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'''Bebo''' (pronounced |
'''Bebo''' (pronounced Edward) is a [[Social network service|social networking website]], designed to allow friends to communicate in various ways. It has developed into an online community where users can post pictures, write [[Blogging|blogs]] and send messages to one another, and is similar in format to [[MySpace]], [[Xanga]], and [[Yahoo! 360]]. The site was founded in January 2005 by Michael Birch and his wife, Xochi Birch. It was given a major relaunch in July of that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bebo.com/StaticPage.jsp?StaticPageId=2517039231 |title=About Michael Birch |accessdate=2007-06-01 |work=About Bebo |publisher=Bebo}}</ref> |
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Bebo is the 85th most popular English-language website (at [[2007-06-01]]) according to [[Alexa Internet]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url=www.bebo.com |title=Bebo.com |accessdate=2007-06-01 |publisher=[[Alexa]]}}</ref> According to [[Hitwise]], Bebo is the third most popular social networking website, and of the top twenty such sites, Bebo is the third fastest growing.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Social Networking Visits Increase 11.5 Percent From January To February |publisher=[[Hitwise]] |date=[[2007-03-14]] |url=http://www.hitwise.com/press-center/hitwiseHS2004/socialnetworkingmarch07.php |accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref> Bebo also announced on [[March 17]] [[2007]] that it was the most popular website in the [[Republic of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Happy St. Paddy's Day - Bebo is #1 in Ireland! |url=http://www.bebo.com/OurBlogView.jsp?OurBlogId=3775114105 |accessdate=2007-06-01 |last=Torres |first=Maritza |date=[[2007-03-17]] |work=Our Blog |publisher=Bebo}}</ref> Bebo was also listed as the number one term most representative of search trends on [[Google]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2006.html |title=2006 Year-End Zeitgeist |publisher=[[Google]] |accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref> |
Bebo is the 85th most popular English-language website (at [[2007-06-01]]) according to [[Alexa Internet]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url=www.bebo.com |title=Bebo.com |accessdate=2007-06-01 |publisher=[[Alexa]]}}</ref> According to [[Hitwise]], Bebo is the third most popular social networking website, and of the top twenty such sites, Bebo is the third fastest growing.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Social Networking Visits Increase 11.5 Percent From January To February |publisher=[[Hitwise]] |date=[[2007-03-14]] |url=http://www.hitwise.com/press-center/hitwiseHS2004/socialnetworkingmarch07.php |accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref> Bebo also announced on [[March 17]] [[2007]] that it was the most popular website in the [[Republic of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Happy St. Paddy's Day - Bebo is #1 in Ireland! |url=http://www.bebo.com/OurBlogView.jsp?OurBlogId=3775114105 |accessdate=2007-06-01 |last=Torres |first=Maritza |date=[[2007-03-17]] |work=Our Blog |publisher=Bebo}}</ref> Bebo was also listed as the number one term most representative of search trends on [[Google]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2006.html |title=2006 Year-End Zeitgeist |publisher=[[Google]] |accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 11:38, 26 June 2007
| Bebo front page | |
Type of site | Social network service |
|---|---|
| Owner | Private |
| Created by | Michael Birch and Xochi Birch |
| URL | http://www.bebo.com |
| Registration | Yes |
Bebo (pronounced Edward) is a social networking website, designed to allow friends to communicate in various ways. It has developed into an online community where users can post pictures, write blogs and send messages to one another, and is similar in format to MySpace, Xanga, and Yahoo! 360. The site was founded in January 2005 by Michael Birch and his wife, Xochi Birch. It was given a major relaunch in July of that year.[1]
Bebo is the 85th most popular English-language website (at 2007-06-01) according to Alexa Internet.[2] According to Hitwise, Bebo is the third most popular social networking website, and of the top twenty such sites, Bebo is the third fastest growing.[3] Bebo also announced on March 17 2007 that it was the most popular website in the Republic of Ireland.[4] Bebo was also listed as the number one term most representative of search trends on Google in 2006.[5]
Features
Profile components
Once a user has registered an account, they edit and maintain their own profile page using online forms. The top of a user's profile contains information about the user, which would typically include their name, a customizable profile image (often a photo of the user), and some miscellaneous information under various headings. Although default headings are provided, many users create their own to reflect their own interests.
Profiles include; a whiteboard, in which other users can draw pictures with a variety of colors using a system called ffArt, a comment section where other users can leave a message, and a list of the user's friends. These are all publicly viewable, unless the user selects the "Private Profile" option, which limits access to the profile to friends specifically added by the user.
Profiles are also capable of including quizzes, slide-shows of images uploaded by the user, polls for their friends to vote in, photo albums, blogs with a comments section for others' responses, a list of bands (see below) of which the profile-holder is a "groupie" and a "Flash Box"; which plays video, often linked from popular Internet site YouTube, or uploaded directly to Bebo's servers. Members can also add "widgets" which are more graphically rich components provided by an external site — typically something like a slide-show of the member's photos with some transition effect applied.
Bebo Bands
On 11 July 2006, "Bebo Bands" was launched.[6] On this section of the site, bands or solo artists are able to create a profile showcasing their music. Along with undiscovered talents, it has a section called "New Music Only on Bebo" linking to established artist pages including Paris Hilton, Matt Willis, Orson, Coldplay, Kylie Minogue, The Kooks, Lily Allen, and others.
The band pages include a band member list which is similar to the friends list on a normal profile, a list of "groupies" (fans who have added the band as though it were a friend), an area for tour dates, a blog, and a list of songs which have been uploaded for playing through Bebo's media player, or to be added to other user's playlists. These songs can be grouped by the band into albums, along with cover-art. All band members can edit the content of the band profile.
Although the Bebo Band section is intended for use by musical groups, the facility is also used by many to form clubs or societies, or as unofficial fan pages for established bands.
Controversy
A survey of two million profiles by Bigulo.com found that one in three publicly accessible profiles belonged to children under the age of eighteen.[7]
In March 2006 Norfolk County Council is believed by the BBC to have become the first LEA in the United Kingdom to order all schools in its authority to block the website from school computers, due to its being used for "unsavoury activities".[8]
In March 2007 in Derry, Northern Ireland, Bebo was used to organise a sectarian fight under the guise of a cross community football match.[9] Bebo has also been used to name and abuse local police officers in Tayside, Scotland.[10]
See also
References
- ^ "About Michael Birch". About Bebo. Bebo. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
- ^ "Bebo.com". Alexa. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
- ^ "Social Networking Visits Increase 11.5 Percent From January To February" (Press release). Hitwise. 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Torres, Maritza (2007-03-17). "Happy St. Paddy's Day - Bebo is #1 in Ireland!". Our Blog. Bebo. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "2006 Year-End Zeitgeist". Google. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
- ^ Lunn, Shawn (2006-07-27). "Bebo strikes the right chord with the launch of Bebo Bands". IrishDev News. Irish Developer Network. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kennedy, John (2006-11-01). "One in three public Bebo pages belong to children". SiliconRepublic.com. Retrieved 2007-06-01]].
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Parents warned about teen website". BBC News. 2006-03-27. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ McDaid, Brendan (March 5 2007). "Community football match turns into riot". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Richardson, Alan (May 15 2007). "Police now targeted by cyber-bully websites". The Courier. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)