2 posts tagged “bebo”
Facebook is shaking up the entire social networking market. Following its move to build a social operating system, MySpace declared that it will do a similar thing. LinkedIn, too.
Now another major social network is getting on board with the “open” strategy: Bebo founder Michael Birch said this week that the site will open up more to 3rd party development, saying:
“Obviously in social networks there’s this conflicting thing of control, of being a closed network and us making all the money, and then opening up to the greater good of the social network.
“We’re discussing how we best react to that. I think it’s inevitable that it’s going to continue down that road.”
Bebo hasn’t been completely closed to developers, of course: a select few companies have seen big gains when chosen to be part of Bebo Widgets. Now I think it’s liekly to be opened to all comers, perhaps even with a directory on the Bebo site. Also noteworthy: Birch says he wants to go IPO, if possible.
What’s surprising here is that the social networks have all ended up following Facebook towards greater openness: didn’t we say at least 6 months ago that MySpace could be beaten by whoever builds a better ecosystem? I spoke to execs at some of the majors, all of whom agreed they wanted to head in that direction: Facebook, however, seized the opportunity.
What can beat Facebook’s openness? Radical openness that doesn’t attempt to tie the user to any particular site. That, however, doesn’t seem to offer a great revenue opportunity.
Recommended: MySpace News - MySpace Launching News Site
If the secret of a “reality”-based fictional series on the web is to be as boring as reality itself, then Kate Modern has nailed it. The show, from the makers of Lonelygirl15 and being promoted on Bebo, tells the story of Kate, a London-based art student. No doubt it’ll be a huge success, however, and we’re just outside of the target demographic. One of the first videos is embedded above.
One vaguely positive sign: UK sitcom actor Ralf Little appears to be part of the cast.
Recommended: Hi5 Stuff at Mashcodes!
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