THE FASTEST GROWING WEBSITE in the world, gaining 22 Million members in just 8 months is bebo.com. Bebo is a social networking site that allows users to create their own profile page, meet others in the large community, exchange messages and share pictures and music. Apparently, the social networking scene is poised to out-pace even text messaging, which is one of the most popular communication platforms for teens, especially in Asia and Europe. In only 8 months, it is estimated that 80 percent of teenagers in Bebo-region schools (US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) are members of the online community.
Like MySpace, there are concerns about some of the content on the site. Some users as young as 14 brag about binge drinking or sexual conquests. But like MySpace, Bebo has online helpers who keep an eye on things and provide information about safety, bullying and other social-ed issues.
As testament to the power of buzz marketing, Bebo’s CEO Michael Birch told the Irish Independent that its growth in just 8 months is completely due to word of mouth. But how? Why? What unique proposition does bebo.com offer its users that other social networking sites haven’t yet? Are social networking sites crash and burn platforms, like foot bridges that crumble from the weight of large crowds? Will MySpace fade in the glare of this new neighbor? And how much time will pass before another social network replaces Bebo? Who do sites like Bebo look to as early adapters to start the buzz ball rolling? Who are the trend-setters in online social networking?
tags: bebo.com social networks MySpace Irish Independent word of mouth buzz marketing
Comments
2 Responses to “Bebo Buzz”
Tom,
That’s a good questions. For me it was always interesting, why people use one service and don’t use another. For example two identical services livejournal.com and greatestjournal.com – the second one is more rich but the first one is leader! Why?
Not so long ago there appeared http://www.multiply.com and there was a little buzz about it (because it really differs from another ones) but it haven’t last long.
I can say that for Russian audience the livejournal.com is the leader. For international – myspace. For business – linkedin.com.
bebo.com – i don’t know. Logically I can say that it’s better than myspace because it’s more simple. And maybe the increase of young internet users (because of some demographic factors – I think there are some) will help it’s popularity? These are just my reasonings, what do you think?
I agree that there are certainly different markets for social networks, as you refer to Dmitry. I suppose that social sites for younger Internet users gain popularity by buzz much more than business-related networks do. The popular teens set the trends for their peers, in fashion, music and social networking. I wonder how sites like MySpace and Bebo find these influencers in the teen marketplace? There must be links to gaming and other popular product channels already with ‘cool’ teen consumers invested.
Any marketing or advertising professionals out there who can give us some practical insight into how buzz is strategically propelled into a market? Are invitations to such sites sent out to top posters on existing sites, for instance?