a social network into a mainstream publishing platform for media and business. I believe this will mirror what happened with blogging platforms – originally adopted by individuals wanting to express their thoughts and connect with others, but over time became more useful as business tools.

Prediction #9: Social CRM is about to become a big industry. CRM databases with email addresses, phone numbers and snail mail addresses aren’t enough anymore – social networking IDs will be added to this mix. Look for LinkedIn and Salesforce.com to become major players in this game.

Prediction #10: Location-based networks will ad layers of metadata to IRL situations. Sitting down at a restaurant, checking in on Foursquare and seeing that there are five other people there and getting curious about who they are is just the beginning. The word “serendipity” gets thrown around a lot to describe this – I’d like to call it very efficient serendipity. We’ll leave behind lots of context (digital graffiti) at real-world locations using these tools.

Okay, that’s it! What do you agree with? Disagree with? Share your thoughts below.

UPDATE, 7/7: Silicon Prairie News posted a great recap here, plus some video.

Tonight I’m speaking to Social Media Club Omaha at Nomad Lounge in conjunction with Mashable’s Social Media Day.

For this talk I’ve been asked to focus on what’s trending and what’s next in the SM space, which is a great opportunity for me to step back, wipe the PowerPoint deck clean and start new.

(Speaking of PowerPoint, I’ve ditched it to experiment with Prezi – a non-linear, slide-less presentation platform. Is anyone else using this? I love it so far.)

I’ll be focusing on 10 predictions – three of which I’ve outlined below. The remaining seven (and the Prezi) will get posted after the talk is done! If you’re in the Omaha area, I hope to see you tonight. Don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook.

Prediction #1: The word social media will soon go away. I’m not saying it isn’t vital, but there’s a lot of unicorn baggage that goes along with the word. The Web has been inherently social since day one, when the first email was sent decades ago. Social applications are being integrated into every layer of business, from human resources to customer service (and, oh yeah, that marketing stuff). Let’s go back to calling it the Internet.

Prediction #2: Facebook as an identity company. That’s how the social network is describing itself these days. In the next decade, your Facebook ID will become just as important as your driver’s license, social security number, email address and phone number. (At least, that’s Facebook’s vision – they want to be your car keys to the entire Web and all of its applications.) Open Graph, Project Titan and Facebook Credits will all play in to this, long-term.

Prediction #3: Finance will be the next industry disrupted by the Internet. There is a tremendous amount of innovation happening in the finance space right now, with smart tools like Mint.com, and (here come some local shout-outs) SmartyPig and Dwolla. These companies are helping consumers get smarter with their money and laying new infrastructure for Whuffie-ish peer-to-peer payment systems. We all joke about Farmville, but I truly believe it is a microcosm of social commerce – and it’s just getting started.

Gotta run. I’ll post the remaining predictions soon. See you tonight, Omaha!

On Wednesday, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of forthcoming changes to the site’s privacy settings, designed to simplify the process of setting privacy controls. The changes follow a growing public backlash against Facebook’s current privacy policies, which require users to set about 150 different privacy controls.

While the changes will roll out gradually over the next few weeks, here’s what you can expect to see:

One master control. In December, Facebook rolled out granular controls that allowed users to customize their privacy settings for each type of content. While they gave users greater control over the information they shared, many users found them difficult to manage and were uncertain of what exactly they were sharing with the public. Users will still have access to these customizable controls, but will also have the option to change all privacy settings with just one click.

Private friend lists and pages. Users will now have the option of controlling who can see their friends and pages. By requiring less of this basic information to be public, Facebook gives users greater control over their privacy settings. The downside is that this will make it more difficult to find certain users’ profiles.

Easy opt-out from third-party sites. As Facebook continues to expand their reach to applications, games and partner sites, users will be able to opt out of sharing their information with all third-party sites with one click. On sites like Pandora, Yelp and CNN.com, which automatically connect to users’ Facebook accounts, users will be able to turn off this “instant personalization” feature directly on those sites.

These are just the first of many changes to the way Facebook approaches privacy and user control issues. After a bit of bad press and an FTC complaint, the Facebook team admitted that they “missed the mark” in their last round of privacy updates, and they’re now working to overhaul their entire privacy set-up. In the meantime, they released a revamped privacy guide designed to help users understand their new privacy options once they take effect. Users will also have the opportunity to change privacy settings on past status updates.

Do you think these changes are necessary? How will they change the way users connect through Facebook? What other changes would you like to see to Facebook’s privacy controls?

We’re very excited to welcome Norah Carroll to the Lava Row team today! She’ll be assisting with social media strategy and project management, and we’re pumped to have her on board.

Norah is currently studying journalism at Drake University and has written and edited for publications such as Midwest Living Magazine, Drake Magazine and Think DSM.

Did you know that she has extensively traveled the Midwest as a competitive Irish dancer? It’s true. (So don’t mess with her in an Irish dance-off.)

Norah will be posting regularly here on the blog, and you can also follow her on Twitter at @NorahCarroll and connect on LinkedIn. Be sure to say hi!