Social Networking Watch

Badoo 'Rises Up' in the United States

PR NEWSWIRE -- Jan 22 -- Badoo,  an international social network with over 12.7 million users worldwide, launched in the U.S. Badoo has already been introduced into 180 countries and offers its members the ability to communicate in seven different languages. Badoo gives their members direct control of their audience and reach through the use of a system called "Rise Up." This feature allows members to instantly move to the top of a rolling list of profiles gaining greater exposure for their personal profiles. FULL ARTICLE @ PR NEWSWIRE

Russians Invest $30 Million In Social Networking Site Badoo

TECH CRUNCH -- Jan 21 -- Social networking site Badoo got a $300 million valuation from new Russian investors. The money is to build the service in Russia, where social networking market has reached around 10 million users in January. Badoo's social networking site with photo and video sharing has 12.7 million registered accounts, mostly in Latin America and Continental Europe. Badoo's main pitch is that it carries no advertising, avoiding the kinds of issues Facebook had with Beacon. Instead, Badoo derives its main revenue from offering users the chance to pay to be popular. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

Online Social Networking New Lifestyle

CHINA DAILY -- Dec 27 -- Google's freshly released "Zeitgeist 2007" reveals that 7 of the 10 hottest topics involved social networking. The Top Ten list includes Badoo, Hi5, and Facebook. Video-sharing websites YouTube and Dailymotion are on the list, along with the Club Penguin. Second Life is the final social network in the Zeitgeist Top Ten. Industry statistics show Facebook membership more than doubled in the past year to about 55 million, MySpace grew 30% to top 110 million. One in every four US residents uses MySpace, while in Britain it is as common to have a profile page on the website as it is to own a dog. FULL ARTICLE @ CHINA DAILY

Facebook's Ad-free Rival

GUARDIAN.CO.UK -- Dec 24 -- Badoo is a new UK social network without the ads. Revenue is derived by a technology named Rise Up. For $1 in the US, €1 in Europe's eurozone and £1 in the UK, users can choose to have their profile moved to the top of a rolling list of profiles.  20% of Badoo's 12.5 million users access the function once a month. FULL ARTICLE @ GUARDIAN.CO.UK