Name |
Organization |
Status |
Comments |
Cheerz |
KLab |
Active |
A social layer that connects you with people anywhere on the web.
- "Comment on any web page on the Internet."
- "Communicate with others on the same site."
- "Rate and share your favorite site with one click."
An extension for Google Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. It shows avatars
on all web pages. The avatars are Twitter or Facebook images with stick-man body.
They walk left and right and chat in chat balloons.

(Homepage)
|
OneTrueFan |
onetruefan.com, San Francisco, California, United States |
Active |
OneTrueFan brings to light the communities that already exist at your
favorite sites.
Install us in your browser and show up everywhere. Install us on your site and
get everyone to show up.
"In its current form, the Web is a largely uninhabited world, where people can
only see each others' artifacts and the vast majority of us never leave an
imprint on our favorite sites.
OneTrueFan was born out of two ideas: 1) experiences are better when shared and
2) changing human behavior is next to impossible. Our first service enables
people to automatically show up on the pages they visit. Other people can then
discover them and interesting new content.
OneTrueFan is not a social network in the traditional sense, in that social
networks attempt to localize an experience and/or lock users into a single
social graph. OneTrueFan is the anti-network, bringing to light the communities
that already exist at your favorite sites, with no additional effort on your
part."
(Homepage)
|
Googlin |
Thirteen Elements LTD |
Beta |
Materialize on the web - get an avatar. Meet people. Join teenchat in
webcam chat rooms for free.
An Adobe AIR application for Windows, Mac, and Linux, for Internet Explorer and
Firefox with many features.

(Homepage)
|
Open Virtual World |
openvirtualworld.com
|
Development |
Our goal is to create a virtual world client similar to rocketon or weblin –
but under open source licence and for all operating systems.
We are creating an open system. The software will be available with an Open
Source License. We do not believe, that we can sell the client or server
software. Therefore we publish everything and use the benefits of Open Source in
return.
Of course, later we have to earn money to operate some servers at least. We will
create and offer virtual goods. You will be able to get virtual resources, to
craft virtual goods, to trade, use, and sell them. We will also sell additional
virtual goods, which you can use to craft even better virtual items. But you do
not have to. The system will be open and free to play.
We strive to create an open virtual world on the Web similar to weblin and
RocketOn, but better, richer, more important, and more open for your
participation. We do what weblin could have done. We think what weblin did not
think of. We have more ideas than they had. We plan what weblin did not plan.
The open virtual world will be THE virtual world on the Web. It will be open
just like the Web with millions of clients, and servers, and many services. We
will create services for you and we hope, that other people will do the same. We
believe, that competition makes this virtual world as interesting and diverse as
the Web itself.
(Homepage)
|
Skabble |
Skabble.com
|
Offline |
Skabble is a free program that lets you chat with all the other Skabble users
that are visiting the same website as you. Skabble also connects
you with people who are browsing similar websites and share your
interests.
Skabble lets you:
* Chat live with other people who are browsing the same or similar website
you're on.
* Instant message anyone in the room you're in.
* Chat with your keyboard or talk live with your microphone!
* Add new friends to your contact Skabble contact list.
* Connect with your Skabble friends through audio and video!
(Homepage)
|
ROCKETON |
ROCKETON Inc., San Francisco
|
Alpha |
A browser plugin that shows avatars on web pages. With many features like buddy
list, games, and an MMOG aspect.
Claim:
"Meet your friends on every site. Play games & find treasures. Enjoy parallel
virtual worlds"
"Features...
- own virtual pets
- go on virtual dates
- betting & party games
- quests & treasure hunts"
(Homepage) (New
Homepage)
|
BumpIn |
BumpIn
|
Active |
A browser plugin that lets you meet people on web pages.
Use BumpIn to ... Discover people with similar interests, browse the Internet
with them, chat live with them, make new friends, expand your social network.
BumpIn is primariliy a sidebar. It has a
forum like discussions for all web
sites, and a Web Widget
(Homepage)
|
weblin lite |
lite.weblin.com (Zweitgeist)
|
Offline |
A Javascript/XMPP based chat on a web page with avatars.
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
Xpanity |
Xpanity.com
|
Active |
Chat Live on any Web Page... anytime with anybody! Xpanity ChatPanel™ is a
real-time chat add-on you can open alongside any page you visit.
The Xpanity Live Chat room allows you to see the other browsers currently on
the same web page as you are viewing. It provides you with the opportunity to
interact with them on all levels. Receive unbiased opinions about everything you
see on the Internet - share your information about stores and products, chat
on-line with bloggers you like, chat with friends who share the same interests
as you.
Available for IE and Firefox.
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
Weezu |
Weezu.com |
No longer available |
Meet each other as they visit Web sites, through a fun and avatar-based display
From the Weezu description:
Weezu bar for Internet Explorer 6 & 7 is a browser extension which lets users
meet each other as they visit Web sites Weezu bar designed for Internet Explorer
6 & 7 is a browser extension which lets users meet each other as they visit Web
sites, through a fun and simple, avatar-based display. Provided tools include
public chat, private messaging, presence indicator, blacklist, as well as a
choice of skins to personalize the Weezu experience.Privacy and anonymity is
strictly enforced as the Weezu bar does not require any personal information,
not even an email address, nor does it track IP address. Being Web 2.0 and
AJAX-based, the Weezu service will quickly evolve without any need to re-install
the bar.
A Firefox extension is also available
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
chatsum |
Chatsum
|
Offline |
Chatsum is a FREE add-on for your web browser that lets you chat with all the
other Chatsum users that are looking at the same website as you.
Chatsum lets you:
* Chat live with other people who are looking at the same website as you!
* Find out what other people think about the websites you're looking at!
* Leave messages on any website you visit!
* Read messages left on websites by other Chatsum users!
* Browse the Chatsum community's favourite websites!
* Hunt for treasure in our unique online treasure hunts!
* Find people that like the same sites as you and then CHAT TO THEM!
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
Browzmi |
Browzmi
|
Beta |
Browz the Web Together
An elaborate social browsing system. Completely web based without any software
download. It allows you to see the web pages your friends are currently viewing.
It updates in real time. You can choose to follow your friends to join them on a
page of interest. So it's for friends browsing together (friends you establish
in Browzmi).
From the Browzmi about page:
"What is it?
All your life you've browsed the Internet alone. Now Browzmi makes it possible
to web together with your friends. Browzmi is a social browsing network where
you can browse the web surrounded by all of your friends and the ability to
chat, share, discover and experience the Internet together in real time.
Can my friends see where I am browsing in Browzmi?
You probably don't go to the theater alone to watch movies. You probably don't
go to concerts alone to see your favorite bands. Most activities are more fun
when you can be there together with friends. Browzmi makes it possible to go to
the web with your friends, so you can browse your favorite videos, music,
photos, social networks and anywhere on the web as if you were there together.
Stop browsing alone.
What's required to use Browzmi?
Browzmi is the first social browsing network that does not require you to
download any software. It's 100% web based so that your Browzmi account can be
accessed from any computer. Browzmi is currently compatible with Microsoft IE
6.0+ and Firefox 2.0+ web browsers. We have not yet completed our Safari
implementation. "
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
iosurf |
IO3O LLC, Oklahoma City |
Shut down |
iosurf - TAKE YOUR FRIENDS WITH YOU
From the iosurf description:
"iosurf is a free software plugin for Internet Explorer that works as a
portable chat room and instant messenger allowing you to instantly communicate
with other iosurfers anywhere you go on the web.
You’ve been surfing the Internet for years. You go to places like MySpace.com
or your favorite free chat rooms to make new friends and search for people who
like the same stuff you do. Sure, you have instant messaging – but to find new
friends you have to search through chat rooms, communities and Yahoo Groups, and
you may not even find anyone there. iosurf was created to end your isolation and
make it easy for you to meet like-minded people – no matter where you go online.
You can finally find people that are interested in what you are into – you can
finally make your own connections, mash up your own groups, and have fun
exploring the web! All of this is done automatically with iosurf, and it rides
along with you in your Internet Browser as a free software plugin."
(Homepage) (Screenshot
1, Screenshot 2)
|
nloose |
www.nloose.com ?
Unconfirmed: Portal Universia, Madrid, Spain. |
Unavailable |
nloose liveblog
From their description:
"Meet different poeple who are surfing the same websites as you at the same
time"
(Homepage) (Concept
image with embedded screenshot)
|
Coop |
Mozilla |
Development |
Turning the Browser into a Social Network
From their description:
"The Coop is a Firefox addon in development that will let users keep track of
what their friends are doing online, and share new and interesting content with
one or more of those friends. It will integrate with popular web services, using
their existing data feeds as a transport mechanism. "
"Users will see their friends' faces, and by clicking on them will be able to
get a list of that person's recently added Flickr photos, favourite YouTube
videos, tagged websites, composed blog posts, updated Facebook status, etc. If a
user wants to share something with a friend, they simply drag that thing onto
their friend's face. When they receive something from a friend, that friend's
face glows to get the user's attention."
(Homepage) (This
screenshot is a mockup of what The Coop could look like)
|
zpeech |
Zpeech.com |
Unavailable |
zpeech: discuss any website on any website
From their description:
"You can comment any website on the website itself with zpeech.com"
"With zpeech.com, we are building a platform that enables people to comment any
website on any website - freedom of zpeech! By that we want to build a better
internet."
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
me.dium |
Me.dium, Inc. |
Service suspended |
Me.dium Makes Web Browsing Social.
Me.dium is a Firefox extension, which shows the neighborhood of your current
web page as a side panel.
From their description:
"Me.dium reveals the hidden world of people and activity behind your browser.
Without having to do anything differently than you normally do, Me.dium shows
you your online world and allows you to communicate with friends and others in a
natural, contextual manner. It lets you see what else is around you and relevant
based on what you’re doing – all in REAL TIME. Just like the way you interact in
the real world."
And there is more: see
http://me.dium.com/help (needs a login)
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
weblin |
Zweitgeist GmbH |
Offline, reactivated by the community |
Weblin is our alter ego, our virtual presence on the internet. Weblin is what
makes people visible on the internet. With wpeople who are on the same webpage
can see and communicate with each other.
In the real world we see people where ever we go: at the bus stop, at school,
in the work place, int the shopping mall, at the gym. If we want, can contact
them. When we are surfing the Web, there are many other people on the same
website at the same time as us. Unfortunately they have been invisible until
now. Weblin gives us the opportunity to make ourselves and others visible even
beyond single web sites.
(Homepage was http://www.weblin.com) (Screenshot)
|
Itzle |
www.itzle.com |
Unavailable |
1. A web gadget that allows you to walk around websites as if they were
physical locations.
2. To group surf with friends, meet people who visit your favorite websites,
and make the internet a far more interesting place.
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
Gabbly |
gabbly.com |
Active |
Gabbly is a chat service that allows you to chat around any webpage.
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
IE Community Bar |
Microsoft |
Active |
The Community bar adds context-dependent content to the web browsing
experience. As a user browses the web, he can see (and leave) notes from other
people who visited the same page, chat with other people viewing the same page,
tag the page with a bookmark or category label, view all the inlinks to the
page, find related pages, perform context-specific search, and see blog postings
related to the page.
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
Peekko Chat |
shane (at) peekko (dot) com |
Active |
Peekko Chat is a new Firefox extension that makes every web page a place where
people can congregate. It adds a toolbar to Firefox that shows how many people
are in that page's chat room and allows you to instantly connect with them.
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
SamePlace |
bard [at] sameplace [dot] cc |
Active |
Surfing the web is like travelling alone. You get to see beautiful places,
funny places, interesting places, yet they all have one bad thing in common:
nobody's there.
Of course it only seems so. There's people visiting the same place you're
visiting: reading your blog, listening to music you like, checking out the same
movie, the same book.
Wouldn't it be nice if they were just a click away?
Now they are.
(Homepage) (Screenshot)
|
Netmite Communities |
Netmite |
Active |
2006 Netmite Communities is an web2.0 application. It allows you to connect
with all other users who are also accessing the same web site or web page. Allow
you to comment and review any web page - you can write down any thing about any
web page, you can criticize any web page while you are reading their web site.
You can also discuss with anybody else who is also accessing that web page,
asking for help or help others !
(Homepage)
(Screenshot)
|
QuickChat |
Pavan Gupta |
Active |
QuickChat is an extension that is designed to allow you to chat about anything
on any website with the users that are actively browsing that site.
(Homepage)
|
Search Party |
Seth Nickell |
Active |
Search Party is a web browser extension which "socializes" web searches,
connecting people with ephemeral interests in particular topics together.
(Screenshot)
http://www.gnome.org/~seth/summerofcode/searchparty/
|
yakalike |
Adam from Ontario |
Discontinued |
A Firefox extension that lets you chat with other users visiting the same site.
(Screenshot)
http://www.yakalike.com/
|
Jybe |
Jybe |
Unavailable |
A cobrowsing plugin for IE and Firefox. Also available with Skype transport. It
has collaborative scrolling , Collaborative Text Entry , Ability to Transfer
Control ,
"JYBE is a plug-in to Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox and brings real
time collaboration to web based systems and content. "
"JYBE is not a screen sharing application but brings collaboration directly to
the browser utilizing an efficient and powerful data centric architecture that
offers users the ability to collaborate in real time without leaving the
application or the browser. "
Was: http://www.jybe.com/
|
Swarming |
Eyebees |
Relaunched |
What people are doing on the Web and beyond in a networked world is mostly
hidden. Make them visible and amazing things will start to happen. Think of all
those accidental things that happen on the street, in a shop, at the bar and on
a party. We are all happily surfing but never bump into each other.
(Screenshot)
http://www.eyebees.com/
|
LLuna 2 |
Jabber Virtual Presence Project, SURFnet,
bluehands |
Continued as "weblin" |
Distributed architecture. Client only. Works on all pages without Web site
cooperation. Based on Jabber/XMPP. |
IMMEX Collaborative |
University of Trento |
? |
Co-browsing system. |
WISTCIS |
Univerität Ulm |
Offline |
EU research project, IST Programme |
TOM |
T-Online, Implementor? |
VP functions removed |
The T-Online Messenger had a virtual presence function. It has been disabled
later. |
ICQ Surf |
AOL |
Offline |
|
Odigo |
Comverse, NovaWiz |
VP functions removed |
Odigo for Windows has a function called "People With Me On". It shows people on
the same page as a kind of radar display.
http://www.odigo.org/features/newtour/images/12.gif
Comverse bought NovaWiz, Inc. in 2002.
|
LLuna |
Cyland |
Offline |
LLuna shows people on the same web site as icons in a chat window. It has a
list of currently visited web sites and combines all visible users into the
graphical user display. (Screenshot)
|
Gooey |
Hypernix |
Offline |
"Working on a similar principle to the ICQ Internet chat program, Gooey is a
small utility that allows visitors to Web sites to chat to each other, either by
text or, with the appropriate tools, via video-conferencing. The user interface
is pretty simple. Whenever you visit a Web site, a little pop-up box will tell
you the nick-names of other Gooey users currently at that site. You can then
click on their names and chat with them, either on their own or as part of a
group. Alternatively, the Gooey applet can be incorporated into a taskbar
beneath your browser." (Source)
SIGA Technologies bought Hypernix in 2000. (Source)
|
WebPlaces |
IBM Almaden Research Center |
Unavailable |
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/almaden/wbi_sm.jpg |
Babble |
IBM TJ Watson Research Center |
? |
|
Navigator coupling |
Netscape |
VP functions removed |
Co-browsing function in Netscape Navigator 4.x |
CoBrow |
Univerität Ulm,
ETHZ, Lancester University |
Unavailable |
EU research projects: CoBrow/R, CoBrow/D and ShopAware |
Sametime |
Lotus/IBM |
VP functions removed |
IM is integrated into Lotus Notes. Document authors can be reached from
documents. Any Notes document can show the presence of the author (also other
readers?) |
Virtual Places |
Halsoft, Ubique |
Active |
"Virtual Places is a chat space floating on top of the World Wide Web. Chat and
create your own avatars while in rooms created by actual web pages." and
"Because VP can use the whole World Wide Web as its chat space, there are many,
many places you can go with VP." (Source)
Does it still include the virtual presence function?
http://www.vpchat.com/
|
Sociable Web |
MIT |
Unavailable |
The Sociable Web project consists of a modified Web browser and server. The
browser looks like an ordinary browser, and on pages not served by a Sociable
Web server, it functions normally. On Sociable Web pages, however, it provides a
number of social and collaborative features. Most notably, it shows who else is
on the pages and it allows the user to strike up conversations or to join in
ongoing discussions.
|
Doors Server |
Ubique |
Unavailable |
Virtual Places are enhanced World Wide Web pages that display human presence
and enable live interaction and communication over the Internet. Applications
for Virtual Places include customer support, online trade shows, enhanced home
pages, guided tours, and everyday chat.
Poster (PDF)
|