Twitters announcement to let its users attach geographic coordinates to their messages has everyone in a tizzy about the endless opportunities. External developers are interested in how this functionality will open up avenues for their applications.
� Tweeters are questioning the safety as it's enough already that criminals know what you're doing, and soon they could also identify where you are.� Twitter's geolocation functionality could also bring together the real world and the online world...a big step forward in social networking.� Many users depend on Twitter for breaking news, and tracking real-time tweets by proximity can be extremely useful to those following a disaster or big event.
And then there are the advertisers.� This new feature can be used to TARGET ads.�
Before we get too deep, let's touch on the safety issue. Twitter has decided to make the geolocation an opt-in feature for end-users, so that people feel in control of whether and when to share their location.
� In addition, Twitter has noted that it will not store the location data on users for extended periods of time.� So that should be of some comfort to the average Twitter user who is concerned.
Now, back to the use of this new feature for an advertiser. Twitter says it does not have plans to start advertising on its site, but Twitter-savvy business owners could start following location-based tweets and invite users to stop in. Say for example, I share a tweet about going to my local mall and my location is pinpointed with it.� Retailers around me could scan my keywords and deliver a targeted tweet with the latest and greatest offer.�
In fact, millions of Twitter users could soon be able to read tweets from anyone whether they regularly follow them on Twitter or not.
� Think about the ramifications. How quickly advertisers get to this point is another matter. There will have to be a large mass of users allowing location awareness for local advertising to be effective, but with social media users becoming increasingly comfortable broadcasting their personal data, the idea isn't too farfetched.
According to Harris and LinkedIn, only 8% of advertisers currently think Twitter is an effective promotion tool.
� But pinpointing the location of people could go a long way in changing that mindset.� I'm keeping an eye out for the potential benefits to advertisers and will stay on top of the Twitter "watch".
Breanna Bouchard is a social media specialist for Adwido.com, a commercial internet and video marketing company dedicated to small-and medium-sized businesses . Breanna previously worked in Marketing at GodTube.com and managed all social media account. She was also a social media consultant for Real Options for Women, a crisis pregnancy center.
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