• All Things Digital, Monday, December 5, 2011 11:50 AM

Did Facebook buy -- or is it about to buy -- location-sharing start-up Gowalla? That’s what CNNMoney.com reported on Friday, but neither company would confirm it. Yet in a letter to investors leaked to AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher, Gowalla CEO Josh Williams isn’t exactly denying the deal. “The ink on the deal is not dry, so our holding pattern is that we do not comment on rumors and speculation,” Williams explained to investors, according to a source.

“I have another email penned that was ready to send [sic] you today, assuming you would get this news before the story was officially released.” So, what does Swisher think of the deal? She doesn’t say, but her opinion of Gowalla isn’t too high. In fact, she prefers to call it “Not-Foursquare,” because of the start-up’s failure to ever take serious marketshare in the location-based sector -- even “despite its often clever approach and innovation.” Meanwhile, Gowalla, has been -- or had been -- for sale for some time, sources tell Swisher. Since its debut, the start-up has raised nearly $11 million from a range of investors, including Greylock Partners, Shasta Ventures, and Alsop Louie Partners.

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