Meebo rings up the numbers
Nielsen//NetRatings announced that the fastest growing instant messaging destination in the last 10 months was Meebo.com, a Web site where visitors can log in to several different instant messaging services without downloading an Internet application.
Meebo's unique audience increased 354 percent, from 434,000 in August 2006 when it first fell above reporting cutoff to 2.0 million in June 2007.
Google Talk also saw triple digit growth in this time period, increasing 149 percent, from 904,000 to 2.3 million unique visitors. Both Meebo and Google Talk make it possible to chat anytime and anywhere you're online, a feature that seems to resonate with consumers.
Other instant messaging destinations that made the fastest growing list offer additional multi-media chat functionalities to drive usage. IMVU, which grew 154 percent from August to June, allows users to create their own interactive avatars to communicate with their friends. Paltalk, which grew by 26%, focuses on live video chat, while Skype's main attraction is voice over IP.
“Now that instant messaging has become an established form of communication, providers are seeking to distinguish themselves with expanded access and additional functionalities. These recent trends in traffic indicate that users are excited about seeing where the technology is going next,” said Jason Lee, media analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings.
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