AOL today announced the availability of AIM Money, a revenue-sharing program that lets developers make money from Open AIM applications. There are no fees to participate and payments are issued via PayPal. All advertising is handled by Platform-A.
AOL also announced AIM version 6.8, the latest version of their popular instant messaging software, which features new modules for the Buddy List and a new open API for developers to build their own mini-applications to upload and share in a library.
“Through Open AIM we’ve empowered Web developers to leverage real-time messaging to enhance the way users interact with their products and services,” said Joanna Shields, President, AOL People Networks. “AIM Money is now giving them a way to easily monetize their applications as they continue to develop new and innovative AIM-based Web experiences.”
AIM Money was first introduced in March as part of Open AIM 2.0, an expanded developer program that gives developers greater flexibility to integrate AIM into their applications and websites in their own ways. To use the Open AIM 2.0 tools, developers must incorporate at least two of five popular and valuable AIM features, one of which is a display ad to appear alongside AIM, into their Web-based or downloadable AIM software and mashups.
There are no fees to participate in AIM Money and payments are issued via PayPal. All advertising served through AIM Money is handled by AOL's advertising business, Platform-A.
“Our goal is to facilitate the world’s online, real-time conversations anytime and anywhere,” said David Liu, Senior Vice President, AOL People Networks. “To that end, we’re not only giving developers more opportunities and incentives to create meaningful instant messaging-based applications for our millions of users, but we’re also bringing more requested features and innovation to the AIM platform to satisfy user needs.”
AOL also made available the new AIM version 6.8 for free download at http://www.aim.com. Key features in this new software include:
* AIM Mini-Applications: AIM users will find new mini-applications at the base of the Buddy List, including AOL Games and Notes, as well as an enhanced AOL Radio (with 150 CBS radio stations), AIM Call Out, AOL Mobile and AOL Search. Users will also be able to click on “Manage” to delete or “Get More” to plug in new mini-applications such as one built by BlogTV that lets users create and view live broadcasts with AIM buddies, and another from Phonevite that lets users send voice reminders to friends’ phones. AIM users can also socialize and share photos, videos and music within a 3D personalized scene using a mini-application created by Vivaty.
A new Open AIM API is now available at http://dev.aol.com/openaim for developers to build mini-applications. These applications turn the AIM Buddy List into a platform where interactive new experiences are readily available to AIM users. These mini-applications can run in place or be detached from the Buddy List in a separate, re-sizable window.
* Save/Load Buddy List: AIM users can save a copy of all their Buddy List contacts or groups within their Buddy List as a text file (.txt). They can share their Buddy List contacts with friends, save them as back-up or load them onto AIM on another computer.
* Real-Time Instant Messaging: This new feature was targeted to deaf and hard of hearing users and lets AIM users watch text conversations unfold one letter at a time. Real-time IM was built with guidance from Gallaudet University and the Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Users simply click on “Actions” and then “Real-Time IM” from within an instant message window to get started using this feature.
When Open AIM launched in 2006 the goal was to help developers create innovative applications integrating the AIM service. Since that time more than 295,000 third-party developers have signed on to this mission to create everything from plugins that allow users to send money to their buddies to bots that send users notifications when their friends post new pictures and videos.
For more details on the Open AIM program, or for information about other available open APIs, tools, and documentation for services such as AOL Video Uploads, Open Xdrive, Truveo, Userplane, MapQuest, Winamp, OpenAuth, and others, please visit http://dev.aol.com/.
AIM and ICQ are part of AOL's recently announced People Networks business unit that includes social media network Bebo, widget technology company Goowy Media and social search question and answer service Yedda. People Networks' collection of community platforms reach 80 million users worldwide.
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