Facebook will add Gowalla, a location sharing service similar to Foursquare, to its portfolio of services.
While Facebook has declined to comment on the deal, according to CNNMoney, "Facebook has acquired location sharing service Gowalla for an undisclosed sum, according to a source close to Gowalla."
What is Gowalla?
According to Gowilla's website, "Gowalla helps you keep up with friends, share your favorite places and discover the extraordinary around you."
Gowalla works very similar to Foursquare with users checking into spots in their local neighborhood through a dedicated mobile application or through the mobile website. Users receive virtual items as a reward for checking in as sponsors often develop promotional tools for playing the game.
Disney's theme parks created a partnership with Gowalla last year to use the service to check in to their resorts and create custom trips for its users and earn digital versions of Disney's popular pins.
Gowalla tried to compete with Foursquare but they never quite took off in terms of membership. A USAToday article estimated that Gowalla had about 600,000 members.
As a standalone service Gowalla was one of many online services trying to establish an identity and a following. As part of the Facebook family, the Gowalla location sharing service will be a popular addition that will be used by many Facebook followers in the weeks ahead.
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