Bebo gave users a profile that mixed photographs, blogs, messages and visible interaction with friends. Founded in 2005, it made the personal profile the centre of an online community, complete with whiteboard posts and comments. Private-by-default profiles, blocking and user controls were built into the service as its young audience grew.
Why It Mattered
It captured a period when decorating a profile and writing on somebody’s page were central parts of being social online. Bebo’s rapid growth also made youth privacy and safety impossible to treat as side issues, while its acquisition and later sale showed how quickly social networks could rise and lose ground.
User profiles
- Bebo described its original service as profiles where users posted pictures, wrote blogs and sent messages.
- Bebo told Parliament that the service was founded in 2005.
- Profiles also supported whiteboards, quizzes, photos, polls and comments.
Safety controls
- Bebo told Parliament that profiles were private by default from inception.
- Blocking prevented a member from sending mail or posting to specified profile areas.
Ownership record
- AOL completed its acquisition of Bebo on 14 May 2008 for $859.8 million net of cash acquired.
- AOL sold substantially all Bebo assets on 16 June 2010.
- AOL reported an approximately $1.8 million pre-tax loss on the sale.
Associated With
Bebo, Inc. - creator and operator, social-network brand
Defining Feature
User profiles supporting pictures, blogs, messages, whiteboards, comments and privacy controls
Status
Defunct - AOL acquired Bebo in 2008 and sold substantially all of its assets on 16 June 2010
- All one image sources are not yet verified — editorial review required.
Rights Notice
Images are included for historical and archival reference.
Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Bebo's profiles and music pages made the social network a place to display tastes as well as maintain friendships, before newer platforms absorbed much of that activity.
