The ability to let others where you are when you travel somewhere is a recent addition to Facebook and other social networks. You may have heard of Foursquare, a social networking site used solely to let friends keep track of one another and never miss a moment of fun; well “checking-in” on Facebook is a similar concept without the need for a separate application. The purpose of checking-in to a” Place” when you arrive there is to let your friends on Facebook know where you are so they can possibly join you or at least know where you are if they need to contact you, or maybe you just want brag a little bit when checking-in somewhere nice. It’s another way to keep you connected with those that mean the most to you.
Checking-in is available exclusively on mobile devices, which means you will need to download the Facebook app to your phone or i-device.. The objective is for your friends and yourself to check-in when you are on the move so you can constantly update your location. There are multiple ways to start the check-in process once you arrive at your destination. Your first option is go to your Facebook mobile application and go to your profile. At the top right of your mobile profile you will see the check-in button with the check-in logo.
When you tap this button a list of nearby places will appear. These “places” will be nearby locations in your area and will most likely include the one the where you are present. If your location is not shown you can always add it by using the + button in the top right corner. When you find your place, click on the location and a new screen will appear giving you the options to add a message to your location, post a picture with your location, or tag friends that are with you. You can do all, or none, of these options depending on how specific you want to be when checking-in. Once you have completed the check-in process a post will appear on the newsfeed of your friends letting them know where you are and what you are doing. Of course you can limit who sees your check-in by adjusting your Facebook privacy settings.
A second way of checking-in is clicking the button at the in top left corner of your Facebook mobile app, selecting “Nearby”, tapping check-in and repeating the above steps. To assist your check-in process you can enable location services on your mobile device which will automatically find the location nearest to you. Now all of your friends can join you on your nights out on the town!
Besides the benefit of letting friends know where you are, checking-in can also allow to participate in check-in deals. Businesses and advertisers can create special deals for those who have checked-in to their place and reward those who come there often. When searching for nearby places a yellow or green ticket may appear next to a place; this indicates there is a check-in deal at that location. Click on the place to see the deal then check-in and show your phone to an employer claim it. It can be anything from 50% of a cup of coffee to a free T-shirt! You can learn more by watching the video here: http://www.facebook.com/deals/checkin/claiming/.
This is a great way for stores and other locations to attract business and bring in a steady base of customers. Businesses can learn more about creating a “place” and check-in deals here: http://ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/FacebookAds/EMEA_partner_deals_businesses_EN.pdf.
It’s hard to beat the convenience of being able to let your friends know where you are whenever you desire. Social gatherings can now grow from 2 to 20 with just a few taps and clicks.
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