Geo-coded comments in a messaging service

A computer-implemented method for managing real-time messages associated with a user location, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a mobile computing device, one or more messages associated with an area within a geographic location, wherein the one or more messages comprise messages posted by users of a system that associates messages that those users posted about an area within a geographic location;
• providing, on a display of the mobile computing device, one or more posted message icons that are presented in a layer over another layer in the display, wherein the one or more posted message icons represent the one or more posted messages;
• receiving, at the mobile computing device, a user input of a selection of one of the posted message icons to present information associated with the posted message associated with the posted message icon;
• and
• presenting, on the mobile computing device, the information associated with the posted message on the display of the mobile computing device.

A system for real-time messages associated a user location, the system comprising:

• a mobile computing device configured to:
• receive one or more messages associated with an area within an estimated geographic location, wherein the one or more messages comprise messages posted by users of the system to associate messages that those users posted about the area within the estimated geographic location;
• and
• provide one or more posted message icons that are presented in a layer over a map, wherein the one or more posted message icons represent the one or more posted messages;
• and
• a location-identification unit to determine the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device;
• and
• a server to receive the estimated geographic location and forward the one or more posted messages associated with the area to the mobile computing device.