LBS Tibits

What’s going to be big at SXSW this year? Some argue three and two years ago the big thing was Twitter. Last year it was LBS. And this year? LBS again.

Based on what I’ve been hearing, basically at the major players in the location-based space have big things planned for this year’s SXSW. Foursquare hopes to have a new, completely overhauled version of its iPhone app ready for the event this year. They are also likely to have a huge batch of new badges for people to collect throughout the week. Meanwhile, Gowalla has a large event of its own, complete with special VIP access if you use the service throughout the conference. The SXSW conference is also highlighting the Austin-based Gowalla as a key tool on its own pages.A newer startup,  Plancast (started by TechCrunch alum Mark Hendrickson ? think “Foursquare For The Future”), has already put together a helpful unofficial SXSW guide surrounding events during the conference (and actually events for those who aren’t attending too). They also hope to have their iPhone app ready in time for the conference.Meanwhile, both Twitter’s and SimpleGeo’s plans are still largely unknown at this point, but both are planning big things, we hear. Twitter could use the event to launch its ad platform, and CEO Evan Williams is giving the keynote on Monday.And then, of course, there is Facebook. While they’re sniffing around Loopt right now, could they use the conference to talk a bit more about their location plans?

- TechCrunch

Yesterday Placecast launched ShopAlerts. Yes, it’s just what you think:

Today Placecast introduces ShopAlerts, a new way to bring customers closer to the brands they love. ShopAlerts delivers location-triggered mobile messages when shoppers enter geo-fences that can be created around virtually any area. The service, previously tested in trials, has already demonstrated promising results for retail marketers across the United States.

- press release

Socialight announced its new platform for building your own “foursquare.”

The new Socialight Community Platform, launching today, is designed to help enterprise clients connect multimedia content and information to a map interface, which users can access via website, WAP site, or iPhone app. Think of it as Ning for LBS.

- Ad Age