Nearby Friends

Now a days, wherever you are, your phone is likely to be there with you. Many of us share a small amount of anxiety whenever our phones get left behind, whether by choice or by accident. Basically, your phone always knows where you are, and if you want, your Facebook friends can know, too.

Facebook is adding a new feature called Nearby Friends that keeps track of your current location and lets your friends know where you are at all times.

Creepy? Well, maybe not.

My first reaction was creepy. I mean, I don't want everyone on my Facebook to know where I am at all times, especially since I've been meaning to clean out my Facebook friends for a long time now. (I assure you I do not actually have 2,456 friends...) But after reading about it further, I decided it may not be so bad after all. Maybe Facebook has learned from their past mistakes and privacy problems.

The idea behind this new feature is... kinda refreshing. The goal is to make it easier for people to meet up in real life and have an actual conversation, as apposed to comment threads and 'Likes'. And also to replace LOL's with actual laughter.

There are also some settings in place to keep you safe from any "stalker-like" people. And unfortunately, with Facebook, that can often times be a real concern. This feature will not be turned on be default. It can only be activated by you in your Facebook settings if you feel like it is something you want in your life. You can also limit it to only your close friends or a customized list of people you feel comfortable with. Even further, your location will only be shared with the people are 1.) also using the new feature, and 2.) have included you on their list of people as well.

There have been apps like this in the past, but Nearby Friends is definitely an evolved, more private version. Happy App-ing!