Pinpointing IM users

You may've heard of social mapping on cellphones (pinpointing friends' physical location with GPS technology – see "Mobile socializing"). Now there's social mapping in IM. AOL's AIM instant messenger "adds a new group of AIM's buddy list windows called 'Near Me'," the Associated Press reports. This isn't GPS (global positioning system). Near Me "tracks locations by using the continuous wireless pulses emitted at Wi-Fi hot spots and by Wi-Fi home networks instead of satellite-based positioning. It's a free download, so AIM users at your house could already have it – something parents might want to check. "The application also can display a buddy's location on a map. For now, these capabilities will be available when using AIM on a computer, but not on a cellphone," the AP adds.