Bebo and AOL’s AIM Offer Seamless Online Communication
AOL’s Popular Instant Messaging Service Integrates with Bebo
SAN FRANCISCO & DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Bebo, the global social networking site, and
AOL today announced a worldwide alliance to deliver the AIM service to
Bebo users. Existing
Bebo and
AIM users anywhere in the world are now able to directly connect, or exchange contact information to invite each other to join their respective services.
The alliance provides
Bebo the opportunity to grow through access to the
AIM user base. The
AIM® service (
http://www.aim.com) is one of the largest instant messaging networks and is at the center of one of the most dynamic online and mobile communities. In turn,
Bebo offers AIM access to its 38 million highly engaged users.
With the integration of
AIM with
Bebo, an
AIM icon will now automatically appear on a Beboer’s profile, and will indicate if the user is signed on to
AIM and available to chat.
Beboers, regardless of whether they have an AIM screen name, can then initiate an instant message directly from a
Bebo profile. Using the new
AIM® Friend Finder,
Bebo users can invite
AIM buddies to Bebo in two easy steps, by first entering their own screen name and password and then choosing which buddies to invite.
In addition, a co-branded
AIM/Bebo client is also available to the 38 million
Bebo users worldwide, who can easily download and install the AIM software on their desktop computer. The
AIM/Bebo client software gives
Beboers a more robust IM experience with features including video chat, mobile IM messaging, and offline messaging.
AIM integration within
Bebo profiles, AIM Friend Finder and the co-branded
AIM/Bebo software client are live and available now.
“
Bebo is dedicated to creating the best possible user experience and offering the tools that make it as simple as possible to express themselves,” said Joanna Shields, President, International at
Bebo. “Now,
Beboers can instantly communicate with their friends via
AIM without leaving the
Bebo environment, which adds another dimension to the social networking experience.”
Marcien Jenckes, Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Messaging & Social Media, AOL, said, “As one of the largest instant messaging communities in the world, we’re always looking for new ways to make it easier for users to connect and communicate with the people they care about. As one of the top global social networks, we’re excited to work with
Bebo to expand our reach in the fast-growing arena of social networking and to offer
Beboers another way to communicate online.”
About Bebo
Bebo is a global social networking website which aims to bring together like minded individuals who are creative, expressive and socially aware.
Bebo has a membership of more than 38 million world-wide, with five people register for the site every second*.
Bebo ranks as the UK’s second most engaging website after Google*.
Bebo won the People's Choice award in the Social Networking category at the 2006 Webby awards and was named as the number one search term in the Year-End Google Zeitgeist 2006.
Bebo was founded in 2005 by Michael and Xochi Birch.
*Source: comScore World Metrix
www.bebo.com About AOL
AOL® is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC is based in Dulles, Virginia.
AOL and its subsidiaries also have operations in Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at
AOL.com.