Twitter locations descriptions are for the wrong continent!

Brightkite keeps posting the wrong location details to Twitter, placing me on the other side of the world from the correct location I checked in at using the iPhone app.

Here's an example: http://twitter.com/jamesandrews/statu...

The tweet reads:
'I'm at Roxie Cinema (3117 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA)'

whereas if you click through on the Brightkite link you see the real location as:
'jim checked in at: South Hackney, ENG, United Kingdom'.

So Brightkite is correctly identifying my location in the UK but for some reason tweets the wrong description for the link.

I’m suffering from ennui...

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logorrhoea replied on October 22, 2008 09:31

I also have this problem. The iPhone app finds me great, but then when I check in, the tweet says "I'm at San Francisco, CA (San Francisco, CA, US)". But when you click on the link, it shows my correct location.

Here's an example: http://twitter.com/logorrhoea/statuse...

I’m frustrated and annoyed

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James A replied on October 22, 2008 10:50

As a follow up, I've since tried viewing the my linked Brightkite page when I'm not logged in to Brightkite and it's showing the Roxie Cinema. i.e. it matches the description in the tweet. This is what everyone who views this problem will see unless they happen to be a friend.

So the problem relates to Brightkite's privacy settings. My public setting is set at City level and for some reason Brightkite isn't properly abstracting the city from my current location and is replacing it with some other location (though strangely the Roxie is a specific location rather than a city wide one).

I’m desolate!

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Martin May, Official Rep, replied on October 22, 2008 12:30

We've identified the problem...it lies with our place hierarchy determination. For every place in Brightkite, we identify its enclosing places (city, state, country, etc).

It seems that something went wrong in this particular case, and for some reason Roxie cinema is set as the city-level ancestor for you actual location.

We'll take a closer look at this one and will hopefully come up with a fix soon. Thanks for reporting it.

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James A commented on October 22, 2008 13:54

Thanks Martin, that's great.
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logorrhoea replied on October 23, 2008 10:17

Another error in the Brightkite tweet: http://twitter.com/logorrhoea/statuse...

It knows where I am (click on the bkite link in the tweet) but then the tweet say I'm in Richmond, Yorkshire, instead of Richmond, Surrey. I'd be more understanding if there was any consistency but why get my location right on Brightkite and tweet the wrong one?

I’m fed up

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Lesley, (Official Rep), commented on October 23, 2008 16:46

It has to do with your privacy settings. You're seeing your exact location, but with your privacy set to city level everyone else (including Twitter) is only seeing the city and that's where the problems with our place hierarchy comes into play. We are working on a fix for this, so please bear with us.
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Mark Goody replied on October 23, 2008 10:58

I'm having a very similar problem. I've checked in at various locations around Hillsborough, Northern Ireland and Belfast, Northern Ireland. They show correctly in my brightkite stream, but the updates posted to twitter insist I'm in Berkeley, CA!

Wish I was...

I’m amused

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James A replied on October 23, 2008 17:49

I've noticed there is also a problem with FireEagle updates, though it's offering up a second different location:
FireEagle was updated with the location 'Hackney Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, England' whereas Brightkite correctly had me located in 'South Hackney, ENG, United Kingdom' (these locations are about 150 miles apart).

I'd like to start using Brightkite more as I think the new iPhone client is excellent. The fact that it can post to Twitter and update FireEagle is fantastic, but only if the data is correct. Is there any kind of ETA on a fix for either or both of these issues?

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Martin May, (Official Rep), commented on October 23, 2008 17:58

It's our top priority, but we want to fix it properly. I can't give you an ETA, but I am personally working on this one, so hopefully soon.
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Greg Lexiphanic replied on November 01, 2008 07:33

here in Australia, mine just locates me a few suburbs away.
Should be 156 Heal St, New Farm, Q, 4000; instead it's Newmarket, QLD.

And, yes, it's definitely privacy-based. I look forward to a response on this.

I’m frustrated

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