WebProNews

Google's been searching for a method of getting people to spend more quality time in their world. One of Yahoo's primary methods has been the instant messaging service and it looks like Google may have picked up on this as they are expected to announce the purchase of Meetroduction.

Internetnews.com reported today that Meetroduction, based out of Chicago, may be a tasty treat for Google. Bambi Francisco mentioned in her blog last week Google would do well to add an instant messaging service and it looks like that plan has been in the works.

Meetroduction's software product Meetro is what they call "location-aware social networking software," and they launched last week. The premise behind this venture is to get people together in more than just a standard chatroom. It promotes people meeting one another first online and then in person.

Meetro says the software is compatible with AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and ICQ. No word on what common IM features we might see for this one. Things like webcams and music features and even a VoIP service are available through various companies. Whether Google will come up with these on their own or merely supplement

Last week, I suggested Google might consider picking up something like Trillian and something like it may be the case. The beauty of this deal comes from the fact the Meetro just launched last week and at this point they're mostly local in Chicago. One could only assume Google will expand these capabilities to various major cities around the country and really the world for that matter.

John Stith is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.