While Generation Mobile has been texting their thumbs off and compiling friends on Facebook, cell phone companies like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have been competitively scurrying to deliver the Next Cool Thing in social networking. The winner for 2008, according to Silicon Valley insiders at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco this week is the JYGY (pronounced "jiggy") free text messaging tools that work on every service and every phone.



The free mobile texting enhancement, created by the Atlanta-based JYGY, lets cell phone users instantly create a mobile group text chat of 3 to 50 friends, instantly blast text or picture messages to their groups, poll friends, connect with their My Space or other social networking pages and a few other proprietary JYGY micro-apps. It's called social networking 2.0 because it's mobile.

Now generation M'ers can send a photo of a proposed new BF (boyfriend for those of you over 24) or a potential shoe purchase to 5 or 50 of their friends simultaneously as a quick poll to see if he, or they, are Hot. They can do it with their cell phone and it takes about 10 seconds. What's more, instead of simply texting back and forth between two people, JYGY's free tools lets chatterers add another one, five, or fifty more people into the real time text conversation and OMG, JYGY's free!

"Web 2.0 is about people and JYGY brings the next step in social networking to Generation Mobile" said Mikael Vinding, JYGY's CEO. "With JYGY we have something that actually enhances your mobile phone experience rather than simply creating links to games or whatever."

A new alliance with Facebook, the social networking mega site of the moment, is what really put JYGY on the map. Facebook's several million users by definition are completely up on how to make the most of their networks of friends and they are also quick adopters of new technology that makes their personal networks more interactive.

"With the Facebook application" said Mikael Vinding, "social networking is no longer just uploading photos and videos. It's true real-time human interaction and very very mobile."

On the business side, the JYGY Facebook launch, combined with a simultaneous new set of JYGY iPhone features has put JYGY in front of millions of texting teens, social networking devotees, and ever-watchful venture capital firms, mobile carriers, and others who make a living by catching the latest tech wave.

What it all means for the Atlanta-based tech company is yet to be seen but for now, with JYGY at the hands of millions, the company's development group is working 18 hour days to keep new JYGY features coming. On the horizon are JYGY shopping features, a new style of network dating, and some niche projects for large media companies.

Even as he addresses day to day JYGY business, Vinding is JYGY's most vocal evangelist; crossing time zones and continents more often than most people cross the street. After several years of investment and development Vinding says he is enjoying his "Belle of the Ball" moment in the mobile user generated content space.

JYGY is free to everyone at www.jygy.com. No downloads are required; simply type in your mobile number, check a few boxes, and anyone can be powered like Generation M.