The impact Facebook has had on the social network market has been extraordinary. In just a little over six months since opening its backdoor to developers, it now hosts over 6000 applications (some say the number might actually be closer to 8000), also known as widgets. Meebo - a web-based Instant Messaging site that allows users to connect to their respective profiles without having the necessary software installed - is now trying to urge developers to create applications around it.

Accounts from companies such as Yahoo, AOL or Microsoft can be used from the Meebo site, which recently started augmenting its site with a few applications and has added voice and video chat. The model in this field of the industry has to be Facebook, with a similar start, which has become the bone of contention between Google and Microsoft, as both of them wanted a share of it. The result is well known now - Microsoft paid an enormous 240 million $ for 1.6% of its shares and Google started to ally with other such social networks (among which Hi5) in order to overthrow it.

According to Meebo's blog, "developers can build a JavaScript or Flash application and register it with Meebo, which will then release code to allow the new application to call on Meebo's APIs (application programming interfaces)". The application would then reside in the site's database. "When the developer signs into their account, the application will appear in a list contained within Meebo's IM window. The developer can invite others to try out the application. Eventually, developers can alert Meebo again to review the application. Meebo says it will then contact the developer within a few weeks", continues Jeremy Kirk of IDG News Service the Meebo blog story.

So far, Meebo has no advertising, but in the future, adding the above applications might generate increased revenue.