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"In a move that aims at shoring up AOL's stable of social networks, the company announced today that it has acquired Socialthing!, pending the satisfaction of certain undisclosed closing conditions.  \nAfter the acquisition closes, AOL says that Socialthing will become a part of the company's People Networks division.  Currently, AOL's People Networks division is made up of social platforms, like Bebo, AIM, ICQ, Goowy, and Yedda, that AOL believes, will lead the company's online presence going forward.\nThe acquisition of Socialthing, which is still in private beta, strongly suggests AOL is trying to become a major player in the social networking space and attempting to capitalize on some of the fads of the day. In just the past few months, AOL acquired Bebo and launched a lifestreaming initiative within AIM that has pushed the company towards a more community-driven focus.\nPerhaps most interesting about this deal is the fact that AOL has shaped up to be the company that Time Warner is trying to sell and all the while, it's acquiring companies itself to bolster its own standing online and try to find its way as editorial and revenue woes continue to plague it.  Regardless, AOL is well on its way to amassing a solid lineup of hopeful social networks that it hopes will make it the hub for all your community needs."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/08/14/aol-acquires-socialthing/>