Facebook and Twitter add new geographic location tool

Facebook & Twitter are adding a new Geographical Location tool to their sites.

Within a month, Facebook users will be able to share with their friends precisely where in the world they happen to be whenever they post status updates to their profile.  According to The New York Times, Facebook will unveil this addition in April, at a technology conference, while Twitter is prepared to introduce a similar feature on its micro-blogging site within a matter of days. Both social networking websites have realized that a growing number of users are logging on using mobile devices, particularly iPhones. In fact one quarter of Facebook’s 400 million users now use Blackberries and IPhones to update their status or post comments, and this number appears to be rising each month. Once the new service is introduced in April, users may choose whether or not to have their location information automatically added to each status update.

Twitter, however, seems to be ahead of the game at the moment. According to a report in PC World Magazine, Twitter actually tested its geo-feature earlier this week. Several users noticed the new feature on the micro-blogging site, before it quickly vanished. Most observers predict that Twitter will launch its own geo-feature as early as this Friday, during a web developers’ conference.

Twitter’s geo-locator system reportedly adds maps to all tweets and will provide precise place names within cities. Despite the excitement surrounding these developments, some still have questions as to how Twitter and Facebook will handle and share this sensitive personal information, particularly as privacy remains a key concern for many.