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Facebook adds Location Now.

Reblogger Jon Tipton
Real Estate Appraiser with RE/Max Dynamic

Original content by Bartley Wilson

Sometime this month, in addition to responding to the Privacy policy headaches that Sen. Shuman, Sen. Al Franken are demanding answers to, Facebook has side stepped some of these issues by doing the  shell game here.

Look at the monkey. Look at the monkey. Just like any cheap showman's act designed to distract you from the Facebook privacy nightmare they created last week Facebook is now offering "Location" to Facebook.

What does adding Location Mean? Let me give you an example. 

First marketer up to bat with this is McDonalds, the hamburger franchise. 

As if we had no clue where the local McGrease restaurant  is -- now anyone with Facebook on your mobile platform can target your kids with special coupons, chirps and sounds to lure you to the nearest McDonalds using Facebook location and GPS proximity alert technology. 

You drive by a McDonalds and you have your Facebook app on and you get a coupon slipped into your iPhone, iPad or other smart phone device. 

This technology is already being experimented with by many retail merchants. You walk by the local Starbucks and a proximity ad delivery system slips a tiny banner ad into your Smart Phone and says "Come into Starbucks and say (some phrase) and get 10% off your Double Expresso machiato with extra heavy cream and nuts."

This is interruption marketing at it's finest.  Finally, marketers have invented a way for them to send you a broadcast AD banner if you are walking or driving by. Because when it comes to targeted advertising -- this is about as insane as it's gonna get. The more electronic toys and gadgets you have -- the more chances you're gonna get to get peppered and pelted with gazillions of ads. 

This is a huge potential lawsuit waiting to happen. Here's why.

You're driving to work: Your cell phone is turned on, and  on the seat next to you.  You drive by McDonalds. Or Starbucks and you get a chirp/ring and a banner ad / coupon gets pushed into your phone as you drive by. 

It's not a phone call, but you reach down for the phone and at the same time you smash into the back of somebody's pick up truck.

Trust me. It's going to happen and some lawyer like Sokolove on TV is already drooling over this one. 

Interruption marketing ads pushed into your cell phone as you walk or drive by a retail store. 

It's coming.

And you heard it from the Bartman first. 

Bart Wilson | As seen in Business Week

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Harry F. D'Elia III
WEDO Real Estate and Beyond, LLC - Phoenix, AZ
Investor , Mentor, GRI, Radio, CIPS, REOs, ABR

Thanks for reblogging this post with us today. Great stuff

May 10, 2010 02:30 AM
Ken's Home Team LLC. | 360.609.0226 | Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA Real Estate Team
Ken's Home Team LLC. - Vancouver, WA
- SOLD IS OUR FAVORITE 4 LETTER WORD -

they have had things like this for a long time, But after the woman who won 2 million for putting coffee between her legs and then it spilled on her privates the country has gone to hell  in a hand basket, do not get me wrong when a lawsuit is real it should pay out but to say you did not know the coffee will burn you between your legs is a (well i will leave that word to you....)

but we have that crap going on all the time......

May 10, 2010 02:33 AM
Terry Lynch
LAR Notary and Closing Services - Saint Clair Shores, MI

I don't think the lawsuits are going to happen. If that scenario were true, then you could sue someone who made a normal phone call and distracted you. I get calls on my phone from marketers all the time now, where do you draw the line on personal responsibility?  

May 10, 2010 02:35 AM