This week Twitter unveiled a new tool that allows users to share their location information when they send tweets. The new feature is accessible from mobile browsers and desktop browsers, though some smartphone apps already offer location sharing.It would appear that Twitter is late to the game when it comes to location sharing. Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt and others already offer location sharing, and do so in a fun and interactive way for users. But Twitter's installed base us huge. That gives it a leg up in spurring user adoption.

Twitter's version of location sharing is opt-in, and must be turned on through each individual's account settings. It lets users add their exact location or their general location, such as a neighborhood or place, to each Tweet as it is composed. It will work on desktop browsers (Chrome and Firefox 3.5) and the mobile version of Twitter. Twitter also says that it will work the the third-party apps that support location sharing, such as TweetDeck for the iPhone. Twitter explains:

For each Tweet, we will publicly display whatever location information you've elected to share. For example, if you update from Twitter Mobile and have specified that a particular Tweet should show your exact location, these coordinates can be seen on Twitter.com, Twitter mobile, and in third-party applications.

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If you choose to only share your place, those Tweets will only be displayed with the general neighborhood information. Application developers are required to be up-front and obvious about whether your exact coordinates will be displayed, or just the place. When you tweet from a third-party application or mobile device, it should be clear which type of data will be publicly displayed.

Concerned about privacy? Well, those using social networks should know that privacy and social networks don't exactly go hand-in-hand, but Twitter has built in some safeguards. Twitter will store the location info that's embedded in tweets forever, but, it is providing a tool that will wipe out all the location data with a single click if users decide they no longer want to share their location.

Twitter reminds users that they need to be careful of what they share. It notes that location info can be removed from individual tweets as they are composed, and says that people should become familiar with the differences between sharing their exact location and their general location

Each user will need to determine for themselves if this is a good thing or not, and if it will be beneficial to them at all. I imagine that Foursquare users and the like will warm to it quickly, but how many location-sharing services need one participate in? Will Twitter's new feature dim the prospects of its competitors, or spur them to develop better applications?