Twitter partners with Foursquare to add precise locations to tweets
With Foursquare's database of more than 65 million places worldwide, Twitter will be able to let you get a lot more specific. Twitter recently published a video showing its new Foursquare location mash-up in action. At first glance it's a set-up that Facebook users will be immediately familiar with.
Based on the video, when you decide to add your location to a tweet you'll be presented with a list of nearby businesses or places of interest in the immediate area. Just select the location that best represents where you are and all your followers will be able to see if you're at the café near your house or the pizza joint across the street.
Twitter's video didn't show what happens if you share your location automatically in all your tweets. Will the app automatically select the most likely location for you or will it default to a general location as it does now
The story behind the story: With Foursquare, Twitter gets a powerful location database that it can immediately roll out worldwide--assuming the deal covers everything Foursquare has to offer. For Foursquare, Twitter and its nearly 300 million active users is another big addition to the location platform. In addition to Twitter, Foursquare powers or contributes to the location services for a number of big online services including Microsoft's Cortana and Bing local search, Flickr, and Waze.
When does it launch
Twitter hasn't announced when the new location options will roll out to mobile users other than to say it's coming soon. It's also not clear if the location offering will be available on all its mobile apps, including BlackBerry and Windows Phone, or if this will first be an iOS/Android service.