AIM and Bebo Team Up for Seamless Chat

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Bebo.com recently announced a partnership with AOL that pairs the social networking monster with Instant Messenger (AIM). The marriage will produce the following features…1) Bebo profiles will indicate if you are signed in to AIM. 2) Users can receive instant messages from non-AIM users.3) Bebo users can send out mass invites using the AIM Friend Finder.

AIM 6.5 just rolled out and boasts a “Tunes Plugin” that lets users stream music that buddies have added to their playlist - without the need for additional downloads. And coming soon, the ability to share photos, keep notes and send enhanced IMs over SMS. The messaging tool sure has come a long way over the past 10-plus years, evolving way past just real-time text communication between two or more people

Bebo continues to add tons of users (reportedly, over one-third of them under 18) by luring them with unique features such as designable whiteboards and quizzes. With more than 38 registered users worldwide, a recent study claimed that Bebo adds five users every second.

“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,” said AOL Messaging & Social Media Sr. Vice President & General Manager Marcien Jenckes.

The pairing of AIM and Bebo doesn’t bode well for Meebo - a site that lets users IM anywhere without any downloads. With 100 million IMs a day, it will be interesting to see how the company - which has already received a healthy share of funding - fares in the future.