Facebook has just announced Places, a new feature that will allow users to share their location with other Facebook users via their smartphones. A lot of questions have been raised over this new feature, so here is a helpful guide Mashable put together that explains what Places is and what it will mean for businesses, you, and your privacy.

First of all, in order to use Places you will have to have a smartphone. This feature works best on the iPhone, but if you don’t have one, you can still access Places through Facebook’s Mobile Touch Site as long as your browser supports HTML5 and geolocations. Facebook plans to release versions of Places for Android and Blackberry devices, but no official dates have been released yet.

The first time you click on the Places tab on your iPhone or your Mobile Touch device, you will be asked for permission for Facebook to know your locations. Once you accept, you will be taken to the Places interface. From here, you can share your location with friends, find where your friends are located (provided they are using Places), and discover new areas around you. You have the options to add places, check into existing places, and tag people who are with you.

In order for businesses to show up on Places, they must submit an official document such as a business license or a Better Business Bureau accreditation. Facebook also plans to launch an API so developers can incorporate this feature into their applications. Working with sites such as Yelp and Gowalla, this feature will allow third-party apps to pull information and run queries from Places’ data.

So what happens when Places goes wrong? If Places displays a wrong location, or you feel that it is infringing on your privacy, you can report this incorrect data and it will be flagged for removal. Unfortunately, this removal is not immediate, but you can immediately untag yourself from these locations.

One of the main concerns with Places is user privacy. While this feature is designed to share your location with your friends only, your checkins will automatically show up in your newsfeeds and status updates. Friends can also check you into locations without your permission. Steps to make places more secure are available; however, you just have to know where to find them. By carefully going through the various “Customize Setting” for Places, you will be able to control who sees your locations and who can tag you.

This new feature is generating a lot of hype and is sure to raise many questions. Check out the full article for more on Places.

No matter where you look it seems like everyone has a cell phone in their hands. Whether they are talking, texting or playing games, people know cell phones are the latest crazy. It’s no surprise then that mobile apps are a hot commodity. A recent study shows that 21% of American wireless subscribers have smartphones, and even those who don’t are heavily adopting mobile app use. So just which app is leading the mobile app war? Facebook of course. Check out this article to see more stats and figures on the most popular apps.

Most small-business sites are works in progress – constantly being revised, improved, and updated. So invariably, something is always missing. But some pages are so important that not having them could hurt your bottom line, cost you clients, and even turn away business. A few of the essential pages for a website are: contact us, about us, “gimme” or sign up for more information, site map, and privacy policy/terms and conditions page. 

A website privacy policy, (also know as – terms and conditions or disclosure statement) is often forgotten, but is essential, since it servers a multitude of functions. It is meant to inform the website visitor about what information might be collected on a website, how it will be used, to whom it will be disclosed and other privacy-related issues. Posting a website privacy policy is a sign to the visiting population that you understand privacy concerns and have built your website with this and them in mind. It shows you value open communication about privacy and are willing to articulate and stand by your privacy practices.

This type of statement can help make visitors to your website feel more comfortable and secure. Not only that, but many companies now require a privacy policy before they do business with you. So it might be time to post one.  The Better Business Bureau has a good sample privacy notice on its site for reference. A privacy policy doesn’t have to be prominent in your web design, but should be visible on all pages. Most people look for a link to it from the bottom footer of websites along with your site map.

Yesterday was a big day! Google got a new look and some hot new features, including a new mobile search.

What’s new and improved? The latest version of Google has some major differences – design changes, the addition of a left-hand navigation, and a more integrated search experience.

The design focus remains simple. So simple, in fact, you probably won’t notice the revised Google logo.

The addition of the left-hand navigation is a nice touch. You can see the types of search options available, such as Image Search, Shopping Search and Books Search. The coolest feature of the new menu? It’s dynamic. Your search options change based on your search topic.

The integrated search is designed to help you refine results by adapting to your search needs and streamlining the search experience. When you click on any of the menu items it won’t take you to a wholly different results page. Instead the left-hand menu stays put as you search which should make it easier for you to navigate the page.

What do you think of this new Google? Let us know in the comments.

Would you stand in line for hours, perhaps days,  to get a chance to buy the latest gadget from Apple? If your answer is yes, you are what the technology industry aims to charm – an early adopter.

 So do you fit the profile of an iPad wannabe? Here are some early sales results.

 Are you a current Mac user? 74% of iPad purchasers think Leopards are far superior to Windows.

Do you have an iPhone? 66% of purchasers can’t get enough of those iphone apps.

Do you Kindle? 13% who bought the iPad love to cozy up to a warm E ink screen instead of a paperback.

Fortune’s survey takes a bite of the apple…

Are you ready for the Mobile Marketing avalanche? You may think you have plenty of time but mobile marketing has already arrived… and is accelerating at a faster and faster rate. The time to initiate the ground work for a successful mobile marketing strategy is now.  

Allen Moon, with  Internet Marketing Center, suggests 6 Mobile Musts for Your Online Business. This article is a great starting point to help you get prepared for the coming mobile media storm.

Imagine a PC that is always on, travels with you anywhere, contains all your data – personal and professional – and is customizable for your needs.

Now imagine that it only weighs about 5 oz and is probably in your purse or pocket right now.

Smartphones will outnumber PCs approximately two to one within the next few years, according to a December 2009 report from Morgan Stanley. Smartphone sales are expected to grow by year-over-year to overtaking laptop sales.

So what does this mean to traditional marketing companies? A lot. There is an entire new audience out there – one that never visits a website or sits in front of the TV. And there are new technologies for doing things you can only do (or want to do) from a mobile device.

So how do you market for this device? Not by using the traditional dotcom approach.

Mobile users want things fast. They want relevant information – not the whole enchilada (or PDF). They want location-aware services that know they are on the move. They want apps that realize they aren’t using a mouse, can’t usually print anything out, may have limited bandwidth and are using a keyboard the size of a credit card. A different approach is needed designing for this medium. Read more

Mobile devices have arrived and are making huge in-roads in today’s marketplace. The number of people using multipurpose smartphones (iPhones, Blackberries, and Droids) has soared over the past years. With the merger of video, cameras, GPS, cell phones, and computers, mobile websites and applications are emerging as the way to put your business where the consumers are. With recording huge 4^th Quarter Earnings, Google has made it clear mobile web is where the big growth is… and may be overtaking the PC Web sooner than later.  Learn More

eMarketer recently reported that mobile application development will soar in 2010, while social media investment is predicted to taper off and remain near 2009 levels. Read More about other hot trends for 2010.