Facebook Photo Tags For Pages Let Users Show Their Love For Brands (PHOTO)

Facebook users will soon be able to tag more than just people in photos.

On Wednesday, Facebook announced a new photo-tagging feature that lets users identify people or objects that have their own Facebook Pages. Previously, users could tag only their friends.

For example, if you've recently uploaded a photo of yourself holding a can of Coke, you can now label the Coke can with a tag that links to Coke's official Facebook Page.

The feature is currently limited to Pages for people or brands and products, though Facebook plans to expand these categories.

As with any new Facebook update, there are downsides. ZDNet's Rich Harris explains, "The more obnoxious byproduct possibility is that the trail of tagging activity in people’s feeds could be overkill."

Noting potential privacy concerns, Facebook warns that public photo will "appear publicly on the Photos tab of the Page," while pictures shared just with friends will only be accessible to friends.

If it catches on, this new feature could be great for brands looking to virally spread awareness about their products. It could also be a big opportunity for Facebook to monetize the site's popular photo service.

Writes the Atlantic, "It's conceivable that, soon enough, you won't need to tag the Pages in your photos, but that Facebook will do it for you, demanding that, once you're photographed with an object, you're forever associated with it. Coke would love that."

LOOK:

Comments

[Michelle M Mccormack]

09:47 AM on 05/17/2011

yeah but now pages can't tag pages

[Widespread Panic]

11:44 AM on 05/13/2011

God...when does it ever end???

[Rachel Lieberman]

10:50 AM on 05/13/2011

This is WAY too much like "Feed" by MT Anderson to make me comfortable. Ick.

[J0E1]

05:14 PM on 05/12/2011

Why would anyone go out of their way to tag a product and give it free advertising?

[Oneandoneandone]

02:50 PM on 05/12/2011

Well I guess it's good that all of my photos are already of oceans and forests I've visited, not people holding things.

[Lawrence Bullock]

02:43 PM on 05/12/2011

Lie down with the Internet...get up with advertisers...

[mansterEZ]

02:29 PM on 05/12/2011

I've been reluctant to create a facebook page or account. Now I'm sure not going to expose myself to a landslide of corporate product promotion. Zuckerberg is not interested in protecting individual privacy. There is no better way to spread a virus that will require purchasing even more technology security. Now I'm wondering if Arianna and the HuffPo since the AOL merger are similarly aligned.

The recent purchase of Skype by Microsoft did not result in contributing taxes to the US economy because Skype is based in Luxembourg; therefore, out of US jurisdiction. If this deal occurred within US authority the resulting tax contribution would have been around $2 billion. Most online transactions are not subject to being taxed which is contributing to our demise. Our gov't cannot continue on this path because no one can run deficits into infinity and expect to thrive.

[darquelourd]

12:46 PM on 05/12/2011

wow, the circle is complete, you are what you buy.

goodbye human personality. hello marketing and branding.

if I were a product would YOU use me?

[cmalloy]

12:43 PM on 05/12/2011

I always thought the end of the world would be more Michael Bay-esque. But this scenario looks promising.

[SolarPowerGuy]

12:40 PM on 05/12/2011

I've been online since 1985. I'm an old Usenet guy (raise your hands if you remember it!). I program computers. But I NEVER had an interest in Facebook/Twitter etc. Why? Mostly, because I'm tired of being poked and probed by advertisers.

Twenty years ago, even before marketing had metastasized onto the Internet, I was ALREADY thoroughly sick of America's hucksters trying to turn every last waking moment of my life into a marketing opportunity. I quietly curse advertisers every time I throw out my junk mail, even though I've registered multiple times with the Mail Preference Service. And I scowl when I have to wait for my answering machine to screen a phone call, EVEN THOUGH my number has been on the national Do Not Call list for years (and renewed regularly). Supposedly "targeted" marketing doesn't help much. Look, when I'm not shopping, which is most of the time, I'm NOT SHOPPING! Bug off!

I'd like to see tools that most people use bundled into basic Internet packages. For example, my ISP provides me with a free Flickr account. If there was a version of Facebook with, say, a $25/year annual subscription and ZERO marketing junk -- would you buy it?

[blyan]

01:49 PM on 05/12/2011

Totally understand this argument. However, I don't think they're assuming that you're shopping. It's more about getting the product image out there, much like watching advertisements on tv. That way, next time you're in the store and choosing between two products, you'll be more likely to choose theirs (or at least, that's their hopes).

That being said, this isn't really an advertising campaign. It's completely voluntary and allows users to tag non-friend facebook pages (like music, books, movies, companies, celebrities, etc). If people don't want to use it, they don't have to. It's as simple as that.

And yes, I remember usenet and hotline and all those old school things :P

Personally, I don't mind ad-driven freeware. Facebook still gets to make money and I don't have to pay for a social networking service. Would I pay for it if I absolutely had to? Sure. I'd probably just delete my Facebook instead though.

[DoyouhaveaflagUK]

12:28 PM on 05/12/2011

disgusting

[btdenver]

12:27 PM on 05/12/2011

Can I post a picture of a cow pie and label it "Facebook"?

[jayburd]

12:25 PM on 05/12/2011

Done with FB.

Done. Web 2.0 had better clean up its act or there will soon be a mass exodus.

[blyan]

01:27 PM on 05/12/2011

No there won't.

[TheOuroborus]

12:12 PM on 05/12/2011

Ugh. The whole thing already feels like a Minority Report shopping mall. I'm officially done with fb.

[blyan]

01:46 PM on 05/12/2011

Side note: they've actually invented that technology by the way. It's advertisements with facial mapping technology that will send you ads depending on your preferences and can talk to you. I don't know if they're being used already, but I remember reading a few articles that the technology had been invented.

[zlohcuc]

12:10 PM on 05/12/2011

As a population we are approching a phase of vapidity that has not yet been defined.This message brought to you by sanihands...the soap I use prior to typing on my keyboard.

[Integrity4most]

03:12 AM on 05/13/2011

Your message has been received by way of Charmin. Technology is certainly a mixed bag, isn't it?