Social Networks: Fall of Bebo

As Facebook continues to go from strength-to-strength, it is easy to forget just a few years ago, that Facebook wasn’t the biggest social network in the world, a site named “Bebo” was. But fast-forward to the present day and Facebook is in control, while Bebo have suffered a tremendous fall from grace. But after their market position just a few years ago, many would question how such a fall can take place.

Bebo was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife team Michel and Xochi Birch. Like Facebook, it was a social networking site, offering users the chance to connect with one another, view content and generally interact. At the height of its popularity, with almost 11m users, Bebo overtook Myspace to become the most-used social networking website in the United Kingdom. Content included blogs, photographs, videos and questionnaires. Many elements were more customisable than Facebook.

Things were going well. The popularity of Bebo led to conglomerate AOL purchasing the company for a mammoth $850m in 2008. On paper, AOL now had a behemoth of social media that could help their brand secure further profit. However the deal would turn out to be a nightmare, with the-then CEO of AOL Randy Falco losing his job in the aftermath. With rival sites Facebook and Twitter prospering, it led to the numbers dwindling. What was once a hugely-popular website had become a rarely-used network. It simply couldn’t keep up with the advances of other social media sites. Facebook particularly have been proven to be a highly-innovative company, which didn’t help Bebo.

The site would evolve and make changes, staying online for a few years to follow. After a three-day outage in 2012, it appeared Bebo was gone. The hashtag ‘Bebo memories’ trended on Twitter – showing it is a website with considerable nostalgia to it for many. While the site would return, in 2013 Bebo filed for bankruptcy. This led to the original founders purchasing the site for $1m, just $849m less than they sold it for – not bad business!

While Facebook is prospering – it shouldn’t be forgotten that things can change in the blink of an eye. In 2008, AOL would have never imagined what a horror would become of the brand. Bebo has transformed and is still trying to battle back – but it is highly unlikely it will ever be able to restore itself to its old glory. What was once an enormously popular social network has suffered a dramatic fall from grace. It’s a shame what happened to the website, but it is more proof that nothing is forever.

(‘081’)
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America Goes for Trump: Summary

After a close-fought battle lasting many months, Donald Trump has shocked the world by defeating Hilary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States of America. There has been considerable reaction to the shock victory, with some comparing the election result to Britain’s ‘Brexit’. Mainly, there has been shock horror at his victory, with many looking to book the first flight out of America. Here are the main points:

TRUMP IS PRESIDENT
In an unexpected result, Donald Trump is the President-elect. The vast majority of states, including considerable amounts of ‘swing-states’ voted in favour of Trump – handing him the victory. Large turnout of white, male working-class voters appeared to swing the pendulum in the favour of Trump, beating the coalition of female and minority workers which favoured Hilary Clinton.

In a move similar to that of Brexit, pollsters underestimated the amount of working-class Americans that would turn out to vote, and ultimately swing the election. Trump secured 289 votes to the 228 for the Democrats. The Republican party also secured control of the House of Representatives in what turned out to be a highly memorable day for their supporters.

CELEBRITY REACTION
Reactions from celebrities and general social media reaction have not been favourable towards Trump. Several celebrities, including Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, have voiced their disapproval of the result. Countless memes have been created poking fun at the result, and warning of the ‘season finale’ of America – such is the lack of faith of some in Trump.

QUESTIONABLE POLICIES
There are some questionable policies that Trump has spoken of, these include the building of a wall between USA and Mexico – something that will have the bill footed by Mexico. There are also question marks over USA-Cuba relations – something that is part of the legacy of Barack Obama’s fine presidential run. There is also the suggestion Trump might start a ban on allowing Muslim’s to enter America.

TRUMP: BUSINESSMAN
Something that can provide faith in is the work of Trump in terms of his business career. Trump has forged a highly successful business career – there are some hopes that he will be able to transfer this to the world of politics. There is no doubting his fine work in becoming a billionaire, but now he needs to apply this to the Presidency of the United States.

CANADIAN IMMIGRATION SITE CRASHES
With the result coming in, many Americans looked to research immigration in neighbouring Canada, flourishing under Justin Trudeau. However the surge in interest caused the site to crash, and there have been many reports of a lag on the site ever since. It appears that such is the unrest in the result, that many want to leave the country. It is a similar sight to the one seen in Britain after the Brexit result.

INFLAMMATORY QUOTES
There have been several inflammatory quotes applied to Trump that are simply not true. While we has said some frankly ridiculous things, some of the reports, quotes and pictures of him simply aren’t true. While he certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, he deserves our respect – after all he is the President of the most powerful country in the world.

WHERE NEXT FOR CLINTON
Hilary Clinton deserves mass credit for her efforts. She leapt out of the shadow of her husband to run in the race. Despite significant detractors, she ran an admirable campaign and was unfortunate not to claim victory. She gained admiration from many and deserves credit for her demeanour throughout, and the fact she was gracious in defeat. Trump may have won the election, but Hilary won our hearts.

BARACK OBAMA
It is also worth mentioning this brings an end to a fantastic eight-year reign from Barack Obama. There is no doubting the incredible efforts he has made for his country – there is no doubting they are in a much better position now compared to when he assumed office. There is no doubting he will be missed, and he deserves considerable credit for his work as President – a very nice man who has positively impacted many lives.

WHAT NEXT?
So once the dust settles and Trump assumes office in January 2017, all eyes will be on the new President. Hopefully Trump will represent the interests of all Americans and bring them back together after a hugely divisive election. What’s done is done now, and whether people like the result or not, it is time to accept it – Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United Srates of America.

(‘080’)
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