AOL combines Bebo, AIM, ICQ into "People Networks", looks to expand globally

A couple of months from AOL's announcement of its intentions to buy Bebo, the $850m deal has been sealed.

Though exact details of future plans and money involved isn't clear, it seems AOL is keen to push Bebo into other countries, particularly those in Europe, as well as creating "People Networks", a new community platform combining Bebo, AIM, and ICQ.

Joanna Shields, Bebo's president, and now president of the People Network, said, "I'd like to see Bebo as a social media network be able to say we're global and everywhere that's relevant." To that end, it's likely to launch at least six new language sites.

Additionally, it seems Bebo could expand its support for third-party applications, as per Facebook and MySpace, by "encouraging original programming".

AOL will also look to expand the reach of AIM, currently most popular in the US.

(Via Paid Content)

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