Meebo
Encyclopedia
Meebo is a social platform connecting users with their friends across the web. It began in 2005 as a browser based instant messaging
program which supported multiple IM services, including Yahoo! Messenger
, Windows Live Messenger
, AIM
, ICQ
, MySpaceIM
, Facebook Chat, Google Talk
, CafeMom
and others;
Meebo expanded its offering with the introduction of Meebo Rooms (now discontinued) and the Meebo Bar. The Meebo bar allows users to chat with their friends on hundreds of web sites including TV Guide
, TMZ
, CafeMom
, Entertainment Weekly
and others. Meebo has over 190 million unique users globally.
The Meebo messaging platform is based on the free
and open source library libpurple http://developer.pidgin.im/wiki/WhatIsLibpurple created by the software developers of Pidgin
.
Meebo was founded in September 2005 by Sandy Jen, Seth Sternberg and Elaine Wherry, and is based in Mountain View
, California
.
Meebo also developed a version of Meebo for use on the iPhone
and a native application that runs on Android mobile phones.
on December 15, 2005. Meebo includes features such as invisible sign on (to prevent others from knowing when a user connects) and simultaneous connections to multiple IM services. Early angel investors in Meebo include Auren Hoffman
and Marc Andreessen
.
On August 2, 2006, Meebo launched the "meebo me" widget, which allows users to embed a version of Meebo on their personal website. Additionally, on October 11, 2006, they announced a partnership with Amie Street
to include the "meebo me" widget on each Amie Street user page.
Meebo allows some people who are behind firewalled networks (networks that block the various instant messaging protocols but have not blocked the meebo.com domain name) to connect to instant messaging services due to the fact the user connects to only port 443 (HTTPS) and the Meebo service itself then connects to the various instant messaging protocols.
In 2010, Meebo was recognized as one of the "Hottest Silicon Valley Companies" by Lead411.
, where they can 'Like' their page and receive updates.
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
program which supported multiple IM services, including Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!...
, Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
, AIM
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
, ICQ
ICQ
ICQ is an instant messaging computer program, which was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis, then bought by America Online, and since April 2010 owned by Mail.ru Group. The name ICQ is a homophone for the phrase "I seek you"...
, MySpaceIM
MySpaceIM
MySpaceIM is the official instant messaging client for the social networking site MySpace.In 2009, a web-based client dubbed was released to all English-speaking countries, allowing users to interact with friends and non-friends alike to grow their network...
, Facebook Chat, Google Talk
Google Talk
Google Talk is a freeware voice over Internet protocol client application offered by Google Inc. The first beta version of the program was released on August 24, 2005...
, CafeMom
CafeMom
CafeMom is an ad-supported social networking site which is specifically targeted at mothers and mothers to be. It was founded in 2006 by Andrew Shue and Michael Sanchez....
and others;
Meebo expanded its offering with the introduction of Meebo Rooms (now discontinued) and the Meebo Bar. The Meebo bar allows users to chat with their friends on hundreds of web sites including TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, TMZ
TMZ.com
TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
, CafeMom
CafeMom
CafeMom is an ad-supported social networking site which is specifically targeted at mothers and mothers to be. It was founded in 2006 by Andrew Shue and Michael Sanchez....
, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and others. Meebo has over 190 million unique users globally.
The Meebo messaging platform is based on the free
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
and open source library libpurple http://developer.pidgin.im/wiki/WhatIsLibpurple created by the software developers of Pidgin
Pidgin (software)
Pidgin is an open-source multi-platform instant messaging client, based on a library named libpurple. Libpurple has support for many commonly used instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to log into various services from one application.The number of Pidgin users was estimated to be over 3...
.
Meebo was founded in September 2005 by Sandy Jen, Seth Sternberg and Elaine Wherry, and is based in Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Meebo also developed a version of Meebo for use on the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and a native application that runs on Android mobile phones.
Timeline
Meebo received funding from Sequoia CapitalSequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital is a Californian venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California. The Wall Street Journal has called Sequoia Capital "one of the highest-caliber venture firms", and noted that it is "one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture-capital firms"...
on December 15, 2005. Meebo includes features such as invisible sign on (to prevent others from knowing when a user connects) and simultaneous connections to multiple IM services. Early angel investors in Meebo include Auren Hoffman
Auren Hoffman
Auren Raphael Hoffman is an American entrepreneur, CEO of Rapleaf, editor of Summation.net, angel investor, and member of Council on Foreign Relations.-Business:Hoffman sold his first tech company, while still in his 20's...
and Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen is an American entrepreneur, investor, software engineer, and multi-millionaire best known as co-author of Mosaic, the first widely-used web browser, and co-founder of Netscape Communications Corporation. He founded and later sold the software company Opsware to Hewlett-Packard...
.
On August 2, 2006, Meebo launched the "meebo me" widget, which allows users to embed a version of Meebo on their personal website. Additionally, on October 11, 2006, they announced a partnership with Amie Street
Amie Street
Amie Street was an indie online music store and social network service created in 2006 by Brown University seniors Elliott Breece, Elias Roman, and Joshua Boltuch, in Providence, Rhode Island...
to include the "meebo me" widget on each Amie Street user page.
Meebo allows some people who are behind firewalled networks (networks that block the various instant messaging protocols but have not blocked the meebo.com domain name) to connect to instant messaging services due to the fact the user connects to only port 443 (HTTPS) and the Meebo service itself then connects to the various instant messaging protocols.
- As of 14 May 2007, Meebo incorporated "Meebo Rooms". Users of Meebo can connect to chat rooms or host their own for which multiple friends can join and chat. Meebo Rooms also grants a degree of control to the user with invite and ban authority. Classic Meebo was updated to reflect the release prior to Meebo Rooms to allow users with outdated browsers to continue to use meebo.
- On 10 September 2007, Meebo announced support for file transfers between users.
- In late 2007, Meebo was included as a web app with gOSGOS (operating system)gOS or "good OS" was an Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux distribution created by Good OS LLC, a Los Angeles-based corporation. Its CIO Dave Liu described that after meeting Enlightenment and open source people, he realized that his dream to bring Web 2.0 applications into mainstream use could be achieved by...
, a Linux distributionLinux distributionA Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
.
- In April 2008, Meebo secured $25M in venture capital funding.
- In November 2008, Meebo launched Meebo for Android.
- In December 2008, Meebo added support for two new IM networks, Myspace IM and Facebook Chat.
- In December 2009, Meebo launched Meebo Bar, a gadget that let visitors use Meebo from the bottom of a webpage. It replaces Community IM.
- In February 2010, Meebo launched Meebo for iPhone and iPod Touch.
- In May 2010, the original Meebo Rooms service was discontinued as Meebo believed that it no longer fit their core mission of connecting users with their closest friends. The old public rooms remained online, but could only be accessed by users who added the room to their friends list before the service was discontinued. User responses to the change have been overwhelmingly negative, with many describing the rooms as places that allowed them to create meaningful friendships or as the primary reason that they used Meebo. Since the change, the service, which previously featured several active communities, has fallen into disuse. Users can still create private rooms which are password-protected, non-searchable, and require them to invite their friends.
- In September 2010, Meebo launched Meebo for BlackBerry.
- In December 2010, Meebo secured another $27.5M in venture capital funding. This brings their total funding amount to around $70M.
- In August 2011, Meebo announced that all rooms would cease to be available in October 2011. No explanation for the cancellation was given, and user response was overwhelmingly negative.
Recognition
In 2009, Meebo received a Think Social Award from the ThinkSocial team.In 2010, Meebo was recognized as one of the "Hottest Silicon Valley Companies" by Lead411.
Social integration
Meebo has been integrated into many Social Networking sites for IM features between users. The Meebo look will have changed and be replaced by the site's branding, but still uses Meebo's API's.Bebo
Bebo Chat, was launched in 2011, which allows users to chat to other users via Meebo's IM bar. You can also update your 'Saying' and show your availability status, as well as have access to other links to Bebo's pages, and special offers. It also provides a link for users to visit Bebo's fan page on FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, where they can 'Like' their page and receive updates.