Habbo expands into social networking with Habbo Home

by Danielle Long Revolution UK 30-Nov-06, 08:00

LONDON - Habbo, the brand behind virtual world Habbo Hotel, has expanded its web community with the launch of a social networking feature, Habbo Home.

Habbo Home will enable users to build and customise their own home page or profile page and interact with other users. This is in addition to creating an online character called a Habbo, which can interact within the virtual world connecting with other people and playing games.

Habbo Home will feature friend lists and links to other Habbo's profiles. Users can decorate their profile pages using backgrounds, customisable stickers, sticky notes and widgets. To interact with other Habbo's users can click directly on to other Habbo Home users' profile page or use the console instant messenger service within Habbo Hotel.

Habbo believes the combination of Habbo Home and Habbo Hotel will provide a more in-depth social networking service.

Alistair Williams, marketing manager at Sulake, the company that owns the Habbo brand, said: "Social networks do not offer anything like Habbo. They normally encourage a two-dimensional surfing habit of cruising around people's profiles. However, on Habbo you can find out more about someone you met the other day in a public room via their Habbo Home profile and then teleport straight to the rooms they have listed.

"This has never been seen before and is a completely new offering to the market, by combining the best features of a 'massively multiplayer online game' and social networks."

Habbo has more than 64m registered characters in 29 countries. Its UK users are aged between 11 to 18 years.

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