Brian Kelly, from UKOLN at University of Bath, is planning on using geo-location services to provide an easy way for people to meet and network in an event in July.

Taking place at the University of Sheffield, Institutional Web Management Workshop 2010 (IWMW) will have a strong online presence using various Web 2.0 tools to get the best features from each.

This year, geo-location services will add to an official event blog and a Twitter hashtag.

“The intention is to geo-locate the main venues as well as places for social activities on Gowalla”, Brian says.

“This will allow people, who have the software installed on their mobile device, to choose to check-in when they arrive at a venue and see who else is around.

“This might be useful especially in large venues. For example, it allows people to make contact with others if they know their name but not what they look like.”

One clear benefit compared to Twitter hashtag is that users don’t need to actively be making comments on Twitter in order to be “seen” at the event.

Read Brian’s post about geo-location services in his blog.

Feature article

Is location-based social networking the next big thing?

Facebook and Twitter have allowed people to share details of their private lives on a completely different level to what we knew before. Now, with the geo-location services gaining momentum, the web is set to offer us the chance to let others know where we are at any particular time. Read more…