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AOL Buys Web Based IM Provider

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

August 14, 2006, 12:14 PM

AOL on Monday announced it had acquired Userplane, maker of Web based instant messaging and chat software. Userplane's customer base includes 100,000 Web sites that pay a monthly fee based on usage, but most notably MySpace.

AOL intends to use the company's platform to extend the reach of AIM and ICQ, and enable Userplane customers to federate their communities with AOL. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Userplane's 12 employees will remain in Los Angeles and operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AOL.

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By rascally

posted Aug 14, 2006 - 10:56 PM

The company I used to work for (and still consult for) uses the userplane IM and chat software. It's overpriced crap, even though it's flash-based. It'll be interesting to see what the AOL juggernaut does to it.

Score: 0

By GS5

posted Aug 14, 2006 - 8:37 PM

Great... AOL just targeted another company for destruction.

Score: 0

By itanshi

posted Aug 14, 2006 - 12:56 PM

eh fee?

meebo is free?

i'm confused

(insert myspace criticism)

Score: 0

By simonw

posted Aug 15, 2006 - 6:47 AM

The websites are charged for using the userplane sofware, not the users of the websites, hence AOL can increase the number of users in the AIM/ICQ community.

http://www.userplane.com/

Score: 0

By JacenSolo

edited Aug 14, 2006 - 12:58 PM

I agree.

Meebo or Gaim. Simple as A B C.

and myspace is a blogging site I believe. SO is MSN spaces, which is free ^_^ (and Yahoo 360 I believe)

Score: 0

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