Location Based Social Networking

Topics

1. Preface
2. Introduction to Location Based Social
3. Keywords and Terms
4. Types or Classification of Location Based Social    - Current Location Social, Resident Social, Non-Resident Social and more
5. Social Network
6. End Note

Preface

This article is an abstract on Location Based Social (LBS), introducing the idea, features & activities, classification and benefits of LBS.

Introduction to Location Based Social

In a very broad sense, Location Based Social (LBS) or Location Based Social Networking (LBSN), means what is says. It is all about connecting people via various modes who are situated, involved or interested in a specific geographic location.

Keywords and Terms

Mobile Social, Geo-tagging, Geo-fencing, Geo-Social, Social Units, Crowd-sourced, Community Based

Types or Classification of Location Based Social

There are different types of LBS

• Current Location Social
• Resident Social
• Non Resident Social
• Travel Social
• Elsewhere Social
• Others (Can be more specific, for eg: Parking Social, Gaming Social)

Definition: Social Network

To make sure these terms are clearly understood, let us define Social Network first. Social Network (or Social Networking) represents relationships between individual people, establishments, groups or like-minded social-units in any combination and their interactions digitally or in any other form.
Social Networking interaction generally comprises of the following activities and much more:

• Sharing knowledge or information
• Connecting with friends, family and acquaintances
• Sharing updates or digital media (pictures, audio, video)
• Connecting with people of similar interests
• Targeted Advertising or Broadcasting
• Promotions and offers for monetary benefit
• Interacting in Fan Clubs, Culture Groups and other Social Units
• Chats, Messages, Celebrations and Wishes
• Technology Solutions, Messageboards, Forums

Add "location" to the mix and it produces an entirely new interesting entity.

Now, let us take a look at the different types of Location Social

Current Location Social

This type of Location Based Social Networking is all about where you are at this present time ("Right here, Right now"). If you are in a stadium watching a Baseball game think about the possibilities of Location Based Social. You could:

• Share/view Geo-tagged content (pictures, video or updates) of the event
• Connect if there are any friends or colleagues at the same location (or NOT)
• Find people of your origin or country or fan-club member
• Find Geo-fenced deals and promotions for dinner, shopping and more
• Advertise for that location of your product or service if relevant
• Share rides, car pool, connect in the area
• Find out public transportation information like Schedule, Stations, Routes, Changes near the event

The possibilities are limitless.

Resident Social

This type of Location Based Social Networking is all about the place where you reside. This could be a macro or a micro level social, right from being a Resident of London or being a Resident of a specific apartment complex in Worcestershire. A Location based Resident Social could mean a lot of things, which involves:

• Events happening in your locality / neighborhood / town
• Subscribing to Local news/updates specific to your locality
• Find restaurants, shops, services in the locality
• Deals and promotions near your home
• Find groups, clubs or people of similar interest in your locality (for eg: People speaking French, Wine Lovers etc)
• Conduct events in the area and invite people in the network
• Share rides, car pool
• Public transportation information
• Contibute to the society by sharing information about your resident area

Non Resident Social

This type of Location Based Social Networking is when you have moved to a different country, city or locality that you are not as familiar with either temporarily or for long term. People buy/build houses in a new locality and move there, people change jobs and move, or it could be temporary move for various other reasons. This could get even more beneficial because it is not your home turf and there will be a need for information in various situations.

• Find schools, tuition, summer camps and more for kids in the new locality
• Find/Connect with co-workers, ex-colleagues, batch-mates or friends in the new area
• Find hobbies or interests in the new location (Guitar classes, Tennis, Hangouts etc)
• Share rides, car pool to work or other places
• Find restaurants, shops, services in the new locality
• Deals and promotions in the new locality

Travel Social

This type of Location Based Social Networking is about places that you are travelling to or travelled from or interested to visit etc. Imagine planning to visit a city in China or Turkey or anywhere else as a tourist; it would be great if you can get specific information like where you could get Vegan food or a homestay or cheap mode of travel etc. Traveling can be very eventful if unplanned, unconnected or can get expensive due to lack of information. Travel Social involves the following and more:

• Tourist information that can be beneficial ahead of time
• Where, others "like me" would like to eat or stay or visit
• Local updates on news, weather for the place of travel
• Deals and promotions at the place of travel (for eg: Hard Rock Cafe specials in Hong Kong during your visit)
• Connect with friendly local people who may offer homestay, help, tourist information etc
• Connect with people of your origin, ethnicity, language or country settled in the place of travel (it is a very happy feeling to meet someone from your hometown in a far off country even if you do not know the person)
• Find food/products of your origin, ethnicity, language or country when traveling to another destination
• Car pooling in Europe to travel between multiple countries
• Information about Pubs and Bars and nightlife especially as a tourist
• Publish information about your upcomming travel so that someone in your network might have someone in that area of travel for help, information, Do's and Dont's and more

Elsewhere Social

This type of Location Based Social Networking is of a very different nature. This is for those who are interested in a particular location neither as a resident, non-resident nor for traveling to that location. There are many situations when you might be interested to connect with a network about another location. You could be a fan of a band like TomorrowLand and would like to get updates on the event in Brussels though you are located in California. You may want to help your friend who is traveling to a city like Abu Dhabi which he has never been to; as another example, you may want to connect to a network in a place you lived 10 years ago; you wish to buy a Cologne from Koln, Germany and then find a friend on the network who is traveling back from Germany to your location. One more example: Send a birthday dinner gift to your sister in England while you are residing in Johannesburg.
While the Elsewhere Social seems a bit out of place for Location Based Social Networking, surprisingly we all keep trying to connect with People, Events, Groups or other Social Units elsewhere all the time, "with or without our knowledge".

Others

Apart from the broad classification above, on Location Based Social Networking, there could be many specific type of Location Social.
Think about "Parking Social" for a minute!! Find parking spots near your workplace when you are about to reach the office. How many times have we been circling-around-the-blocks trying to find a parking spot especially in downtowns and busy locallities? Saving 5-10 minutes in finding a parking could mean spending 5-10 minutes "extra" with your kid or wife or close friends. You could be late for a meeting at work just because you were frantically finding a parking spot and could not get any. Think about paying 25 bucks for parking in a garage in a busy locality just to find a guy pulling out of a free street parking spot right in front of your office building. What if you could get an update that someone near you has just removed their car and a spot is free or if you get a notification that someone is taking their car out in the next 2 minutes 3 blocks away. What if you could be able to decide which nearest Metro station to park the car from downtown so you could drive more and park closer?
There can be many other types of Location Based Social Networking that can be very specific in nature like Environment and Human Rights, Gaming Social, Health & Fitness and more.

End Note

There could be some disadvantages of Location Based Social Networking too.  You may not want a person, say your boss, to connect with you when you are in that baseball game. While trying to search for information, you end up giving information about your whereabouts or interests that you are searching which can be an intrusion to your own privacy.

Leaving that aside, Location Based Social Networking can be a great tool of limitless possibilities to connect, interact, find, publish and share useful information/interactions among individuals, community, related groups and other types of networks.

All in all, Location Based Social is a potential area for Businesses and Individuals alike to explore a plethora of possibilities with challenging problems to solve and an unexpected knowledge to mine.