Twitter’s going Places. Finally

Twitter Places, announced back in April and in partnership with TomTom and Localeze, launches globally today as location based social media hits a new high.

Location based social networking has taken off in the US with sites such as FourSquare and Dodgeball – now, Twitter wants ‘in’ with its Twitter Places.

The sector is expected to be worth some $3.3 billion by 2013 and has advertisers excited.

The idea of location based advertising has been touted for some time. Pretty much since the advent of the mobile phone advertisers have pondered how to deliver ads based on a users location without being too intrusive.

But location based social networking seems to be opening up the doors for advertisers who wonder that if these social networkers don’t mind sharing their location with their mates, surely they don’t mind being advertised there too?

Location based advertising doesn’t have to be intrusive. It can be as simple as icons on a map. For those who opt in, it can also be awfully convenient and helpful.

To launch Twitter Places, Twitter is using the World Cup to lure in tweeters and advertisers to draw attention to the new location app.

It says on its official blog: “When turning to Twitter to keep up with the current game, it helps to know where a Tweet is coming from—is that person watching the game on TV or is he actually in the stadium?”

From today, Twitter users can tag Tweets with specific places, including all World Cup stadiums in South Africa, and create new Twitter Places.

Users can also click a Twitter Place within a Tweet to see recent Tweets from a particular location.

Several other features of the launch include:

Foursquare and Gowalla integration

Many Foursquare and Gowalla users publish check-ins to Twitter. Location is a key component of these Tweets, so Twitter has worked closely with both companies to associate a Twitter Place with Tweets generated by these services. This means that if a user clicks on a Twitter Place, such as “Ritual Roasters,” users will see standard Tweets and check-ins from Foursquare and Gowalla.

API

Twitter is releasing API functionality that lets developers integrate Twitter Places into their applications. 

Support for more browsers

Now users can add location to their Tweets from any browser—Safari and Internet Explorer, in addition to Chrome or Firefox. 

Over the next week, Twitter will roll out Twitter Places to users in 65 countries around the world. Keep an eye out for the “Add your location” link below the ‘Tweet’ box.