Jangl's approach of partnering with online social communities continues to gain traction. By going directly to the social networks and becoming a direct part of their experience, they can't be "banned" the same way "widgets" can.

This time around, they are partnering with Fubar, "the first online bar and happy hour." Reminds me of one of the original use cases for virtual numbers: give people a way to hook up without divulging your true information.

Full press release after the jump.

Jangl Voice-Enables Fubar: Suddenly, It's Easy to Talk to Someone You Meet at "The First Online Bar and Happy Hour"

 

Jangl Connects the Phone and the Web for 1.2 Million Members at Fast-Growing Fubar

 

PLEASANTON, Calif. - Oct. 9, 2007 - At most "happy hour" gatherings, sending someone a complimentary drink is easy.  Getting their phone number can be a little trickier.  For the more than one million members of Fubar, however, both maneuvers are now simple and risk-free.

 

Jangl, Inc., the company connecting millions of online profiles and mobile phones, safely and privately, today announced it is bringing its "call anyone, anywhere, now" capability directly to the profiles of all 1.2 million members of fubar, the first online bar and happy hour that calls itself "the Facebook for grown-ups."

 

Now, fubar members can not only sidle up to the bar, buy rounds of drinks, and make conversation online - they can also easily get phone numbers to call or leave voicemails for fellow members, bringing their online relationship offline, without the risks associated with giving out their real phone numbers.

 

"Online communities are obviously about self-expression and connection and sharing - but that doesn't mean people want to share their personal phone number on their profile," said Michael Hedlund, CTO and co-founder of fubar.

 

"For fubar, Jangl now helps people achieve both openness and privacy, simultaneously, with the friends they've formed relationships with online, and using the phone that's with them day and night.  We believe that providing people that level of connection and freedom will help fuel fubar's continued dramatic growth," added Michael Cerda, CEO and co-founder of Jangl, Inc

 

Jangl now provides voice capabilities in well over 20 million online profiles, allowing consumers to connect their online personas via phone while protecting their real numbers.  For participants of social networks, Jangl provides a new, compelling, feature-rich and safe way to talk on the phone.  For online communities of all kinds, a partnership with Jangl creates a differentiating service that increases usage, engagement and revenues by extending communities to the mobile handset.

 

About Jangl in fubar

By clicking on a simple Jangl "Call Me" link, now located in every fubar profile, members can:

 

• Get anonymous phone numbers to safely talk with or leave voicemails for other fubar users
• Access their Jangl inbox to listen to and organize voice messages from new friends
• Control who calls them and how incoming calls are handled

 

Fubar offers consumers a unique social networking experience that lets members sit at a virtual bar, buy rounds of drinks, converse with others or simply "listen in," and more.  fubar is a Silicon Valley company dedicated to innovating user-to-user interactions, which counts among its investors and advisors James Hong and Jim Young.  Hong and Young co-founded HOTorNOT.com, a rating site that has become a worldwide phenomenon over the last several years.

 

"fubar members join because they're looking to meet new people and connect with old friends," says Dave Yoo, VP of Marketing at fubar.  "What Jangl does is complement our unique online experience with a real offline behavior that will bring even more life to the party on fubar."

 

Jangl's launch with fubar comes as the company continues a string of engagements with the world's top social networking, social media and online personals sites.  Jangl currently powers calling capability for Facebook members with its Phonebook application; at online personals sites Match.com and Various, publisher of the FriendFinder properties; at social networking site Tagged.com,  In the near future, versions of the popular Jangl service will be deployed at lifecasting media site Justin.tv; dating and relationship community site True and leading social networking site Friendster.  Additionally, Jangl enables consumers worldwide to "call anyone, anywhere, now" via its website, and to connect via published "CallMe" links and Jangl widgets deployed across the most popular blogging communities on the web.

 

About fubar

With over 1.2 million users, fubar is the Facebook for grown-ups, bringing the first online bar experience to the Internet.  From virtual drinks, the only online Happy Hour on the Internet, to virtual bartender advice by posting questions to the entire community, fubar has brought a completely unique and engaging experience to Internet users who are looking for a different and fun way to socialize online.  Fubar is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.  For more information, visit http://www.fubar.com or email bizdev@fubar.com.

 

About Jangl

Jangl™ is the social communications leader, bringing phones and online identities together for millions who socialize, share and create online.  Our voice service is available in more than 20 million online profiles, distributed directly to consumers at Jangl.com and through partnerships with global leaders in social networking, mobile, digital media and communications and dating and relationship communities.  Jangl has been honored as a Supernova 2007 "Connected Innovator," a 2007 Red Herring 100 North America winner, and an AlwaysOn 100 nominee, and is a sought-after contributor to industry dialogue, having spoken worldwide at conferences produced by Dow Jones, Red Herring, Supernova, Pulvermedia's VON, ETRE, and O'Reilly Network.  Jangl's management team hails from successful consumer and technology companies, including Skype, Redback Networks, PodShow, Microsoft, WebTV, Sprint Nextel, and Lucent Technologies.  Jangl's investors include Cardinal Venture Capital, Labrador Ventures and Storm Ventures, which together have invested $9 million.  Jangl is headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., and is available on the web at http://www.jangl.com and via telephone at 1.925.271.5050.

 

Jangl is a trademark of Jangl, Inc.  All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.