Web 2.0: LiveWorld Unveils Instant Social Network ToolWeb 2.0: LiveWorld Unveils Instant Social Network Tool

LiveWorld launched a new tool to add online communities to any Web page within minutes.

The company unveiled the product, called LiveBar, during the Web 2.0 Expo at the Javits Center in New York City Tuesday. The Web 2.0 Expo is being held in conjunction with Interop NY.

"Social networking is changing our society into a 'conversation nation,' where people are constantly talking to others through instant messaging, texting, Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other community applications," Peter Friedman, LiveWorld's chairman and CEO, said in the announcement.

Friedman said LiveBar is easier to use than typical social network tools because it eliminates barriers between a site's content and community sections by combing them.

"This breakthrough brings community alive on every Web page, where the users are, and when they are there," he said.

The bar deploys within minutes and instantly appears at the bottom of the Web page. When users click on the bar, a translucent overlay rises over the page, enabling discussions, comments, and other social networking applications. The company said LiveBar provides conversations that are relevant to the context of that page.

"LiveBar totally changes the social network marketing opportunity," Rich LaFauci, U.S. managing director of technology for Digitas, said. "This allows brands to deploy a social network on a current site with virtually no lead time, bypassing the costly and time-consuming efforts of designing and integrating a community site. In many cases, this could make the difference between activating a social marketing campaign or skipping it completely."

The new application allows companies to increase customer engagement and promote their products without disrupting their primary Web pages.

For example, if LiveBar is deployed on a Web page for a television show, users can click on the bar and share comments, post critiques, or read interviews about the show.

Tulane University, QVC, and A&E's bio.com are among LiveBar's first commercial clients. A preview of Tulane's LiveBar is being shown during Web 2.0 Expo, a month before its planned launch.

"Our first use of LiveBar will be on the New Wave, Tulane's online daily news, where we know our readers will post lively commentary on the news of the day," Debbie Grant, VP of communications at Tulane University, said.