Bebo and AOL’s AIM Offer Seamless Online Communication

AOL’s Popular Instant Messaging Service Integrates with Bebo



San Francisco, CA and Dulles, VA .- 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.”