Bebo helps users pool web activity in one place

by Dan Leahul, Brand Republic 11-Dec-08, 11:30

LONDON - Bebo has released a new social media tool, Social Inbox, which collects and organises feeds from Twitter, Flickr, Del.icio.us and other online services such as Gmail, Yahoo!, AOL Mail, and YouTube.

Bebo said the new platform solves the "main problem facing consumers online, namely, a cluttered social networking experience".

Social Inbox pools updates and information from other sites into one place, based on technology from newly acquired company Social Thing.

Social feeds can be organised in chronological order and grouped by person, and will also include a localised RSS feed reader for global news.

The site also provides one-click access to major e-mail servers, Gmail, Yahoo! and AOL, where users can preview their e-mail without having to go from site to site.

A media favourites section also lists what friends are watching and listening to, pulling content from Bebo's extensive online media collection, with programming from over 500 media companies including MTV, ESPN, CBS and BBC.

Joanna Shields, president of AOL People Networks, said: "People want the ability to stay in-touch with their contacts in real-time wherever their friends may be across the Web.

"The current fragmented social networking environment makes keeping up-to-date with others increasingly difficult. Bebo's new Social Inbox is our first step in solving this problem."