• ReadWriteWeb, Friday, September 30, 2011 12:03 PM

File this one under "farfetched." AOL is reportedly working on a localized social network built around MapQuest. "Remember them?" ReadWriteWeb asks of the unpopular mapping service, while noting that AOL have already registered some domains "that all point to a page that says something called 'mqVibe' is coming soon."

Earlier this month, ReadWriteWeb reported on some domain name purchases and trademark applications that led it believe that some sort of AOL social network was coming. "At the time, we figured it could have just been speculative," it writes. "But no, it looks like AOL is serious. MapQuest will be the hub of AOL's effort to get on the social networking map." But, what are the chances of AOL succeeding in a market so firmly dominated by Google and Facebook?

Well, "Google Maps may rule the roost, but MapQuest is good technology," ReadWriteWeb notes. "Moreover, Patch, AOL's network of local news sites, is dying for a sustainable business model," while, "AOL has all the pieces it needs to build this thing. It just needs to put them together."

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