When Facebook launched Places, a feature that lets users "check-in" to Facebook to let their friends know where they are, in August many saw it as a direct shot at Foursquare. People wondered how the popular location-based social network would respond.
Turns out it didn't need to. Seven months in, Foursquare said it's seen its user base double since the launch of the Facebook competitor.
Speaking to the U.K.'s The Telegraph, Dennis Crowley, the co-founder of Foursquare, said:
“The launch of Facebook Places has not affected Foursquare’s growth. We have actually doubled the number of registered users [since the launch last August] and now have between seven and a half to eight million [registered] users.”
Crowley went on to say that he believes Foursquare functions fundamentally different than Facebook, and therefore he isn't worried. The current focus of the company, Crawley explained, is to get more users using its recommendation engine—a service that lets users know what stores and restaurants are near them—which was rolled out in the latest version of the app.
However, as Facebook ramps up its Places service with Deals and Event Check-Ins, it may not be long until Mark Zuckerberg and Co. catches up. But hey, at least the service is adding users and not losing 'em like Myspace.
[via The Telegraph]
