theglobe.com Adds Power of Speech

Through a partnership formed Monday with HearMe, theglobe.com Inc. added live voice chat as one of the tools offered to its home page builders.

HearMe (HEAR), formerly Mpath Interactive Inc., manufactures many tools designed to allow online audio chat. Its flagship tool, VoicePresence, allows users with a computer microphone and speakers to participate in live voice conversations quickly and easily, the firm said.

theglobe.com (TGLO) will incorporate VoicePresence into its package of uPublish Web site building tools. VoicePresent requires only a few lines of Web code to implement and requires a one-time download, so novice Web site builders can easily add the feature to their sites, said Stephan Paternot, co-chief executive officer, theglobe.com.

“Voice chat is a great example of a powerful tool that brings
rich, compelling content to a Web page,” he said. “By teaming with HearMe, we can make
it easy for our community members to take advantage of this new
application.”

In addition to Web site building-tools, theglobe.com features many clubs and communities devoted to a specific category. Jeremy Verba, HearMe executive vice president, said the addition of live chat will enhance those communities.

“theglobe.com is a fun and friendly online community that is home to
millions of personal Web pages,” said Verba. “By bringing VoicePresence to their network of Web site
builders, we can bring voice to a much broader audience.”

The partnership formed Monday adds to theglobe.com’s recently bolstered services. The company acquired Web hosting firm WebJump.com in a $12.5 million stock deal earlier this month and is considered one of the world’s largest independent community sites.