#“The Next Big Battle: Google Places vs Facebook Fan Pages”
Facebook's upgrade of the Notes feature this week set me thinking. I asked the simple question if this is another step towards Facebook being "your web-page". First they had to open everything up, now you have permanent pages with your thoughts and simple formatting is allowed. What if they were indexable? What if you had a custom domain for your entire Profile? That's a personal web-site/blog.
But it also set me thinking on the business side of things and the ongoing skirmishes between Google and Facebook. Both seem to be going hell for leather after businesses to provide them with lots of opportunities to present themselves online. Google Local became Google Places and for a long time only simple business information could be put up there which was then visible in Google Maps too. But bit by bit they have been adding to it with vouchers, Buzz (big opportunity missed there) and now you can post updates to your business Places page which is very neat.
The most recent update was the announcement of a check-in feature for Places pages. i.e. exactly what Foursquare and Gowalla are doing. How this sits with Latitude and Buzz I'm not sure but having the functionality makes total sense.
Meanwhile Facebook has done brilliantly with Fan Pages and keeps adding features. Third Party providers now even offer an online store inside your Fan Page. The next big thing is surely the upcoming Location-Based Check-in that Facebook is building. In one fell swoop it kills Foursquare but it could also do damage to Google. Restaurants near me and recommended by my friends feels far more natural on Facebook than it does in Google Maps/Places. Location + Social is the key.
But it's early days. There is so much functionality both can add to their respective offerings. It's going to be a fun 12 months in Location Based Services!