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Facebook is to roll out its location based features later this month, according to the Advertising Age. It's a move that could have serious repercussions for businesses as well as end users. Firstly, in terms of the general public, users will be given the option to check in at locations such as bars, restaurants and shopping centres. Sound a bit like what Foursquare and Gowalla do now? That's because it is. The trouble for those fairly new start-ups is that Facebook already has a huge user base. Foursquare has about a million users, Facebook has over 400 million. There will, of course, be concerns with privacy and security. Facebook won't just go ahead and start posting geo-data, users will presumably have to opt in or out. The issue is, not all users will understand what they may be agreeing to.

Firma riset Millward Brown BrandZ menempatkan Google sebagai merek terbaik di bidang teknologi dalam daftar 100 merek paling berharga 2010 mereka. Apple, IBM, dan Microsoft juga berada dalam lima besar daftar itu, melampaui Coca Cola, McDonald, dan Marlboro. "Merek-merek dari sektor teknologi terus menunjukkan kekuatannya dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, jejaring sosial meningkatkan peluang untuk mencapai kesuksesan merek," demikian disampaikan Millward Brown seperti dikutip laman harian Sydney Morning Herald. Millward Brown menilai merek Google bernilai lebih dari US$ 114 miliar. Jumlah ini 14 persen lebih besar dari nilai pada 2009. Sedang nilai IBM meningkat 30 persen menjadi US$ 86 miliar, dan Apple 32 persen (US$ 83 miliar).