AOL Introduces New Open AIM Strategy

DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2006--

Puts the Power of Real Time Communications and Access to More Than 63 Million Active Worldwide Users into the Hands of Developers, Online Communities and Sites and Services of Every Kind

AOL today announced the creation of a new Open AIM initiative designed to make it easier than ever to connect with anyone and everyone on the Web. For the first time in the company's history, AOL is inviting developers, online communities and sites and services of every kind to build new plugins and custom communications clients based on the popular AIM platform

The Open AIM(R) initiative empowers companies, communities and independent developers alike to build customized plugins, stand-alone communications clients and popular application 'mash-ups' that access AOL's global instant messaging network and reach more than 63 million active users across the AOL(R), AIM(R), ICQ(R) and Apple(R) iChat(TM) services.

The program gives developers unprecedented freedom to unleash their creativity with an AIM(R) Software Development Kit (SDK) that lets them build new tools that deliver real time text, voice and video communications without compromising the security of the AOL instant messaging network. The AIM SDK features support for AOL's proprietary protocols and is available today at

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