Subscribe
The Daily Grind Video
CLOSE

Back in the day, social networking meant schmoozing at a bar, a party after work or on weekends as a way to climb the social and economic ladder. Nowadays, you need third party tech to connect with friends (and sometimes, strangers) who, laser-like, zoom in on things you want to buy or people you want to meet at any hour of the day. Hell, you can send a bot in your stead if most, if not all, of your life is based in the virtual world.

Well, another layer has been added to the art of the schmooze: Facebook Deals, a subscription service that lets interested users subscribe to Facebook’s coupon-like check-in deals. Subscribers will eventually get updates via email. 

Writes TechCrunch: “It looks like Facebook will launch the service initially as a test in five cities: Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, San Diego, and San Francisco (which were all listed on the landing page). Not surprisingly, the service will also focus on activities that are best done with friends — things like concerts and events. The deals can spread both via email and via the all-important News Feed.” 

The service will launch tonight after midnight and reportedly, Facebook Credits, those points you racked up playing games, can be used to buy Deals. Sounds fuzzy. Care to explain, Facebook?

Facebook: “You can’t use Credits to directly buy real goods. You can use Credits to buy Deals and you get a voucher that you can print out and take to the merchant to redeem your deal. But you can’t use Credits to actually buy a real good.”

Ok, then.