Automatically providing a communication based on location information for a user of a social networking system
Systems and methods for automatically locating web-based social network members are provided. According to one embodiment, contact content including an associated GPS identifier and status for web-based social network members located at or near the same location automatically appears on a GPS-enabled device. A further exemplary system includes a GPS-enabled device configured to receive a GPS identifier and a status representing a location and a current state for a web-based social network member, a processing module that associates the received GPS-identifier and the received status, and a communications module that sends the associated GPS-identifier and status to a server comprising a web-based social network database. Contact content in a web-based social network database record in the web-based social network database is updated to include the associated GPS identifier and status for the web-based social network member.
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a social networking system, location information for a device associated with a first user of the social networking system and including a location identifier;
determining a location name based on a location identifier;
associating the location information with the first user in a user profile associated with the first user of the social networking system; and
sending, from the social networking system to a second user, a communication generated based at least in part on the location information, the communication including the determined location name.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the second user has a social networking connection to the first user over the social network system.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein associating the location information comprises storing the location information in the user profile associated with the first user.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information is a story providing information about the first user based at least in part on the location information.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein sending the communication generated based at least in part on the location information to the second user comprises:
determining a physical address based at least in part on the location information; and
sending at least the physical address to the second user.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information includes a video associated with the location information.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information includes audio associated with the location information.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information includes a photograph associated with the location information.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information provides information about a place at a geographic location represented by the location information.
10. A computer system, comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing modules that include:
a communication module configured to:
receive location information for a device associated with a first user of a social networking system and including a location identifier,
determine a location name based on a location identifier, and
send, to a second user, a communication generated based at least in part on the location information; and
a database module configured to associate the location information with the first user in a user profile associated with the first user of the social networking system; and
a processor to execute the modules.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second user has a social networking connection to the first user over the social network system.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information is a story providing information about the first user based at least in part on the location information.
13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the communication module is configured to:
determine a physical address based at least in part on the location information; and
send at least the physical address to the second user.
14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information includes a video associated with the location information.
15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information includes audio associated with the location information.
16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information includes a photograph associated with the location information.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computer processor, the instructions comprising:
instructions for receiving, by a social networking system, location information for a device associated with a first user of the social networking system and including a location identifier;
instructions for determining a location name based on a location identifier;
instructions for associating the location information with the first user in a user profile associated with the first user of the social networking system; and
instructions for sending, from the social networking system to a second user, a communication generated based at least in part on the location information, the communication including the determined location name.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the second user has a social networking connection to the first user over the social network system.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein associating the location information comprises storing the location information in the user profile associated with the first user.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the communication generated based at least in part on the location information is a story providing information about the first user based at least in part on the location information.