Instant messaging service Meebo has given us a demo of its upcoming “Community IM” platform, which allows websites to seamlessly integrate a browser-based chat window very similar to Facebook Chat.
Meebo announced the upcoming community chat feature last July, with initial partners including DanceJam, myYearbook, AddictingGames, Sugar Publishing and Tagged. Flixster will be the first partner to launch the service, with an expected release in mid-October, with more services launching in the coming months.
The video below shows Meebo’s Community IM integrated into Flickr, which isn’t actually one of Meebo’s current partners (though an alliance may form in the future). The project was constructed as a proof-of-concept during last week’s Yahoo Hack Day, and was awarded second place in the event’s Flickr competition.
The video confirms what we suspected from the initial screenshots: this is basically a Facebook Chat clone, with the ability to communicate with external networks like AIM and MSN thrown in for good measure. This isn’t a bad thing, as most social networks have been scrambling to add a Chat feature but don’t have the resources to do so. Integrated chat is reported to increase user retention, which helps drive ad revenue.
Unfortunately, one of the most exciting features shown in the video – the ability to drag an image directly into a chat window – isn’t part of the default Community IM platform (it was a custom addition Meebo added within a few hours for the Hack Day competition). Meebo explains that it shows just how easily they can customize the platform for their partners, and says that it may well include the rich-media dragging as part of an upcoming release.
Meebo Community IM on Flickr from Meebo on Vimeo.
This is really impressive! Meebo is doing the one thing (chat) exactly right.
wow.. can’t wait to try this out.
http://firef.ly/ try that out.. Firefly is a real-time online chat application that doesn’t require an installation. It’s a “cute” application in its design and innovative.
Awesome product! Congrats to Meebo. How do we sign up
They are really doing a lot of cool unique things and expanding our ideas of communication. I’m sure a lot of web communities would pay for this kind of service. Is it going to be free. I wonder when they are going to get involved in enterprise.
meebo = im game over
no one else is even close
This is really impressive. How do they make money again?
Nobody has figured out how to make $ on IM ever. Not even AIM. I don’t think they ever will without making the service gaudy, commercial, and annoying to use.
XMPP is free, as in beer!
Looks pretty cool to me
good for me
Meebo is still alive?
Love it. Meebo is #1!
Looks cool.
(how *do* they make money?)
Impressive!
this is enthralling
chris szeto rocks, seriously.
wonder if they are planning to come up with something like google lively ?
Cool, but I have 2 questions left:
a) ICQ?
b) “If you have an online community with over 20K daily users, Meebo can add IM to your website.” – When will the 20k hurdle come down?
While Meebo’s is “upcoming”, social networks have already launched this white labeled ‘Facebook’ style chat using Userplane. Converdge launched theirs months ago, you can see it in action at http://my.mashable.com.
Userplane has monetized IM and chat for years, and its publishers can participate in their Rev-share program.
I am looking for an easy widget to allow my visitors video chat with each other.. Can you recommend something really cool?