Foursquare, the location-based social networking site, is in talks with Google, Microsoft and Yahoo regarding potential search partnerships, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Dennis Crowley, Foursquare’s co-founder, said that his company was in talks with all three major search engines: Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft about a data partnership. “Our data generates hugely interesting trends which would enrich search,” Crowley said.
"Twitter helped the world and the search engines know what people are talking about. Foursquare would allow people to search for the types of place people are going to – and where is trending – not what.”
Foursquare allows users to "check-in" to venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application. Users are then awarded points and sometimes "badges" in what is commonly referred to as a social-networking game. Devices such as Apple"s iPhone and Google"s Android phones include native Foursquare applications that are used for check-ins.
The popular location-based social network reached two million members last week, only three months after its first million users. It"s not clear when any search deals will be complete as Crowley did not give exact timeframes to The Telegraph.