Badoo

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URL	http://www.badoo.com
Commercial?	Free , but with a charge for higher prominance
Type of site	Social network service
Registration	Yes
Available language(s)	English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Owner	Badoo Ltd. City Business Centre, 25 Lower Road, London, SE16 2XB
Launched	26 May 2003 (relaunched September 2007)
Revenue	15 million users
Current status	Active

Badoo is a multi-lingual, London based, social networking website. It offers users the ability to connect with people at a local and global level, allowing them to share photos and videos, create "reportages" of their lives, and promote themselves and their work. Their "philosophy," which they have trademarked, is I am here.

Launched in May 2006 (although the URL existed as a web portal since 2003), the site now has over 12 million registered users, ^[1] and is one of the top 100 visited sites on the net, according to Alexa Internet.^[2] It is also one of the top ten community websites in Europe.^[3] In September 2007, Badoo re-launched the site, promising users "upgraded features and innovative new tools."^[4]

Unlike other social networking services, Badoo does not incorporate advertising in any part of the site, thus a user's profile contains only user-generated content. It generates income through a "Rise Up" feature which allows users to pay to have their profile given more prominence on the site for a limited time. 20% of Badoo's 12.5 million users access this function once a month. ^[5]

[edit] Timeline

2003: URL registered as a web portal site
May 2006: Launched in current form
September 2007: Badoo re-launched
Dec 2007: Badoo named No.2 in Google Zeitgeist fastest rising search terms of 2007 (only above iPhone)
Dec 2007: Named Best Community Website in France and Spain
Jan 2007: Finam invests $30 million into Badoo
Feb 2008: Badoo re-launches site again with new features including photo tagging and home page news feed.