Facebook to Deliver Location-Based Content with New “Place Tips” Feature

Facebook is about to go head-to-head with local search service Foursquare by launching a new feature that will offer recommendations to users based on the places they’re at. The social media giant announced on January 29, 2015, that they are launching “Place Tips” for Facebook on iPhone to show users relevant information about their location.

Facebook Place Tips is somewhat similar to Foursquare Tips, as both features offer important information about places. However, tips and photos from Foursquare Tips come from the general public; whereas tips, photos, and other information from Facebook Place Tips come from the users’ network and the entity in question.

“From friends’ recommendations to information about the places and things that interest you, Facebook helps you connect with the world around you,” stated Mike LeBeau, Product Manager for Facebook, in the official announcement. “To better show you this content at just the right place and time, today we’re launching a new feature called place tips.”

These location-based recommendations will be shown at the top of users’ news feeds, with content from the business’ Facebook page, as well as photos and posts about the place that their friends have shared. For instance, for restaurants, content that may appear in Place Tips include popular menus, promos, and upcoming events. [See Figure 1]

Figure 1 (Source: Facebook Newsroom)

Recommendations will only appear once Facebook gains access to a user’s phone location, and can be turned off completely or only for particular places. [See Figure 2]

Figure 2 (Source: Facebook Newsroom)

The company said that they will make use of cellular signals, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Facebook Bluetooth® beacons to power Place Tips. In the coming weeks, the feature will be initially rolled out to a number of businesses in New York City, such as Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and JFK Airport. Facebook will also launch Place Tips to other New York locations that have installed the beacons, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and more.

Watch the video clip below to learn more about Facebook Place Tips.

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Will Facebook Place Tips be able to offer more to users than its rival, Foursquare Tips?

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