Facebook is officially terminating its vapid check-in feature only a year after its inception. The check-in feature only allowed users to check-in at their specific location on their mobile device. The application was never able to surpass Foursquare, which not only allowed users to check-in but also had incentives for loyal patrons such as financial discounts (free chips and salsa at Chili’s just to name one) and receiving the self-admiring title of mayor.
Now if you were one of the few who loved Facebook Places, no need to fear. Facebook is developing a broad feature that will allow people to check-in in almost all aspects of their Facebook lives from where they were, where they are, and where they want to go. Another addition to these changes is that users are allowed to check-in from any device, not just the mobile devices as in the past. Facebook users have the capacity to tag photos, status updates, and everything in between with their specific location. This announcement was released when Facebook unveiled its drastic changes to user’s privacy settings.
The Facebook Places dissolution only proves that the application was never sought-after. To prove the “lameness” of Facebook places, the website Ad Age published a list of the top check-in places and the results were anemic at best. Seven of the ten places were airports and the number seven check-in was (drum roll please) Facebook Headquarters in Palo Alto with its dismal 2,000 employees, which pales in comparison to the 75 million Facebook users. Personally, this sounds like a colossal waste of time and I know that I will be on the never-ending quest of becoming a mayor on Foursquare.
