Accepting an invitation to a Facebook event isnt always an easy decision: who else is going? How much will it cost? Will you look awkward and out of place? And how will you get there?
According to a patent for "event-based ride-sharing", Facebook wants to help out with that last issue - once youve promised youre going, youll see a map showing which of your other friends are attending and the routes theyre using to get there.
That way you can get in touch with one of them and arrange a lift - sorry Uber. Youll also be able to indicate if youre driving yourself and whether youd be willing to give a few random acquaintances a ride.
Taken for a ride
The usual patent caveat applies: this just shows something Facebook is thinking about rather than something that will definitely make it to your Events pages. Nevertheless, its interesting to see the sort of ideas that are being floated on Mark Zuckerbergs whiteboard.
Ultimately you would be able to see which of your pals was heading to the event and how many spaces they had left. Drivers could send out lift offers to specific people or open up their vehicles to all-comers (which might be interesting if youre heading to Glastonbury).
Much like Uber, youll get an indication on your phone when your lift is approaching, and of course local adverts could be tied in too. The patent doesnt appear to cover how everyones going to get home, but youll sort that out when you get there, right?
- Via HardwareZone
from www.techradar.com/
