Today’s launch of JanglMe™ for Bebo comes on the heels of Jangl’s latest major service release, which features texting functionality built specifically for active and mobile consumers on the social web. JanglMe complements a year-long streak of voice-oriented Jangl deployments within popular social networks, such as Phonebook for Facebook, Jangl™ for Friendster, CallAnyone for Tagged and Jangl CallMe for Fubar.

Bebo is amongst the largest and fastest growing social web sites in the world, receiving nearly 4.5M unique visitors in the U.S. in October 2007, according to comScore Media Metrix. Bebo is today announcing the first wave of companies and applications participating in its new Open Application Platform.

“In working with Bebo, it is clear that SMS is key for this class of global social network and its highly mobile membership,” said Michael Cerda, CEO and co-founder of Jangl, Inc. "For a leading Voice 2.0 company like Jangl, the convergence of the social web and mobile industries means that we have to do more, faster, in order to take full advantage of all of the new consumer communications service opportunities. Being the first Voice 2.0 company with SMS and launching first with leading networks like Bebo is an example of this rapid develop-and-deploy mentality. In 2008, you’ll see Jangl deploy with more social web partners to redefine functional expectations of voice, voicemail, SMS – even email and IM."

About JanglMe in Bebo

The new JanglMe application gives 40 million Bebo users the ability to start text message conversations with other Bebo users, right from a Bebo profile, and then continue the conversation on their mobile devices, with their "real" phone numbers protected.
Bebo users who install the JanglMe app simply register their mobile phone number with Jangl, specifying the number at which they'd like to send and receive all subsequent SMS messages;
The profiles of Bebo's JanglMe users will display a text message window – visible to all Bebo profiles – that will let any Bebo user easily send an SMS message to the profile's owner;
Messages typed into the JanglMe text message window are sent directly to the profile owner's specified mobile number. Subsequent messages are exchanged between each persons' mobile device, with both parties' numbers kept totally private.

As always, the Jangl phone numbers used to text with others on Bebo are:
Private, with your personal information never revealed;
Capable of being saved to a address book like any other number;
Local to each party, whenever possible, in order to minimize charges.

Because the JanglMe functionality is persistent for Bebo users who have installed the app on their profiles, sending messages directly from the Bebo interface is free. Additionally, Bebo's JanglMe users receive control and management functions to block and terminate unwanted relationships.

About SMS and Jangl

Jangl uses local phone numbers to route calls and voicemails to customers’ mobile phones. For its fast-growing population of customers using Jangl in social networks, Jangl also delivers MP3 voicemail messages to personal email accounts and imbedded messaging centers within the world’s largest and most popular social networks. With Jangl's new SMS capability, consumers can now use Jangl phone numbers to exchange text messages with their contacts. More about Jangl and SMS can be found at http://corp.jangl.us/faq.aspx.

About Jangl

Jangl™ is the social communications leader connecting phones and online identities for millions who socialize, share and create online. Through direct and partnered distribution, Jangl is provisioned and marketed to over 80 million people with online profiles. Some of the Jangl service brands include MatchTalk for Match, Phonebook for Facebook, JanglMe for Bebo, Call Anyone for Tagged, TrueTalk for True, PrivateTalk for FriendFinder, and Jangl CallMe for Fubar. In 2007, Jangl and telephony platform leader JAJAH entered into a strategic partnership to collaborate on new services and business projects in the future.