AIM opens to developers

AOL Instant Messenger is now officially available to external developers for custom presence, add-ons, and full integration of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) into existing applications. I signed up for a developer key and I’ve implemented my AIM presence to my contact page as a first step. The new AIM developer features open up new methods of integration for everyone from the independent publisher all the way up to big corporations.

AIM Presence

You can now integrate your AIM status into web pages and other applications to let people know when you are online. You can also communicate your idle status, away message, and if you are currently logged on from a mobile device.

AIM Plugins

It is now possible to add your own plugin or widget to the AIM application. Think of it as a sidebar widget but within the AIM application and its defined social network.

AIM Client

The AIM Custom client is the most exciting. Create your own AIM bot, integrate buddy lists into an application, and request an entire social network using the AIMcc libraries. Starting with just one screenname you could potentially request every buddy and associated buddy profile, including things like location and Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to create social search applications defined by your predefined list of contacts.