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Google to buy Meebo

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Google’s buying up more and more property as they are now the owners of Meebo, an instant messaging firm who’ve since introduced the Meebo Bar, a social messaging system that can be used to add chat features to any site.

Don’t get too happy (or sad) just yet: this doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be getting a chat bar on desktop versions of Google+, although we do wish Google would allow us to use Messenger. Google is using the obligatory PR tongue to describe what they’re doing with Meebo:

We are always looking for better ways to help users share content and connect with others across the web, just as they do in real life. With the Meebo team’s expertise in social publisher tools, we believe they will be a great fit with the Google+ team. We look forward to closing the transaction and working with the Meebo team to create more ways for users to engage online.

So anything is possible at this point. Meebo could be helping Google with something completely unrelated to Messenger, or they could be. Or something. Either way, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one. The deal, worth an undisclosed amount, has yet to be closed but we see now reason they will have to overcome any huge obstacles. Meebo was reportedly valued at $100 million. [via Gizmodo]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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9 Comments

  1. Skype and google talk are the only messengers I use. Not sure where google is going with this.

    1. Well Microsoft owns Skype.

      1. and Skype owns GroupMe as well as partners with Facebook.

    2. Same here. Recently I feel Skype getting bulked down with the Facebook integration (OS X) but I’m not sure if Meebo is in line to compete. I’m curious to see the outcome of this purchase!

  2. HI don’t need more messaging services to divide my contacts, I need one that aggregates the messages from other sources into one. Whatsapp messenger, google talk, text messages, g+ messenger…. I need one that responds to all of them and preferably one like google talk that is available to log in from a desktop

    1. That’s what will happen. It will be full scale integration with all your social networks and whatnot.

      1. What your saying is g+ could be integrated to Facebook in some fashion. Give me a g+ based social aggregator that will allow me to only have to use g+. Not sure this is what your talking about but I would love that. Facebook sucks compared to g+ except for the lack of people on it.

  3. Meebo started off as a web based messenger app that allows you to sign into multiple protocols such as AIM, YIM, WLM, and a few others so taking that type of technology over would be a good thing for google to do and to incoperate into their own stuff

  4. FYI: you can use GTalk outside of google using any XMPP client, just sign in using your gmail address.
    Pidgin.im is a multiple chat program that can use xmpp, there are others.
    Personally I cant be bothered any more so I just use the Gtalk web applet.

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