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Google Finds Location Based Social Networking (LBS)

About 6 weeks ago Google launched Latitude, a location based social networking (LBS, though apparently that can stand for “location based service” also) application (even if Google refers to it as something else).  I’ve been paying close attention to this space, even though I’m not the most active participant, for several reasons.  One being the growth of local Portland startup Shizzow.  The space is filling up with a variety of competitors, so it was interesting and a bit disappointing to see Google jump into the fray.   No one wants to see Google jump in and knock out a bunch of these companies just because of their available resources and massive user base.  Nonetheless, companies like Shizzow still have a chance to thrive, if they choose their partners wisely and keep their users happy.

Location based social networking applications generally all work the same: I am somewhere, and I either decide to let others in the network know where I am, or they can automatically see where I am on a map.  This is generally done from a smartphone, but not exclusively.  I won’t waste a lot of time discussing privacy concerns; obviously some of us don’t want people to know where we are at all times, so there are generally “opt-out” or “turn off” options with the applications that just show all your connections where you are on a map (like Latitude does).  Shizzow doesn’t have this type of mapping capability; and it may or may not be in development, but it seems to be a necessity for survival in this space.

It probably goes without saying that many of these applications integrate with your Twitter account, so that you don’t need to double your efforts to announce to your Tweeps where you’re at.  Likewise, photographs are integrated into some apps.  Brightkite may be the biggest player in the space, and functions like a Twitter, with location, and the ability to put a picture in your update.

I have few hunches about who is going to end up the dominate player in this space.  One of them being: whoever partners with Yelp is going to have a significant advantage.  Another being: whoever Facebook buys will probably have a bigger advantage.  Now, I realize there are a lot of assumptions there, but it seems like Shizzow and Yelp are a natural fit, and it seems like Facebook could pick someone up and have a much easier path to critical mass. Regardless, this will be an interesting space to watch in the next year or so.

Tags: brightkite, Facebook, mobile phones, shizzow, Twitter, yelp