All of us here at AndyBarlowBlog.com want you to be informed (yeah, because it takes a staff to run this blog), and as much as is possible, we want to provide good, solid information to you as a web user. It’s also a good thing to dispel rumors and bust myths whenever one rears it’s ugly head. So here’s the myth we’re bustin’ today:
Facebook launched Facebook Places this week. Anyone can find out where you are when you are logged in. It gives the actual address & map location of where you are as you use Facebook. Make sure your children know about this! To undo: go to “Account”, “Account Settings”, “Notifications”, then scroll down to “Places” & uncheck the 2 boxes. Make sure to save changes & re-post this!
I first saw this as a friend’s status on Friday, August 27th, but I paid it no attention since it was only from 1 friend. Now I’ve seen it 10+ times since the 1st sighting, so after spending some time debunking it this evening on Facebook, I decided a more public forum might be appropriate. I’m going to break down this “cut & paste” status piece by piece, showing it’s falsehoods as such & reinforcing the little truth that it does actually convey.
1. “Facebook launched Facebook Places this week.”
Places actually launched on August 19th (article). If you’re posting this as your status, you’re late and already off to a bad start.
2. “Anyone can find out where you are when you are logged in.”
Aaah, wrong. Here’s how places works, generally speaking.
a. Places works only on mobile devices (smart phones like the iPhone) running the Facebook Mobile app. If you only use FB on a computer, you cannot (at this time) use the Places feature, hereby making it impossible for Places to “track” you.
b. Places is a geo-caching type of feature that allows users to “check in” at a place – their favorite restaurant, shopping center, friend’s house, etc. The user must initate a tag in Places – it does not operate on it’s own. In other words, you have to check in – Places does not check you in.
3. “It gives the actual address & map location of where you are as you use Facebook.”
This is true, but only partially true. Places shows a pin drop on a map using your mobile phones “current location” GPS feature. Once you tell Places to check in, Facebook checks your friends list to see if anyone else has checked in anywhere around you. You’ll then see a map with other pins, but only for friends who have checked in using Places. Yesterday as my wife and I sat in Freebirds World Burrito in Corpus Christi, TX, she checked in using Places. I then checked in about 10 minutes later and was at that time greeted with a message saying “(Friend’s Name) is also at Freebirds.”
4. “Make sure your children know about this!”
Pu – lease. This doesn’t even warrant a comment. Why would they care? They would probably think it’s cool anyway…don’t bother.
5. “To undo: go to “Account”, “Account Settings”, “Notifications”, then scroll down to “Places” & uncheck the 2 boxes.”
The key word here is NOTIFICATIONS. When you uncheck these 2 boxes, Facebook will no longer notify you via email, at the email address with which you signed up, that someone tagged you using Places or checked you in. That’s all that changes when you uncheck the 2 boxes. Unchecking these 2 boxes does nothing to diminish the functionality of Places, even on your mobile phone. It’ll just keep your email inbox a bit cleaner.
6. “Make sure to save changes & re-post this!
PLEASE, in the name of the patron Saint Snopes, do not repost this! Instead, post this link that will bring people here so they can get a full explanation of how Places works – (copy & paste) http://ow.ly/2x7KF.
Now see, that didn’t hurt a bit, did it? Let’s keep the social networks a sane & informed place!
