People Search Digest

Social networking sites are all the rage. Your Grandma probably has a Myspace account by now. But what about the little guys? How do they survive amidst the giants of the industry? Like any animal low on the food chain, they have to find their niche and do it very, very well. It looks like Bebo, by some counts the third largest social network, has found its niche in the social search world somewhere between Facebook and Google.

Part of Facebook’s popularity can be explained by the thousands of user-developed applications currently in circulation. The applications range from useful to the frivolous, and distribute among users quickly thanks to their tremendous appeal. Bebo’s decision to implement a new “Open Application Platform” based on Facebook’s will allow easy translation between Bebo and Facebook, and when you factor in Facebook’s recently announced intention to allow the use of its platform on other social sites, Bebo’s new platform will have tons of networks to interact with. In fact, it’s so similar to Facebook’s that applications created for one will work on the other. Meanwhile, by also partnering with Google’s OpenSocial, Bebo has ensured future compatibility with a promising young platform, while still maintaining ties with Facebook’s proven one.

There appear to be two major social network platforms emerging, and Bebo has effectively affiliated itself with both. Cross compatibility is always a good thing. We’ll see if it can’t help Bebo get out of the shadow of its competitors.