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Userplane, acquired by AOL in August 2006, is the premier communication
platform for online communities, with the world’s most popular Web-based
instant messaging and chat tools.
More than 155,000 dating and social networking websites, including top-tier
properties like MySpace, Date.com, Red Bull, and Honda, embed Userplane into
their sites. Userplane enables millions of daily users from more than 30
countries to communicate.
CEO Michael Jones, CTO Nate Thelen and CCO Javier Hall founded Userplane in
2001. The company is based in Santa Monica, Calif., just outside of Los
Angeles.
Userplane was founded in 2001 – at the height of the dot-com bust. CEO Michael
Jones recalls, “Because we were building a company without financing, we had
to be disciplined about investing in things that had an effect on the
business. If we didn’t, there might not be money for salary.”
The company started out building websites for clients, then turned consulting
innovations into a unique instant-messaging product. In 2003, Userplane began
selling its instant messenger. Online dating emerged as the best-fit vertical
niche, and Userplane focused strategically on this segment, emerging as the
market leader in communication tools for online-dating sites.
Userplane captured the emerging social networking space when it launched the
free version of its tools in 2005. Userplane provided core communication
technologies and infrastructure to MySpace from the social-networking giant’s
launch to the present.
In 2006, AOL acquired Userplane, at the same time that AOL was announcing its
seismic shift from a subscription-based business to an ad-supported one.
Userplane now plays a critical role in AOL’s long-term strategy, helping to
strategically position AOL as a platform provider to the online-community
marketplace.
Click here to visit Userplane
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