One small step for Facebook, one little hop for retailers...

I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said Facebook has changed the way people interact. Its lure has evolved by the convenience of communication. In recent years email revolutionised the way we communicate, followed by mobile phones and text messaging. Facebook married all of those things and more, and just happened to be the social network people agreed to stick to, such was the autonomy of the social web at the time. If Facebook were created today, I'm guessing it would be one of many networks that could interact. That's a whole other blog post though.

This morning Facebook is launching ‘Places Deals’ in the UK and Europe. Facebook users will be able to get discounts and special deals in shops, cafes and restaurants by checking in on Facebook Places on their smartphone. Now, I've used Places before to check in to a rugby match. I was interested to see if anyone else would see me there and check in too. There were a couple of people as it happens, although that was as far as my interest in it extended. What Facebook has done with Places Deals is to make this feature meaningful. If you check into a cafe you might get a free cup of coffee. If you check into a clothes shop you might find big discounts. Retailers might give money to charity whenever you check in.

The more cynical amongst us will probably assume this is yet another grab for our privacy, that there will be marketing lists everywhere being padded out with shopping trends. Who knows? Maybe? The less cynical will think that maybe retailers are just wanting to explore an evolving avenue of marketing and getting its consumers to spread the word amongst their friends. Yes, more likely.

I can't see this taking off overnight. However, I do see it as a small but significant step towards marrying our online social connections with a real, monetised world. Yes, there are other companies doing this. But the fact that Facebook has thrown its hat into the ring means that millions of people are going to find it harder and harder to separate their online and offline worlds.

Twitter, the tip of the iceberg...

I haven't been on Twitter very long. In fact, I haven't really been a fan of Twitter before now. Didn't see the point, but I thought that coupled with this blog it would be a good way to promote the blog, catch up with tech news and maybe follow a few funny people too. My golly gosh, how I have underestimated the power of Twitter. Imagine if you could whisper and be heard on the other side of the world. Imagine a place where you can hear the informal thoughts of some of the best minds. Imagine a place where people with a particular interest can have a global conversation.

I recently started to follow a fake Twitterer. For anyone who has seen the US telly series The West Wing, President Bartlet seemed a better choice than the then-real-guy-in-charge at the time, George Dubya Bush. Now I clicked the follow button I suppose because I thought it might be funny. What happened next made me understand the power of Twitter a little better. Now, on Twitter you can put a hash in front of something, and anyone else who does the same has their 'tweet' propagated into a list following that reference. The fake President Bartlet, or @Pres_Bartlet as he is known, sent out a tweet to his followers wishing anyone working over Christmas all the best, and a request to hear their stories. From nurses, to husbands and fathers in the armed forces, to people who are desperate to work, these are the stories of real people around the world, sharing their thoughts about something dear to them.

As human beings we are drawn to connecting to each other and communicating how we feel. I suspect that even if Twitter disappears over the coming decades, this form of human connection is only just beginning.

For the record, @Pres_Bartlet has over 7,000 followers and rising. Currently I have 6.