By the first week in December, that seemed to have fallen apart.

At the time, industry analysts speculated that Google, with its deep pockets and hefty clout, either would take another run at acquiring Groupon, or it would develop its own Groupon-like service and eclipse what would then be its competitor.

Also going after Groupon's market is , which in November first announced Facebook Deals as a feature that enabled local businesses to offer users deals when they go to their Facebook page. Facebook added to its Facebook Deals service last month, tweaking the service so that it brought the deals directly to the users --- just as Groupon does.

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at or subscribe to . Her e-mail address is .

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