Tags: meebo, meebo Platform, Web Services

With the meebo Platform, Developers Can Now Build Applications That Connect People Live on the Web

First Applications Include Group Voice Calling, Live Broadcast, Video and Audio Calling, and Voice Chat From TalkShoe, Ustream.TV, TokBox and Pudding Media

meebo, a website for instant messaging (IM), today announced the meebo Platform, a way to let developers integrate multi-user applications to connect users live with their friends. The first set of platform applications are Web-based communication applications from Pudding Media, TalkShoe, TokBox and Ustream.TV, making voice chat, group voice calling, video and audio calling, and live broadcast available to meebo users.

For meebo users, today’s launch is just the beginning. Shortly, meebo will announce additional third-party applications that will range from the very practical to the wildly creative. These will include social single-player and multi-player casual games, office and productivity applications, shopping and entertainment, and many, many more.

“If Google is search, YouTube is video and Facebook is a social utility, then meebo aims to be live interaction,” said Seth Sternberg, CEO, meebo.

Developers can sign up for meebo Platform API access today at meebo.com/platform and participate in meebo’s public beta program. On November 27, the company will open its doors for an all-night dev camp for developers and potential partners. Additionally, meebo will offer virtual office hours to connect remote developers with the meebo team via video and audio calls.

Chat is back

Since day one, meebo has strived to bring live interaction to the Web. After announcing 500,000 user-accounts in October 2006, user registration on meebo has rocketed to 3.5 million in just 12 months with more than 6 million unique people logging in monthly. More than 1 million people each spend on average two-and-a-half hours logged into meebo every day.

According to Nielsen//NetRatings, meebo is the fastest-growing IM destination in the US – ahead of Google Talk (GOOG) and Skype Messenger (EBAY). Similar to mobile phones and social networks, IM has near-ubiquitous adoption. An estimated 500 million people use it worldwide (Radicati). According to Gartner, 66% of teens and young adults IM more than they e-mail – and IM will become the focal point of work-based communication by 2013.

Today, meebo ushers in the next phase of innovation in instant messaging with the meebo Platform – bringing the Web one step closer toward live interaction for users and developers. For users, launching an application on meebo is as simple as saying, “I want to _____ with you.” Users can click a button at the top of the toolbar to open the selection menu to launch an application. Today it’s voice and video chat. Tomorrow it’s playing games, finding restaurants together, and whatever else developers dream up.

“TokBox now enables millions of meebo users the ability to easily talk live over video or voice,” said Serge Faguet, CEO, TokBox. “As a newly-launched startup, TokBox can now utilize the meebo platform to acquire new users very quickly, gain traffic on our network, and scale our company rapidly.”

“TalkShoe’s live interactive discussion and group voice-calling application fits great into the meebo environment because it’s built to connect people with live voice communications,” said Dave Nelsen, CEO, TalkShoe. “The meebo Platform enables us to bring that capability to millions of people instantly.”

The meebo Platform will also give third-party developers a hassle-free revenue stream to monetize their applications. meebo is securing premium revenue relationships and will run user-friendly ads while applications run. meebo will then share that revenue with third-party application developers. In the future, meebo will explore giving successful third-party developers the ability to present custom or integrated advertising to meebo users on a case-by-case basis, where their advertisers are more relevant, entertaining or useful. This approach is designed to optimize the user experience and provide independent developers with a revenue stream.

“Pudding Media is pleased to be a launch partner of meebo, and we welcome the opportunity to make voice chat available to millions of meebo users,” said Ariel Maislos, CEO, Pudding Media. “Voice is our most natural form of expression and it perfectly complements meebo’s vision of taking instant messaging to the next level.”

“The potential of live video demanding premium advertising rates is immense due to the power of higher user engagement,” said John Ham, Founder, Ustream.TV. “The Ustream-meebo partnership amplifies the importance and unmatched advantages provided by the live online format. Ustream is excited to be the one-to-many live video-streaming launch partner for meebo.”

The meebo Platform closely follows the buzz around the announcement of an iPhone-optimized edition of meebo and the meebo Extension for Firefox – and therefore marks the company’s third significant innovation in less than three months.

Visit meebo.com/platform for additional information about the meebo Platform and the meebo Platform API.

About meebo

meebo is a website for instant messaging. Founded in September 2005, meebo continues to catch on with IMers across the globe. After announcing 500,000 user-accounts in October 2006, user registration on meebo has rocketed to 3.5 million in just twelve months with more than six million unique people logging in monthly. More than 1 million people spend more than two-and-a-half hours with us every day. meebo’s investors include Sequoia Capital and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Visit www.meebo.com today to connect with people live on the Web.

About Pudding Media

Pudding Media is a San Jose-based startup building a revolutionary technology that redefines how we communicate. Pudding Media’s platform allows any communications provider, from Web publisher to mobile carrier, to enrich their calling plans with content. For more information, visit: www.puddingmedia.com.

About TalkShoe

TalkShoe is located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and can be reached at +1 724-935-TALK (8255) or by email at info {at} talkshoe(.)com. The website address is www.talkshoe.com.

About TokBox

TokBox is a communication service that enables people to talk over live video in a single click, with no registration or download. TokBox also lets users send videomail to anyone with an email address, and embed video communication into any website (e.g. blogs, social networks or dating sites). TokBox has been funded by premier investors Sequoia Capital; the founders of YouTube, Netscape and Bebo; and senior executives at PayPal, Slide and Cisco. Visit www.tokbox.com to talk with anyone over live video in a single click.

About UStream.TV

Ustream.TV is a platform for live online video that helps people everywhere connect and interact. Ustream allows anyone with a camera, computer, and Internet connection to broadcast live video to a global audience. Each day, people ustream talk shows, concerts, sporting events, even weddings and graduations. The company was developed by two U.S. military veterans who wanted to create a way for people of all ages around the globe to connect with each other through the power of live online video. Ustream is headquartered in Los Altos, California, and is privately held. For more information, please visit: www.ustream.tv.

All brands, names, or trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
Contacts

Three-Forty Communications for meebo
Michaela Wilkinson, 415-233-4075
michaela {at} three-forty(.)com
or
SutherlandGold Group for Pudding Media
Erica Jostedt, 925-890-6889
ej {at} sutherlandgold(.)com
or
TalkShoe
Mark Juliano, 412-818-1876
markj {at} talkshoe(.)com
or
SutherlandGold Group for TokBox
Terra Carmichael, 415-336-3611
terra {at} sutherlandgold(.)com
or
Eastwick Communications for Ustream.TV
Lyda Velez, 650-480-4074
lyda {at} eastwick(.)com