Bebo is set to overtake Myspace as the most popular social net in the U.K., and Facebook is gaining fast according a recent report from Hitwise.
Bebo seems like a pretty cool site. I especially like the way they allow for graphic customization of personal pages, band pages and sponsor pages. Much cleaner and more attractive than Myspace and much more interesting to look at than Facebook.
On Monday I think I’ll blog about custom sponsor profile pages across the various sites.
Meanwhile, I’ve been noticing more and more people talking about Facebook, especially since it opened up its gates to allow the general public to use the system. I agree with Robert Andrews of Paid Content, who says:
“But it’s Facebook that now seems to be the hottest property. Anecdotally, many of my friends who had only just discovered MySpace have now upped and left for the more structured communication confines of Facebook, where they are better able to reconnect with old classmates and colleagues.”
In fact, after my post yesterday, I received several notes from friends who revisted Facebook and told me that they really did like how the site makes it easy to re-connect with friends and acquaintences. Perhaps this is a clear point of distinction? MySpace is a tool to meet new friends. Facebook is better for connecting with people you already know. I realize this is an oversimplification, but as I think about it, given that the Web is a COMMUNICATION platform, and more communication (via cell and E mail) is between people who already know eachother, I’d say Facebook is well positioned in the market. Plus, one could make the case that since Facebook starts with college educated people and builds on their connections, the site may have a stronger “quality” message to attract potential advertisers.
Still, if someone offered me a billion dollars for it, I’d probably sell 
Related stories:
