Sawyou signs major deal with giant Microsoft
Weeme: is this the way forward for e-mail dating?
Sawyou.com, a small Glasgow-based new media company, has signed a deal with Microsoft that will see its Avatar technology adopted by hotmail users around the world to create online graphical versions of themselves to e-mail to friends and potential dating partners.The new Microsoft service, called Weeme, went live this month and has already attracted 150,000 users. The Weeme technology allows MSN users to create a customised virtual persona of themselves to use online and, more recently, on mobiles. They can then search and find other users’ Weemes in the area.
Creating a virtual character costs MSN users £1.50 and it is claimed that this is the first time an internet service provider has generated revenue from instant messaging.
Meanwhile Sawyou is also thought to be in talks with an unknown mobile network operator.