Facebook will unveil its entry into the location-based social networking space someday and today’s acquisition of innovative trip-sharing service NextStop will undoubtedly influence what Facebook users eventually get to see.
NextStop was founded by a team of ex-Googlers and best-known for an HTML5 mobile web site that makes innovative use of location and Creative Commons media posted online about places. Check out the screenshots below of the mobile app, now set to be shut down as the company transitions into becoming a part of the Facebook development team.
The NextStop Mobile Interface
See also…Why We Check-in: Reasons People Use Location-Based Social Networks
Might the Facebook Local product end up including collections of places organized by users around the world? NextStop is releasing all its existing guides under Creative Commons licenses, but says the same type of work will continue at Facebook. In the company’s FAQ about the acquisition, NextStop wrote today that “pursuing our mission to help people discover the world around them was something that could be done with greater impact and scale as a part of Facebook.”
The suspense keeps building around Facebook’s location feature. I know my expectations have probably grown unrealistic by now – it had better be super awesome, when it finally arrives. The addition of the NextStop team may help it be just that.
