Trying to get a fix on Facebook's approach to location is a slippery business.

Having reportedly made a failed bid to acquire Foursquare in summer 2010, the social network launched its own location tool Places in 2010, expected by many to blow the competition away.

Except it didn't. Existing platforms reported a rise in activity after Places rolled out, and only a few months ago it was reported check-ins were to be dropped altogether from the next update to Facebook's mobile apps – a move that never actually materialised.

On the get-Gowalla

Now CNN is reporting – without confirmation from either party – that Facebook has swooped for one time Foursquare rival Gowalla.

No figures have been mentioned, but the site claims a "source close to Gowalla" broke the news unofficially.

"It's a perfect match," the source stated, with Gowalla itself declining to comment.

"As far as the big picture, Gowalla's vision is about people telling stories, and Facebook's vision for Timeline is about stories about important moments in life."

Indeed, it's Facebook's new feature Timeline that Gowalla will reportedly sent to work on, rather than any specific location-based tool – though there's a hefty chance the firm will bring a location bent to what's arguably the biggest change to the social network's platform since it went public.

Gowalla, which will move to Facebook's Palo Alto base as a result of the deal, has already indulged in a spate of reinvention of late, having refocused as travel-flavoured location tool following rival Foursquare's continued dominance in the sector.

[source: CNN]