Who out there has heard of a social networking website called, “Badoo”. Badoo was started up in the year 2006 which was at the forefront of the social networking BOOM. Since then, unlike MySpace, Badoo has not only survived but it has seen continuous growth globally. It is not too prominent in the United States but it is getting there. The headquarters of the company is in Soho, London; however it is owned by a Russian entrepreneur by the name of Andrey Andreev.
So what is this Badoo? Well the article I read stated that people recognize it as a “night club-as-a-service”. That still doesn’t answer too much about Badoo. So I did some more digging. Badoo is pretty unique compared to other social media landscapes. The goal is to meet people that you do not know, unlike Facebook which is basically focused on “friending” people that you have already met. With Badoo once you create a profile you upload pictures and informati0n about yourself (I know it all sounds so similar, but just wait..) Then people can find you based upon your location, interest, etc.
The crazy part comes into play when smart phones and mobile apps get involved. Apps are now available on the iPhone and Android Market for Badoo and they even more distinguish Badoo from the competition. The app lets people set the radius of their profile. So if someone sets the radius to one mile, they will be more likely to meet and interact with people in their immediate surrounding area…pretty different I’d say. If people happen to find someone with similar interest they can start up a chat.
Badoo is a free service however people can pay to get on the top of the list. The lists is something that I was a little confused about but I think the most popular people or those who choose to contribute to the Badoo monetary fund get bumped up on the list. As more people pay, those who pay less or not at all fall on the list. Another paying option is a monthly subscription which gives users so called “super powers”. These powers are unique features which claim to simply increase the experience of Badoo.
Badoo certainly is not for everyone. Currently there are over 126 million active users. To some it may seem more like an online dating site than anything else. All I can tell you is to check it out and see what you think for yourself. Worst case scenario… you think it’s completely stupid and never deal with it again. But for those who love social networking, this may be a new way to spend another 4 hours a day on your computers.
