Naspers owned MIH India (ibibo), which had recently sold stake to China's TenCent, is preparing to launch two of TenCents products in India - Ibibo Mail and Messenger. I tried out both products today: ibibo Messenger Mail integration Firstly, the messenger is open only to Ibibo users. Having a messenger will probably help ibibo increase interactivity among existing users, and the company probably hopes it will also help drive signups. Like GTalk's integration into GMail, Ibibo Messenger is also integrated into Ibibo email(screencap). Security & Cybercafes What I liked most about the messenger is that, on loading, it gives the user three options for sign-in - for a Personal Computer, Cybercafe and a "message protection mode" apparently for an additional password, local to that computer. This will go down well with people who sign in from multiple machines, and use Cybercafes. However, it will be a challenge for ibibo to get the IM installed in Cybercafes, since some don't allow users to install software. This is where a company like ideacts (which recently received funding from Sequoia Capital) might play a role for ibibo...and I'm wondering if we'll see the Internet equivalent of TVs infamous "Carriage Fees" come into play. Content Integration I found this the most interesting aspect - at least three of ibibo's products - Blogs, Sawaal (Q&A), Photos and Opinions are integrated into the messenger sidebar. Here the IM integrates with the website, and opens relevant pages for users to post content to ibibo. I'm not sure…
