Yet another Facebook innovation was announced earlier this week. You’re probably already aware of the Facebook Places feature, which allows people with iPads and iPhones to ‘check in’ to places they’ve been to. From this week, businesses can now offer special deals if you check into their place. This is only available in the US at the moment, but it will be rolled out in Australia in the coming months. One of the businesses offering deals in the US already is Gap, who are giving a pair of jeans to the first 10,000 customers to claim their deal. So let’s say you’re out and you’re not sure what to do. You log into Facebook Places to see the places your friends have checked into. Everything looks the same, only with the addition of small yellow boxes. These boxes are the sign that these businesses have a special deal they want to offer you, and all you need to do to claim the Gap deal, for instance, is simply check in, and you score yourself a digital voucher entitling you to a free pair of jeans. A lot of features brought out by Facebook are often talked about as though they're a slightly suspicious and insidious force attempting to wheedle their way into your life, but this one could actually turn out to be a really positive addition for small, independent businesses. Given the viral nature of Facebook, you’re more likely to go to the places your friends check in to, be they wildly commercial or endearingly obscure. [via Anthill]