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Facebook announced that they are launching their version of Groupon called "Deals" on Tuesday April 26th. It was reported that Deals first launched in the following 5 citites: San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Austin and San Diego. These deals will be delivered through the user's facebook feed and via email. Users can share the details of the deals with their friends through messages, likes or posts.

Facebook is now not only a social platform to connect people, it's a social platform to connect people to companies and events and offerings. This expantion of services really opens the gates to gain shopper insights and buyer behavior.

Here in the Charlotte Social Media world, the big companies that offer local deals are Groupon, Living Social, Charlotte Half Off, and Restaurants.com where offers are emailed to you directly. However, I don't know how I feel about advertising the fact that I bought teeth whitening or boot camp to the entire facebook community. Also, as much as I care about Sue eating lunch, or Bob going to France, I really could care less what they bought that day for half the price. And it's just another way to fill up all your friends walls and inboxes, cluttering things up and potentially annoying all the friends you have.

Needless to say, I will never opt out of a deal if it seems to fit my lifestyle, so I am curious what the results will be from this program and how facebook users will take to this extra additive. If you live in one of the above cities, I encourage you to check it out, and post a message back to me talking about your experience.