Location Based Platforms...what in the world are they?

I didn’t think I used Location Based Platform Networks at all when it came to social media. I didn’t really even know what a Location Based Platform was. According to Microsoft Research a LBPN is “adding a location to an existing social network so that people in the social structure can share location-embedded information, but also consists of the new social structure made up of individuals connected by the interdependency derived from their locations in the physical world as well as their location-tagged media content, such as photos, video, and texts.”

 

Well that’s a mouthful. But here’s what I understand: LPBNs just add an element of “where” to social media. And if that’s the case, I have used them! ERUEKA! 

My husband and I are foodies (amateur foodies but foodies nonetheless). We LOVE to try new places to eat whenever we travel. When we lived on the east coast for an internship, we made a pact to never eat at a chain restaurant. As such, we end up on Yelp A LOT. We are always looking for high stars, reviews from locals, and food recommendations. Then we would go try the restaurants and leave our own reviews. Because we are searching for restaurants in specific areas, we are using an LPBN.  

I have also used ListServ to inquire about housing and neighborhoods when we moved out to the east coast. LPBNs are extremely helpful when you are going somewhere completely new. 

I think that I will be able to really break into LBPNs in a year when my hubby and I graduate and we move to a new city (maybe) for jobs. BDNooz provides a list of LBPNs that can be used for meeting new people and discovering things about new cities or even your existing city. 

I also think that Facebook’s new searching tool will be an incredible new LBPN. We will be able to connect like never before with groups based on their location. It will be limited as far as connecting with new people though since it will be limited to your group of friends.