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Bebo
URL http://www.bebo.com
Type of site Social network service
Registration Yes
Owner Private
Created by Michael Birch and Xochi Birch
Bebo (pronounced /ˈbiːboʊ/) 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. The profiles are decorated
with 'skins', default skins are avalaible but users are able to create their
own to reflect their 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]
Police in the United Kingdom have claimed that several social networking
websites are being used by young people to organise fights and even mass
brawls. However, they have singled out Bebo in particular as a cause for
concern. UK law enforces claim to have arrested children as young as
fourteen in connection with these incidents and that the use of weapons is
not uncommon.[11]
References
1. ^ About Michael Birch. About Bebo. Bebo. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
2. ^ Bebo.com. Alexa. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
3. ^ Hitwise (2007-03-14). Social Networking Visits Increase 11.5 Percent
From January To February. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
4. ^ Torres, Maritza (2007-03-17). Happy St. Paddy's Day - Bebo is #1 in
Ireland!. Our Blog. Bebo. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
5. ^ 2006 Year-End Zeitgeist. Google. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
6. ^ Lunn, Shawn. "Bebo strikes the right chord with the launch of Bebo
Bands", IrishDev News, Irish Developer Network, 2006-07-27. Retrieved on
2007-06-01.
7. ^ Kennedy, John. "One in three public Bebo pages belong to children",
SiliconRepublic.com, 2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2007-06-01]].
8. ^ "Parents warned about teen website", BBC News, 2006-03-27. Retrieved on
2007-06-01.
9. ^ McDaid, Brendan (March 5, 2007). Community football match turns into
riot. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
10. ^ Richardson, Alan. "Police now targeted by cyber-bully websites", The
Courier, May 15, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
11. ^ de Bruxelles, Simon. "Teenagers set up mass brawls on the internet",
The Times, June 30, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
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