We’ve Twitter, we’ve Facebook, we have MySpace, we Google+, and then we Badoo: a social networking site for people you don’t know. Yet. Although its title feels like a lyric in a scat song, Badoo is actually more, and possesses the possibility to create a huge influence.
Badoo, launched in London in 2006, may be the brainchild of Andrey Andreev, a Russian entrepreneur whose other jobs include Mamba, this site where Badoo was created, SpyLog, and Begun. But what exactly is-it?
View on issue is actually separated. Badoo is free of charge to use, but members “pay for prominence,” therefore they receive promoted status on the webpage in exchange for limited charge. The basic goal of Badoo, as described of the web site’s tagline, is always to “meet new-people.” Unlike many social media sites, Badoo is actually centered on building connections with individuals you’ve never ever met, instead of maintaining contacts with individuals that happen to be currently associates.
In spite of the website’s self-proclaimed status as a social networking platform, however, many think about Badoo as a dating site. Lloyd Price, Badoo’s Director of promotion, is keen to get rid of that image, maybe in an attempt to widen the audience for the site, but it’s maybe not leaving without a fight.
In a tale for TheNextWeb.com, Paul Sawers writes he, like many, had heard that site was actually “for people searching for romance.” “The whole feel and look of Badoo does appear very dating-oriented,” the guy contributes. “like, element of the advertising and marketing mantra states: ‘Cam, flirt, socialize and have a great time!’ Okay, it isn’t really overtly about dating, but it definitely leans even more towards a candle-lit meal for just two than a game title of soccer utilizing the men.” At first glance, it’s easy to realise why more and more people frequently consider Badoo as a dating site, but slightly searching discloses the website has even more to provide.
Assisted by mobile apps for Android and iOS, and GPS functionality, Badoo puts an emphasis on meeting new people in your neighborhood, seamlessly blending social media, online dating, and location-based technology. Badoo also gained the title of next top app on myspace in February for this 12 months, behind CityVille and FarmVille, although it provides since dropped multiple opportunities.
In a world that thrives on connection, a niche site like Badoo, that merges a wide variety of technologies, has every little thing required is profitable. And thus much, the strategy appears to be working: to date, Badoo has actually doubled in proportions prior to now one year, now boasts “121 million users in 180 countries, a turnover more than $100m and a global head-count of 200 people who speak 25 languages.”
To learn more about this personal dating service you can read our very own report about Badoo.