Bebo links up with Microsoft Social networking site Bebo will partner with Microsoft to use the software maker's Windows Live instant messaging service on its site and simplify the exchange of contacts.
Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, is aggressively seeking partnerships with social networking Web sites as a way to become a major player in the growing market for Internet services and online advertising.
Social networking sites have attracted millions of users who spend hours creating their own pages and finding friends. They have become among the hottest names in the technology industry because they own a loyal and engaged audience, offering rich advertising opportunities.
Bebo, the largest social networking site in the UK, will allow its 36 million global users to export and import contacts between its site and contacts lists maintained on Microsoft's Windows Live online services.
It also plans to introduce a service run by Windows Live to allow its users to instant message one another with one click from their profile page. Those users with Windows Live accounts can add an "IM Me" icon on their profile pages.
"Our core strength is not building applications. We're more of an open platform and much more likely to partner than build it ourselves," said Joanna Shields, president of Bebo's international business.
About 90% of Bebo users already use Windows Live IM services, according to Shields, making Microsoft the most logical partner.
The alliance with Bebo, a social network centred around music, marks the first time Microsoft has partnered with a social networking site to run communication services like instant messaging.
Microsoft has more than 300 million Windows Live users, who frequently log in to check e-mail and instant messages. Those users represent Microsoft's most valuable asset in catching Web leaders Google and Yahoo.
Microsoft targets Web 2.0Continue At Source
Continue to this article at Bink.nu
http://bink.nu/Article10861.bink
