Social Networking
Some of the most frequent interactions in mobile communications are tied to physical location. A location-determination and sharing feature can automatically let friends, colleagues, and peers know one another's whereabouts. Specific features - such as proximity alerts, integrated mapping, navigation, and shared location-tagging - transform communication channels into interactive social networking tools.
By incorporating Skyhook's technology into the software of these companies, the creators were able to provide users with a way to locate nearby friends, make recommendations, and record memorable information and places they have visited with extreme accuracy and reliability. Users also have the added comfort of privacy, as they can choose what information to make public and what to keep confidential. Laptop-based IM, nomadic VOIP handsets, Wi-Fi-only portable media players, dual-mode handsets and Web-based social-networking sites can all benefit from accurate and reliable location information.
AOL partnered with Skyhook so that chatters could see the actual location of buddies on a map. AOL launched a downloadable location plug-in for AIM that allows its 53 million users to directly share their current physical location with their AIM 'buddies.' Tagggit approached Skyhook because the creators were tired of finding new favorite pubs only to forget where they were soon after, and not having a quick and easy way to get restaurant recommendations from friends. By incorporating Skyhook's technology, users of these applications are able to provide their exact location to friends and tag places they wanted to remember. In this way, Skyhook's technology brings the next level of functionality to social networking applications by integrating physical location information into digital communities.