As you know, we’ve been a fan of Wibiya’s for some time. We were fortunate to be one of the first to test the toolbar (found at the bottom of this site) and are happy to say we still remain faithful users.
Wibiya is currently a toolbar with a number of “applications” built specifically for it. Apps include recent posts, auto-translation, chat, sharing and more. Today, Wibiya is announcing a selection of new applications and an intriguing partnership with photo and video browsing tool Cooliris.
First up, Cooliris integration.
Websites with the Wibiya bar installed will now be able to use Cooliris Express to create custom 3D media walls, increasing user engagement on their sites while minimizing the bounce rate to YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Facebook.
The Cooliris integration is featured in three new apps:
1) Photo gallery
2) YouTube Video Gallery
3) Facebook photo Gallery
In the settings tab of each one of the Cooliris apps that goes through the process. Users can then scroll through an infinite “3D Wall” of photos or videos without having to click between pages. Don’t just take my word for it, try out the video feature here or browse images here.
So what else is new?
A number of new apps that should bring a smile to anyone looking to make the most of Facebook and Twitter to generate and keep in touch with their community.
New Facebook Fan Page.
Fans can now post messages onto your Fan Page on Facebook,com directly from your site. This is a first and goes a long way to making the website more of a central hub.
Twitter Lists application – Import your twitter lists to your website. Users will also be able to view full profiles of other users and search Twitter without leaving your website.
Justin.tv application – you can now bring your live channel, archive (and soon chat) while showing when you are online and offline and number of viewers.
New Real Time Chatter App (via Backtype)
Bringing the latest buzz on the web to your website. Show view real time conversations about any subject from millions of blogs, social networks and more.
Content Timeline application (via AllofMe)
Automatically create a visual and interactive Timeline of your content
User donation application (via PayPal)
Easily add a Donate button on your website. Make it safe and convenient for your readers to support you or a specific cause.
Back end Platform (being released tomorrow)- Custom Icons for any application, you can choose to have your own icons on the toolbar for each app.
It’s difficult to not be taken aback by the number of “apps” making their way through various partnerships onto the bar. So many apps in fact that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to decide exactly what should be where.
The good news is that we’ve been reliably informed that this Israeli startup’s ambitions are far greater than just the toolbar itself, exactly what that means remains to be seen, but with the flow of applications and ever growing number of publications using the toolbar, we can only hope being forced to choose a select number of apps becomes a thing of the past.
Wibiya’s main competitor in the space is Meebo, who have a neat toolbar with some application integration but mainly a focus on chat (what they are generally known for). Meebo also seems intent on generating revenue through advertising on the bar itself, something Wibiya CEO Dror Cedar insists Wibiya is staying away from. Rather, the company plans to introduce premium features for premium publications but are happy to continue to build the product out before doing so.
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