We have Twitter, we have fb, we now have MySpace, we’ve Google+, and from now on we’ve got Badoo: a social network web site for people you don’t understand. However. Although the title appears like a lyric in a scat song, Badoo is much more, and contains the potential which will make a huge impact.
Badoo, launched in London in 2006, will be the creation of Andrey Andreev, a Russian entrepreneur whoever various other tasks include Mamba, the website from which Badoo originated, SpyLog, and Begun. Exactly what just can it be?
Opinion regarding issue is actually divided. Badoo is free to make use of, but users “pay for importance,” which means that they receive marketed position on the website in exchange for a small charge. The essential goal of Badoo, as described of the web site’s tagline, is “meet new-people.” Unlike most social networking internet sites, Badoo is actually centered on creating associations with individuals you never ever met, rather than preserving connections with individuals that happen to be already acquaintances.
In spite of the web site’s self-proclaimed position as a social media platform, however, a lot of think about Badoo as a dating site. Lloyd Price, Badoo’s Director of promotion, is keen to get rid of that picture, possibly in an attempt to expand the viewers for your site, but it’s perhaps not leaving without a fight.
In a story for TheNextWeb.com, Paul Sawers produces that he, like other, had heard your website had been “for folks trying to find romance.” “the complete appear and feel of Badoo does seem extremely dating-oriented,” he adds. “as an example, section of their advertising mantra states: ‘Cam, flirt, socialize and enjoy yourself!’ Okay, it’s not overtly about dating, but it definitely leans even more towards a candle-lit meal for 2 than a-game of football with all the young men.” On the surface, it’s easy to realise why so many people apparently contemplate Badoo as a dating site, but a little digging shows the website has actually a lot more to offer.
Aided by cellular programs for Android and iOS, and GPS functionality, Badoo puts a focus on satisfying new-people in your neighborhood, seamlessly mixing social network, online dating sites, and location-based technologies. Badoo also received the subject of 3rd best application on Twitter in February within this 12 months, behind CityVille and FarmVille, although it features since fallen a couple of jobs.
In a global that thrives on connectivity, a website like Badoo, that merges many technologies, features every thing it will require to be successful. And much, the strategy appears to be working: up to now, Badoo provides doubled in size in past times 12 months, and today boasts “121 million members in 180 nations, a turnover more than $100m and a global head-count of 200 individuals who communicate 25 dialects.”
For additional info on this social dating service you can read our very own article on Badoo.