Location awareness - the next big thing in mobile Internet
Posted 9 May 2008 at 9:26AM by Ian Betteridge in Connecting to the Internet, Doing business online
You're walking along the street at lunch time when your phone alerts you - a friend is nearby eating lunch, and is open to having some company. But he hasn't personally texted you, or called you. Instead, using location-aware mobile services, a web site has told you this automatically, without him having to do anything.
Does this sound like the kind of service that you'd like to have? Or does the idea of online services knowing your geographical location strike you as intrusive and a little bit like "Big Brother"? Over the next couple of years, services like this are set to move into the world of everyday reality, as companies look to location awareness to provide both "value added" services and potential new channels for advertising.
Brightkite, currently in a closed beta, is one of the services looking to use location to help people be more social. Its principle is simple: you log where you are (known as "checking in") via web or text message, and the system alerts your friends if they're close by. The company is also working on an iPhone application, which will make the process more simple.
Google, too, appears interested in location awareness. In October 2007, it bought a European company called Jaiku, which had developed a location-aware messaging service. Although Jaiku has gone quiet since its buyout, as the company ported its software to Google's platforms, it will be interesting to see what Google makes of the product in the future.
It is easy to see how location information can be used for Google's prime business, which is selling advertising. In the above example, Google could send - with your consent - an ad from the restaurant that your friend is in, offering you a two-for-one deal if you come and join him for lunch. Walk by one of your favourite stores, and it could send you a personalised offer designed to tempt you inside, with the option to forward it on to friends. The idea is an extension of the current trend in advertising, which is towards making the ad as relevant to you as possible - ultimately, so relevant that it won't even feel like an ad.
But the big question is whether people actually want these kinds of services, or whether the idea of a web site knowing where you are is too much like "Big Brother". Trust will be an enormous issue, because where you are is one of the most important pieces of information about you - and if advertisers ever abuse that, they are likely to lose trust (and thus sales) very very quickly indeed.
Tags: brightkite, bt, bt broadbandoffice, lbs, location base services
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Comments
2. At May 9, 2008 1:33 PM, Merlin wrote:
Another example of Technology trying to create an application. Location based 'push' advertising is not new but was rejected. Imagine walking through Meadowhall, Lakeside or Bluewater with your phone going off every few seconds telling you about "two for ones", BOGOFs and this week's reduction in the price of something that is always reduced? Give 500 free minutes if you accept and some twerp will go for it - but said twerp might just be clever and use the mobile for outgoing calls only and have it turned off most of the time. How do you define 'friend'? Same way as Facebook?
Not quite a good idea. Wasn't thought through.
3. At May 9, 2008 3:18 PM, The Big Show wrote:
That just sounds really annoying to me. And what if you're doing a scheme? You might not want people knowing where you are!
Anyway, Big Show doesn't need a text message to tempt him into his favourite restaurant!
4. At May 9, 2008 3:37 PM, Dr J Zoidberg wrote:
In this humble crustaceans opinion its just another excuse to abuse technology since the powers that be are running out of ideas of what to do with the internet and technology today. They are clutching at straws for the next big thing!
5. At May 10, 2008 8:47 AM, Chris Sabin wrote:
"big brother" syndrome. Why does everybody think we need advertising at every point in our simple every day life? I mean come on!
I want to go shopping without being annoyed (minus the other 2000+ shoppers who do it anyway) so keep your ad's to yourself and annoy the scottish government!
6. At May 10, 2008 6:43 PM, Niamh wrote:
I expect burglars, stalkers, employers and the madly possessive could have a field day with this. Forget going through pockets. A kind of voluntary tagging.
7. At May 12, 2008 9:18 AM, 'Razor' Ramone wrote:
Did everyone miss the point where it said it would only send information about your whereabouts if (and I quote), 'you log where you are (known as "checking in")'? So take also into consideration that any service like this is an automatic 'opt-out', meaning you'd need to go out of your way to enable it (especially so with the advertisement), I don't see what you're fussing about.
Personally, I'd rather get a text telling me my friend was at lunch nearby than go eat by myself.
8. At May 12, 2008 4:37 PM, Carl wrote:
I cant say Im an advocate for this technology but Razor Ramone is right. The user would need to keep the web informed. You could use this to divert people to locations that your not physically at as well. I think the system is to easy to tamper with.
As far as the advertising, this is very similar to bluetooth spam, if you dont want to be a victim of it dont opt in.
9. At May 13, 2008 11:59 AM, Thomas Grewar wrote:
I agree with 'Razor' Ramone on this, in the respect that the point was missed, and people would need to opt 'in'.
But here is another way to think about this. Say you are on a buisness trip to a city or location that you have not been to before, and you have google mapped it, but still not sure, then this technology could really help! If your buisness 'associate' you are meeting has this technology enabled and working, then you can find each other when in the general area.
- Thom Grew
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1. At May 9, 2008 11:25 AM, J G Dawson wrote: