Seventeen and Popular Mechanics magazine integrate Meebo chat
Hearts Magazines Digital Media?s Seventeen.com and Popular Mechanics.com look to Meebo chat to engage readers
Communications platform Meebo has today announced a strategic partnership with Hearst Magazines Digital Media to power instant messenger on its popular sites such as
Seventeen.com and
Popular Mechanics.com.
Martin Green, chief executive officer of
Meebo says that the integration of a live chat forum provides Hearst users to share similar interests and differing opinions in real time. Green comments, ?This partnership with Hearst Magazines Digital Media is unique in that it seamlessly links traditional media and social media with cutting-edge community tools. We look forward to continuing our collaboration on future opportunities.?
Seventeen.com users will see the chat functionality built into a dedicated ?Style Stars 2008? feature which Hearst predicts will spur conversation around the area of celebrity fashion. Whilst using the instant messenger feature, Seventeen users will be able to brose photos, read articles and watch exclusive video content.
Popular Mechanics, a popular science and technology magazine, recently ran a trial using Meebo?s chat room which generated over 20,000 lines of conversation in the first two days, with this figure growing to over 70,000 over the following five days. Popular Mechanic readers were also given the option of embedding the chat room in their own social network, website and/or blog ? propelling conversation further than the originating website.
Hearst Magazines Digital Media vice president Christopher Johnson says that they are ?thrilled? with the Meebo partnership. He goes on to say, ?The technology being incorporated into our Seventeen and Popular Mechanics websites will provide readers with the opportunity to discuss magazine content with other avid readers in real time.?