Social networking site
Bebo (top in the UK, third in the US behind Myspace and Facebook) has announced that they will add instant messaging to the site this fall. In a switch from the proprietary Myspace IM, Bebo will be providing partial integration with Microsoft's
Windows Live Messenger (WLM) IM service.
The integration is incomplete because while Bebo users will be able to IM their Bebo friends who aren't signed into Bebo, but are on Windows Live Messenger, unfortunately they will not be able to send instant messages to Windows Live Messenger users who are not Bebo members, and WLM users won't be able to see if their friends are signed into Bebo.
Although the integration is limited, the Bebo/Microsoft agreement will help extend awareness of Windows Live Messenger and strengthen Microsoft's IM market share.
In spite of the crippled WLM integration, I much prefer Bebo's approach to IM over Myspace's proprietary IM network.
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