facebook places

Before Facebook goes public next year, it wants to know a bit more about what you do when you're out in public. The social networking giant is acquiring geo-social app startup Gowalla.

Facebook is adding a new feature: deals from businesses if you check in. Sound familiar? Foursquare, Gowalla already offer deals to their users, and Yelp also plans to introduce "check-in offers" this month. But Facebook has a lot more users.

Today Facebook launched Deals for Places, an add-on to Facebook Places which brings discounts and deals to Facebook users at businesses large and small. The Facebook Deals will be rolling out to users over the next few days and will be delivering buy-one get-one free deals at restaurants, cheap...

In just one and a half years, Foursquare has taken social networking to a new level by offering geo-location services that allow users to notify their friends about where they are shopping, eating or drinking. And it hasn't gone unnoticed. CEO Dennis Crowley shares his thoughts on the recent launch of geo-location application Facebook Places.

Facebook launched its Places geo-location service just Wednesday night. But the Center for Digital Democracy already plans to raise privacy issues about the service with Federal Trade Commission officials this week.