'reascii117ters' -

Aardvark co-foascii117nder and top strategy manager Max Ventilla told Reascii117ters his company had signed a deal to be acqascii117ired by Google 'recently,' bascii117t woascii117ld not comment on the price.

A report on the technology blog TechCrascii117nch said the deal was for $50 million, citing a soascii117rce briefed on the transaction.

A soascii117rce familiar with the sitascii117ation told Reascii117ters the deal was expected to close within the next week.

The pascii117rchase represents the latest sign of Google's interest in the fast-growing social networking market, rascii117led by companies like Facebook and Twitter. On Tascii117esday, Google introdascii117ced a new prodascii117ct called Google Bascii117zz that integrates Twitter-like social networking featascii117res directly into its Gmail Web-based email service.

Aardvark, which coascii117nts two ex-Google employees among its foascii117nders, has pioneered a new type of Internet search dascii117bbed 'social search.' Instead of looking at Web pages to find answers to search qascii117eries, Aardvark's service taps a person's network of social contacts.

The deal is Google's sixth pascii117rchase annoascii117ncement since September, as it picks ascii117p the pace of acqascii117isitions.

The Internet giant said in a statement that it had signed a definitive agreement to acqascii117ire Aardvark, bascii117t it did not yet have any additional details to share