AOL Gets It Right With Open AIM 2.0 - Embraces Meebo and eBuddy

Trackbacks/Pings (Trackback URL)

1. Naveed Anwar
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 12:04 am

   This is great news, the biggest messaging network goes more open.

2. OpenBurner
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 12:07 am

   Finally… good that AOL gets it, always better late than never!

3. Seth
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 12:28 am

   It really is Naveed. We were really psyched when AOL let us in on how open they were going. Lots of innovation’s going to come out of this in the live communications space. It’ll be fun to watch.

4. Shawn
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 12:35 am

   There is also a new open source library for integrating AIM/ICQ into Flash: http://code.google.com/p/wimas3/

5. Peter Harrington
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 12:36 am

   I can’t wait to see how meebo and ebuddy take advantage of this change. It will be really good news for them and will hopefully allow them to bring further innovation to the industry

6. Dan Bradley
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 12:42 am

   Wow, this is big in the IM world.

7. John
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 12:46 am

   This decision is clearly a response to Microsoft’s announcement last week.

8. Gregsblog
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 1:09 am

   We believe that the Open AIM developer program provides the best tools and network to build on. Just like in previous Open AIM releases going back to 2006, Open AIM 2.0 allows developers to build their own AIM client using the same API that the we use to build the flagship AIM client (www.aim.com), we also continue to allow developers to extend the client via extensions or plugins. In addition the Open AIM APIs also allow for the embedding of AIM into webpages. We also support the building of full flash and AIR applications via wimas3 (see comment 4 above). Lastly we have documented the AIM protocol, known as OSCAR, so open source projects such as libPurple can connect to our network using the full protocol.

9. Caveat Emptor
   

   March 5th, 2008 at 1:48 am

   The fine print from the OpenAIM initiative is below. It strikes me that if someone were to build a Meebo-like app, they’d still have to hack their way onto the OSCAR network.

   How else would a Meebo-style app be expected to meet 2 of the 5 heinous UI requirements? And if it did, who would use it? An AOL-specific start page? C’mon.

   (By the way, I’m referring to desktop software as much as a web-based client in this discussion.)

   Just a thought….

   V. ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

   A. Additional Feature Requirements. Any Custom Client or Web AIM Developer Application that you distribute must include at least two of the following features or functionalities (“Additional Features”) as an integral part of such distributed Developer Application:

   1. AIM Expressions. Inclusion of the capability for your users to choose and display a Buddy Icon to customize his or her user experience and provide a link to the AOL-Hosted AIM Expressions web page as documented in the AOL Additional Features document.

   2. AIM Toolbar. Inclusion of the AIM Toolbar as a user-selected option during the registration/download/installation process for the Developer Application, as applicable.

   3. AIM Start Page Launch. Inclusion of the launch of the AIM Start Page upon users’ logon to your Site or to the Developer Application.

   4. Buddy Info. Inclusion of content provided by AOL that includes information about a user’s online status, including the user’s AIM profile, and AOL-supplied advertising.

   5. Advertisement. Inclusion of an AOL-provided display advertisement (“Advertisement”) within your Custom Client, Site or activity window. Unless otherwise provided in a written agreement, all revenue from such Advertisement will belong to AOL.

   In addition to, and not in lieu of, the above requirements, in the event that the number of simultaneous users of your Custom Client or Web AIM Developer Application reaches a peak level of 100,000 at any time (as defined by AOL and provided at http://developer.aim.com/manageKeys.jsp) you must either: (i) within ninety (90) calendar days also include an Advertisement within your Custom Client, on your Site or the primary activity window of your Open AIM Developer Application, and discontinue any version of the Custom Client or Site/Activity Window that does not include an Advertisement; or (ii) within fifteen (15) calendar days, contact AOL at the following address: aimcommercial@aim.com and reach agreement on alternative arrangements satisfactory to AOL.

10. Gregsblog
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 2:06 am

    @Caveat Emptor
    Meebo is already doing two of the 5 things and have been for quite a while. First Meebo already supports buddy info when you right click on the user in the buddy list and choose view profile. Second, Meebo already displays AIM user expressions, the only thing they are missing is the ability to set the buddy icon for the user specifically on the AIM network. The list is not daunting, for the most part applications are already doing some of the above list already.

    There are programatic ways via the Open AIM API to get the things like Buddy Info where you can display the html data in your own hosted IE control. See our samples at http://dev.aol.com/openaim and you can get more details.

11. Edwin Aoki
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 2:06 am

    Thanks for your comments and for taking the time to look at the license. We’ve worked really hard to tune the license to be fair for developers while providing the kind of functionality that users expect from an AIM experience. While certainly a number of applications will likely not choose to display the AIM Start Page, most already incorporate expressions, and the Buddy Feed is a great, well-used feature within the existing AIM client. Plus, with the launch of the AIM Money program later in the spring, developers that incorporate the advertising component and sign up for the program will have the ability to get a revenue share of the ads they display, which will give them a nice way to make a few bucks from their hard work. The similar Userplane Money program has already given out over a million dollars in revshare in the last 6 months. (Note that the terms of item 5 in the license refer to the fact that the AIM Money program hasn’t yet been deployed).

    I think if you take a look at requirements and what they offer for what we ask, that they’re very reasonable, and they open up the AIM Network to a bunch of apps that previously would have had to reverse engineer and hack into the network.

12. Intercon
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 3:28 am

    Being able to get revenue share is attractive. Hope it (revenue share) will scale.

13. dualsub2006
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 6:51 am

    @Edwin Aoki
    This user stopped using AIM because of the “experience”. It isn’t reasonable to force an AIM Start Page or AOL ads on people when free alternatives exist that force none of this. My important business contacts, my friends and my family all use Google Talk. Some use the Gtalk client while others (like me) use the free and open source Pidgin to connect. I could use AIM through Pidgin but I choose not to as Google Talk is everything that I need and want without the “experience” that you speak of.

    Google Talk might be the smallest of the IM platforms out there and it may not play well with other IM protocols but if there is one thing that Google knows how to do it is provide a free service. Not everything has to be loaded down with ads or requirements to force them in front of users. AOL, MSN and Yahoo can all take comfort knowing that many of the sheeple don’t have a clue and will continue to use their bloated, ad infested applications and IM networks. Those that know better will use some form of Jabber.

14. HamSammy
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 7:43 am

    This makes it a little more interesting…

    “Open AIM $100,000 Developer Challenge”: http://topcoder.com/openaim

15. Lord
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 9:10 am

    I sincerely hope this does not lead to spam the way Yahoo’s Messenger has recently. The lack of enforceable privacy options have led me to abandon it. I have no interest in chatting with some random user pushing something.

16. Matt
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 9:33 am

    HUGE! thank you for the post, mike. This is a major move from a long stagnant giant… and you’ve even let your cheery side out for the post and decided to leave the trolling to the trolls… a little shocking considering it’s AOL but that just goes to show them, you might have bias but you aren’t afraid to give credit where credit is due. rockin post.

    (wordpress issues? if this DP im very sorry… but i troll here a lot so when i say something nice i gotta make sure you get it… hehehe…)

17. Christopher
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 9:37 am

    AIM: still remains a withering network — @Naveed, you should reread Michael’s last paragraph — whose Open AIM terms (and declining size) probably won’t inspire a ton of cool apps.

    Meebo: legitimizes access to one network and improves its chances for acquisition as no one able to pay the rumored $500 million would do so with the risk of being summarily blocked technically or legally hanging out there.

    Meebo Users: a big win, and both companies should be applauded for that!

18. Logical Extremes
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 10:20 am

    Those Comscore numbers don’t seem right. This is older data, but “the leading instant-messaging market share of Time Warner Inc.’s America Online unit. AOL has a 56% market share world-wide, according to research firm Radicati Group Inc.” [http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB112907349731466067-NH6_BwuVUaqBxDjnS6PmqQtAqpQ_20061012.html?mod=rss_free]. Have things changed so drastically? I know very few people who actually use MSN or Yahoo for IM, it’s usually either Gtalk/Jabber or AIM.

19. Gregsblog
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 10:57 am

    @Christopher
    Thanks for the feedback. AIM is the most engaged messaging community in the US. The Open AIM terms contain at least two items that most clients are already meeting. Our users feel that buddy icons and buddy profiles are two very important features for our user base.

    @dualsub2006
    Thanks for the comment. The Open AIM program is not designed to “force” features on developers nor users. Providing a link for users to set a buddy icon or a menu item to go to the AIM Startpage makes it optional for the user to open those windows. Not all users want to have a buddy icon. In terms of the display advertising, developers work long hours and put lots of effort in to building applications, consider that they may want revenue back for their efforts. Prior to the announcement this did not exist.

    Thanks again for all the feedback.

20. Jonas
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    Is ICQ to follow?

21. dualsub2006
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    @Gregsblog

    #’s 3 & 5 look like requirements to me. Maybe I am wrong. If so, that’s fine.

    And as for developers wanting to get paid, Pidgin is free and open source. Miranda is free and open source. Not everyone is in it for the money.

22. meebo looses a user
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    meebo, if you care, you just lost a user, I loved meebo and I enjoyed it, but now that your going to sell us down the river, goodbye

    sure it means a large chunk of money from aol, and further invasion of my privacy by aol, and here i thought i gave aol the heave ho a long time ago.

    all i can do is vote by stop using and promoting meebo and start convincing friends to stop using meebo as well, since they dislike aol as much as i do, it will be easy to do.

    “meebo you have now lost users, but do you care?”

23. oh, boo hoo
    

    March 5th, 2008 at 4:44 pm

    maybe you can convince all your friends to communicate using smoke signals, and give the heave-ho to “the man” once and for all.

    i guess i’m slightly more optimistic about this.

24. to: meebo loses a user
    

    March 6th, 2008 at 11:00 am

    Hey, “meebo loses a user”. Could you explain to me why you think this means meebo will get a large chunk of money from AOL and how it will cause AOL to invade your privacy? If you hate AOL so much, I’m assuming you don’t use their IM service and solely use meebo’s service in which case this deal should have zero impact on your experience.

    Can you clarify why you think otherwise?

25. yuliane555
    

    March 6th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    hey