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| {{Infobox Website | |||
| {{Infobox dot-com company | |||
| | name = Badoo | |||
| |company_name = Badoo | |||
| | logo = ] | |||
| |company_logo = ] | |||
| | screenshot = | |||
| |company_type = ] | |||
| | caption = Badoo homepage as of April 2011 | |||
| |traded_as = Badoo Ltd | |||
| | url = {{URL|http://badoo.com/}} | |||
| |industry = ] | |||
| | commercial = free, but with a charge for higher prominence | |||
| |founder = ] | |||
| | type = ] | |||
| |revenue = {{Increase}} ]150 million (2012)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-57383368-250/badoo-social-experiment-or-hookup-site|title=Badoo: Social experiment or hookup site?last=Needleman|first=Rafe| date=23 February 2012 |publisher=cnet.com|accessdate=2013-07-24}}</ref> | |||
| | language = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] | |||
| |num_employees = 150+ Worldwide (2013)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://corp.badoo.com/en/company/|title=The Company |publisher=Badoo |accessdate=July 22, 2013}}</ref> | |||
| | registration = yes | |||
| |website_type = ] | |||
| | owner = 332 Agiou Andreou Street, "Patrician Chambers", 3035 Limassol, Cyprus.<ref name="t&c"> Accessed August 2009.</ref> | |||
| |registration = Required | |||
| | author = | |||
| |num_users = 183 million+ <ref>{{cite web |url=http://corp.badoo.com/en/company/|title=The Company |publisher=Badoo |accessdate=July 22, 2013}}</ref> | |||
| | current status = Active | |||
| |launch_date = {{Start date|2006|11}} | |||
| | alexa = {{Increase}} 126 ({{as of|2013|25|7|alt=July 2013}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url= http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/badoo.com |title= Badoo.com Site Info | publisher= ] |accessdate= 2013-07-25 }}</ref><!--Updated monthly by OKBot.--> | |||
| | |
|url = {{URL|http://badoo.com/}} | ||
| |commercial = free, but with a charge for extra features | |||
| |language = 42 languages; ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] | |||
| |registration = Yes | |||
| | current_status = Active | |||
| | alexa = {{Increase}} 129 ({{as of|2013|15|6|alt=June 2013}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url= http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/badoo.com |title= Badoo.com Site Info | publisher= ] |accessdate= 2013-02-15 }}</ref><!--Updated monthly by OKBot.--> | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Badoo''' is a dating-focused<ref name="techcrunch.com">http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/04/badabing-badaboom-badoo-hits-150-million-users-boosted-by-mobile/</ref> ], founded in 2006.<ref>http://eu.techcrunch.com/2012/01/19/hey-tagged-badoo-has-been-around-as-long-and-has-bigger-revenues/</ref> It is managed out of its ], ] headquarters<ref name="paid">. paidContent.org. Retrieved 2010-11-18.</ref> but owned by a company based in ], which is ultimately owned by Russian ] ].<ref name="t&c" /><ref> 28 Aug 2009.</ref><ref name="wired"> by David Rowan, ], 6 April 11. Accessed April 2011.</ref> | |||
| '''Badoo''' is a dating-focused<ref name="techcrunch.com">http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/04/badabing-badaboom-badoo-hits-150-million-users-boosted-by-mobile/</ref> ], founded in 2006.<ref>http://eu.techcrunch.com/2012/01/19/hey-tagged-badoo-has-been-around-as-long-and-has-bigger-revenues/</ref> ] service whose mission is to provide the world’s easiest, fastest and most fun way for people to meet each other locally and globally. | |||
| The ], dating-oriented social network, was founded in ] in November 2006 by ] and a small group of international ] and tech ]. Badoo was originally a basic ] website but evolved into a social networking and ] website in 2008. As Badoo is a meeting place for adults, nobody under the age of 18 is eligible to sign up for the service<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo Terms and Conditions of Use|url=http://badoo.com/terms/|publisher=Badoo.com|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref>. | |||
| Users must ] before using Badoo<ref name="Badoo FAQ">{{cite web|title=Badoo General FAQs|url=http://corp.badoo.com/faq/|publisher=Badoo.com|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref> . They can then create an ] and instantly upload ], ] and ] to other users. Additionally, Badoo offers a premium service where users can pay to customise and increase viewings of their ] as well as play ]<ref name="Badoo FAQ" >{{cite web|title=Badoo General FAQs|url=http://corp.badoo.com/faq/|publisher=Badoo.com|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref> . | |||
| In 2008 Finam Capital injected $30m into Badoo and the company now has an annual ] of $150 million, from around 1 million paying users every month<ref>{{cite web|last=Needleman|first=Rafe|title=Badoo: Social experiment or hookup site?|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-57383368-250/badoo-social-experiment-or-hookup-site/|publisher=cnet.com|accessdate=23 February 2012}}</ref> . Badoo has an office in London, UK<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Badoo|url=http://www.crunchbase.com/company/badoo|publisher=CrunchBase|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref>. | |||
| The site operates in 180 countries<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2012/01/24/the-very-social-network/?mod=google_news_blog | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Ben | last=Rooney | title=A Very Social Network | date=2012-01-24}}</ref> and is most popular in Latin America, Spain, Italy and France.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}<ref>{{cite web |title= Google.com|url=http://trends.google.com/websites?q=badoo.com|accessdate=2010-08-31}}</ref> Badoo ranks as the 51st most popular site in Brazil and the 136th globally, according to ],<ref>{{cite web |title= Alexa Internet report on Badoo|url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/badoo.com|accessdate=2012-12-02}}</ref> a decline of 19 places since 2010. In December 2012, Badoo.com is ranked as the 59th most visited website according to Google, based on Google AdPlanner statistics.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.google.com/adplanner/static/top1000/ |title=Top 1000 sites – DoubleClick Ad Planner |publisher=] |year=2012 |month=December |accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> | The site operates in 180 countries<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2012/01/24/the-very-social-network/?mod=google_news_blog | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Ben | last=Rooney | title=A Very Social Network | date=2012-01-24}}</ref> and is most popular in Latin America, Spain, Italy and France.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}<ref>{{cite web |title= Google.com|url=http://trends.google.com/websites?q=badoo.com|accessdate=2010-08-31}}</ref> Badoo ranks as the 51st most popular site in Brazil and the 136th globally, according to ],<ref>{{cite web |title= Alexa Internet report on Badoo|url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/badoo.com|accessdate=2012-12-02}}</ref> a decline of 19 places since 2010. In December 2012, Badoo.com is ranked as the 59th most visited website according to Google, based on Google AdPlanner statistics.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.google.com/adplanner/static/top1000/ |title=Top 1000 sites – DoubleClick Ad Planner |publisher=] |year=2012 |month=December |accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> | ||
| ], Co-Founder of ], nominated Badoo CEO and Founder Andreev as one of ‘50 People Who Will Change The World 2012,’ in ]’s Smart List 2012. Wales said he was “intrigued by Badoo's growth to over 120 million users in an under-the-radar way,” and that Andreev seemed “a smart, serious, interesting tech geek on a mission to create something that people like”<ref>{{cite web|title=The Smart List 2012: 50 people who will change the world|url=http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/02/features/the-smart-list/page/2|publisher=Wired.co.uk|accessdate=24 January 2012}}</ref> . | |||
| In June 2013 ] rated Badoo's global ranking as 129<ref>http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/badoo.com</ref>. | |||
| == History == | == History == | ||
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| Badoo is claimed to be the world’s fourth-largest social network with users spread across 180 countries. According to a Badoo press release reported by ], it is growing by 125,000 new users a day. According to the article, in both Spain and Brazil, roughly one in eight people who use the internet are Badoo members.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/famous-entrepreneurs/badoo-can-the-worlds-fourth-largest-social-network-break-britain/2271.article |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120502194337/http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/famous-entrepreneurs/badoo-can-the-worlds-fourth-largest-social-network-break-britain/2271.article |archivedate=2012-05-02 |title=Badoo: Can the world's fourth-largest social network break Britain? |date=30 April 2012 |first=Sophie |last=Hobson }}</ref> | Badoo is claimed to be the world’s fourth-largest social network with users spread across 180 countries. According to a Badoo press release reported by ], it is growing by 125,000 new users a day. According to the article, in both Spain and Brazil, roughly one in eight people who use the internet are Badoo members.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/famous-entrepreneurs/badoo-can-the-worlds-fourth-largest-social-network-break-britain/2271.article |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120502194337/http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/famous-entrepreneurs/badoo-can-the-worlds-fourth-largest-social-network-break-britain/2271.article |archivedate=2012-05-02 |title=Badoo: Can the world's fourth-largest social network break Britain? |date=30 April 2012 |first=Sophie |last=Hobson }}</ref> | ||
| == |
== Apps == | ||
| === Badoo Apps === | |||
| Many users complain they were signed up without their consent on Badoo and that it sends spam emails to all of their contacts without their permission telling them their friend "has left you a message".<ref>http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/Jh2L2rlh4AU</ref> In truth, their friend has not left them any message at all.<ref>Motherboard user "stfual". In a to: {{cite web|last=Stuckey|first=Daniel|title=Badoo is an Enigma Wrapped in a Puzzle Wrapped in Spam|url=http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/6/13/badoo-is-an-enigma-wrapped-in-a-puzzle-wrapped-in-spam|work=Motherboard|publisher=Vice Media|accessdate=30 October 2012}}</ref> Blogger Daniel Stuckey says, "With its shiny presentation, sexualized premise and slick startup ploys, Badoo feels like a bizarre super-collider of radical honesty and spammy fakery; that is to say, a souvenir of the Internet".<ref>{{cite web|last=Stuckey|first=Daniel|title=Badoo is an Enigma Wrapped in a Puzzle Wrapped in Spam|url=http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/6/13/badoo-is-an-enigma-wrapped-in-a-puzzle-wrapped-in-spam|work=Motherboard|publisher=Vice Media|accessdate=30 October 2012}}</ref> | |||
| Badoo is present on almost every ]. The first ] to be released by Badoo was for the ] 3 in December 2010<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo.com Paid iPhone App Available in UK|url=http://corp.badoo.com/fr/entry/blog/542/|work=Press Relase|publisher=Badoo|accessdate=22 December 2010}}</ref> . This was followed by the ] App in February 2011<ref>{{cite web|title=Meet New People on Badoo’s Android App|url=http://corp.badoo.com/en-gb/entry/blog/869/|publisher=Badoo|accessdate=21 February 2011}}</ref> , ] App in December 2011, ] in August 2012<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo for Windows Phones is Here!|url=https://corp.badoo.com/entry/blog/2218/|publisher=Badoo|accessdate=02 August 2012}}</ref> and ] in 2013 along with the new ] app<ref>{{cite web|last=Yeung|first=Ken|title=Social dating service Badoo launches an iPad app for its 172 million users|url=http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/02/08/social-dating-service-badoo-launches-an-ipad-app-for-its-172-million-users/|publisher=The Next Web|accessdate=08 February 2013}}</ref> . The iPad app has been well received and currently has a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 in the iTunes store. In 2013 Badoo’s android app was featured as one of ]'s ‘100 best Android Apps of 2013’<ref>{{cite web|last=Eddy|first=Max|title=The 100 Best Android Apps of 2013|url=http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=287859&a=287861&po=51,00.asp|publisher=PC MAgazine|accessdate=03 July 2013}}</ref> . Badoo has just released a ] version of Badoo, which is present on the Firefox marketplace. | |||
| In 2011 Badoo’s Facebook app broke into the ‘Top 3 Facebook Apps in the World,’according to appdata.com<ref>{{cite web|title=Application Analytics for Facebook, iOS and Android|url=http://www.appdata.com/facebook_apps/|work=App Leader Board|publisher=appdata.com|accessdate=08 February 2011}}</ref> . | |||
| As of June 2013 the Badoo app has been rated: | |||
| – ] – average of 4.5 out of 5 with (over 500,000) 490,297 reviews and over 350K 5 star reviews<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo - Meet New People|url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.badoo.mobile&hl=en|publisher=Googe Play Store|accessdate=16 July 2013}}</ref> . | |||
| – Blackberry app store – 4 out of 5<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo app for blackberry|url=http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/25638/|publisher=Blackberry App World|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref> . | |||
| – Androidpit - 4.5 out of 5 with (over 500,000) 489,359 reviews<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo - Meet New People|url=http://www.androidpit.com/en/android/market/apps/app/com.badoo.mobile/Badoo-Meet-New-People|publisher=androidpit.com|accessdate=10 February 2012}}</ref> . | |||
| – iTunes App Store – 4.5 out of 5 from 468 (404) reviewers<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo iOS app|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/badoo-meet-new-people-chat/id351331194?mt=8|work=iTunes App Store|publisher=https://itunes.apple.com}}</ref> . | |||
| === Apps supported by Badoo === | |||
| ] | |||
| Badoo supports Blendr as a white lable app. Blendr is powered by Badoo Trading Ltd and users are subject to the same ] and ] as Badoo users. Blendr was launched by Joel Simkhai CEO of ] in September 2011<ref>{{cite web|last=Gilbert|first=Jason|title=Grindr Creator Launches Blendr: Will Women Use A Random Hookup App?|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/11/grindr-creator-launches-blendr_n_954752.html|publisher=Huffington Post|accessdate=11 November 2011}}</ref> . | |||
| == Website & features == | |||
| Users must register with the site after which they create a personal profile. Users can register using a third-party log-in such as ], ], ], ] or ]. Users may also create an account directly with Badoo. | |||
| Badoo is a ] service. The basic service is extensive and free for everyone. As soon as members sign up they can chat, upload photos and videos and see and contact people who live in their area — or even a different city or part of the world. Some of Badoo’s free features include: | |||
| Additionally Badoo generates users by harvesting information posted by users on other social networking sites, without these users consent. Many users of ] will find their profiles have been cloned on Badoo without their consent and are freely accessible through an internet search.<ref>http://badoo-com-reviews.measuredup.com/Complaint-fake-profile-27490</ref> | |||
| ==== Ice Breaker ==== | |||
| Users who have never signed up for a profile report difficulty or impossibility of deleting that profile from Badoo.<ref>http://raimundospark.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/badoo-doesnt-let-you-cancel-a-service-you-didnt-sign-up-for-2/</ref> | |||
| This feature offers example conversation starters for users who need a helping hand introducing themselves to other users. | |||
| ==== Interests ==== | |||
| Users can create a self-generated list of hobbies instead of pre-defined ones. | |||
| ==== Anonymous Chat ==== | |||
| The anonymous chat game is part of Badoo's Chat feature. Badoo finds someone random for user to chat to and they have three minutes before deciding if they would like to see each other's picture and if they would like to keep chatting, or chat to someone new. | |||
| ==== People Nearby ==== | |||
| The People Nearby section shows members in the user’s area and other cities, whilst the search lets users find people according to their interests. | |||
| ==== Encounters ==== | |||
| Encounters allows users to see photos of other users who match their interests. Users can increase how often they appear in Encounters when other Badoo users are looking at it for 100 credits. | |||
| ==== Visitors ==== | |||
| Users get to see who visited their profile. | |||
| ==== Matches ==== | |||
| Playing encounters or visiting profiles enables users to build up a list of profiles they like as well as a list of people who like them. | |||
| Badoo offers premium paid options for those who wish to be seen by far more people in their area and to truly take advantage of all the possibilities available on Badoo. These premium options aim to increase user’s success in attracting and selecting the people they would like to meet and connect to. Some of Badoo’s premium features include: | |||
| ==Media reception and censorship== | |||
| Opinions of Badoo.com on '''TrustPilot''', which are based on user reviews, rather than press releases, rate the site as 'Very low',<ref name="Review of Badoo">http://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.badoo.com</ref> with a current score of 1.3 out of 10 (as of 20 March 2013). Complaints included fake profiles, and spamming of email accounts of signed-up users. | |||
| ==== Credits ==== | |||
| In a peer-reviewed study conducted and published by Cambridge University in 2009,<ref>{{Citation|last1=Bonneau|first1=Joseph|last2=Preibusch|first2=Sören | title=The Privacy Jungle: On the Market for Privacy in Social Networks|journal=WEIS '09: Proceedings of the Eighth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security.|year=2009|url=http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~jcb82/doc/privacy_jungle_bonneau_preibusch.pdf}}</ref> it was given the lowest score for privacy among 45 social networking sites examined.<ref name="Cambridge"> The Daily Telegraph 21 Jul 2009.</ref> | |||
| The main benefits of credits are: to enable users to ‘Rise Up’ in search results, ‘step into the Spotlight’ on the search page and get more displays in Encounters. | |||
| ==== Rise Up ==== | |||
| Rise Up is one of Badoo's paid features. For 100 credits the users profile is boosted to the top of people’s search results in the users area, this raises user visibility and increases the chances of being contacted by other Badoo users. | |||
| ==== SuperPowers ==== | |||
| The Super Powers feature is subscription-based and includes a range of premium features that basic users don’t have. Super Powers can be bought for one, three, six or twelve months. | |||
| ==== Spotlight ==== | |||
| Spotlight enables users to put their photo at the top of the page so everyone in their area can see it. The Spotlight strip is a carousel of profile pictures visible in almost every page of the website. Users can increase their visibility at the cost of 100 credits each time. | |||
| ==== Favourites ==== | |||
| A favourites list, as part of the Superpowers package, enables users to easily access profiles of people they like to chat to. Users are also able to see who has added them to their favourites list. | |||
| == Criticisms == | |||
| In 2008, Badoo was profiled in the PDA blog of '']''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2008/mar/05/elevatorpitchwhybadoowants|title=Elevator Pitch: Why Badoo wants to be the next word in social networking!|last=Kiss|first=Jemima |date=March 5, 2008 |publisher=Guardian|accessdate=2010-08-31|location=London| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100731161328/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2008/mar/05/elevatorpitchwhybadoowants| archivedate= 31 July 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> | |||
| === Censorship & Blocked Countries === | |||
| Badoo has met with some controversy and it’s flirtatious aspect is assumed to be the reason it has been has been blocked in Iran (2010), China and the United Arab Emirates (2011), though no official reason has been given<ref>{{cite web|last=Butcher|first=Mike|title=Social network Badoo is banned in Iran|url=http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/social-network-badoo-is-banned-in-iran/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=05 January 2010}}</ref>. | |||
| === Spam === | |||
| According to ] Badoo is "like a chat room, dating site and picture rating site disguised as a social network." It was noted Badoo did not offer any group or other type of community to facilitate users meeting similar people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://social-networking-websites-review.toptenreviews.com/badoo-review.html|title=Social Networking Websites Review – Badoo|year=2009|publisher=TopTenREVIEWS|accessdate=2009-08-29}}</ref> | |||
| Badoo has been met with criticism for allegedly spamming and scamming. There have been user complaints stating that they were signed up without their consent and that Badoo sent spam emails to their entire address book without permission telling them their friend "has left you a message."<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo.com sending spam to all my contacts on my behalf, asking them to logon to their site|url=http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/Jh2L2rlh4AU|publisher=productforums.google.com|accessdate=13 September 2010}}</ref> . Rather than their friend leaving them an actual message Badoo sends a template email asking your contacts to join up as well. Blogger Daniel Stuckey says, "With its shiny presentation, sexualised premise and slick startup ploys, Badoo feels like a bizarre super-collider of radical honesty and spammy fakery; that is to say, a souvenir of the Internet"<ref>{{cite web|last=Stuckey|first=Daniel|title=Badoo is an Enigma Wrapped in a Puzzle Wrapped in Spam|url=http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/badoo-is-an-enigma-wrapped-in-a-puzzle-wrapped-in-spam|publisher=motherboard.vice.com|accessdate=July 2012}}</ref> . | |||
| === Fake Profiles === | |||
| As of April 2011 it is censored in the ] and elsewhere. ] reports that as of January 2010, access to Badoo in ] is blocked by the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eu.techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/social-network-badoo-is-banned-in-iran/|title=No flirting! Social network Badoo was banned in Iran|last=Butcher|first=Mike |date=January 5, 2010 |publisher=Techcrunch|accessdate=2009-01-06}}</ref> | |||
| Badoo has been accused of generating fake profiles by harvesting information posted by users on other social networking sites, without these users consent<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo Complaint - fake profile|url=http://badoo-com-reviews.measuredup.com/Complaint-fake-profile-27490|publisher=measuredup.com|accessdate=2010}}</ref>. Badoo responded to the complaints by asking users to send their details, via the website feedback page, so they could look into the problems. There have been no recorded complaints to the UK Data Protection Commissioner<ref>{{cite web|title=Search the ICO website|url=http://search.ico.org.uk/ico/search?q=badoo|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref> . | |||
| In 2011 the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that Badoo profiles were been created without people's consent. It also states that Badoo may use several Facebook applications to automatically gather Facebook users' personal information<ref>{{cite web|last=Reinikainen|first=Pauli|title=Treffipalvelu varastaa profiilitiedot. Varo tätä sovellusta Facebookissa|url=http://www.iltalehti.fi/digi/2011012113041159_du.shtml|accessdate=21 January 2011}}</ref>. | |||
| According to Badoo’s website “accounts can be deleted by signing into the profile, if you can’t remember or believe you don’t have a password then you can enter your email address and a new password will be sent to you . Once in your account click the ‘Delete Profile’ button on the left hand-side of the screen and follow the instructions. Deleted profiles are immediately unsearchable on Badoo’s website but are left inactive for 30 days. If the user has not signed back on during that time the account will then be permanently deleted<ref>{{cite web|title=How do I delete my Badoo profile|url=http://badoo.com/help/?release=19_129#i19_129|publisher=Badoo|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref> . | |||
| When joining Badoo through Facebook or other partners, Badoo’s privacy policy states that, ‘If you have registered on one of our partner websites, such as Facebook, your Profile will be available to all users of the Badoo social network whether via our site or our partners’ websites’.<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo Privacy Policy|url=http://badoo.com/privacy/|publisher=Badoo|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref>. Badoo’s Safety & Security policies were reviewed by John Carr, UK Government Advisor on Internet safety and security, in September 2011. | |||
| Opinions of Badoo.com on ], which are based on user reviews, rather than press releases, rate the site as 'Very low', with a current score of 1.7 out of 10 (as of 26th June 2013). Complaints included fake profiles, and spamming of email accounts of signed-up users<ref>{{cite web|title=Trust Pilot Badoo Review|url=http://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.badoo.com|publisher=Trust Pilot}}</ref>. However opinion differs and many bloggers enjoy and recommend using the site<ref name="02 October 2012">{{cite web|title=Badoo Review: waste of time or many conquests?|url=http://www.olped.org/badoo-review-waste-of-time-or-many-conquests.html|publisher=olped.org}}</ref> . In a peer-reviewed study conducted and published by Cambridge University in 2009, it was given the lowest score for privacy amongst the 45 social networking sites examined at that time<ref>{{cite journal|last=Joseph|first=Bonneau|coauthors=Preibusch, Sören|title="The Privacy Jungle: On the Market for Privacy in Social Networks|journal=WEIS '09: Proceedings of the Eighth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security.|year=2009|url=http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~jcb82/doc/privacy_jungle_bonneau_preibusch.pdf}}</ref> . | |||
| ], the community-based ] tool rated the site as trustworthy but with a risk of ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/badoo.com |title=WOT Reputation Scorecard |publisher=Web of Trust |accessdate=2011-01-25 }}</ref> | |||
| Whilst some scamming may exist and some members have had concerns regarding fake profiles on Badoo, any scammers found or reported to Badoo are normally removed from the site in around 15 minutes. | |||
| Badoo uses an intelligent ] that ensures users who are not behaving appropriately are tagged and prevented from contacting other users<ref>{{cite web|title=Badoo Community Guidelines|url=https://badoo.com/guidelines/|publisher=Badoo|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref>. | |||
| According to ] Badoo is "like a chat room, dating site and picture rating site disguised as a social network." It was noted Badoo did not offer any group or other type of community to facilitate users meeting similar people. | |||
| Finnish newspaper '']'' reported that numerous Badoo profiles have been created without people's consent, and that people have reported Badoo's actions to the police.<ref name=Iltalehti>{{cite web |url=http://www.iltalehti.fi/digi/2011012113041159_du.shtml |title=Treffipalvelu varastaa profiilitiedot: Varo tätä sovellusta Facebookissa |publisher='']'' |language=Finnish |date=21 January 2011 |accessdate=2011-01-25 }}</ref> The same article states there are images of women in hospital just after giving birth, raising suspicions about whether one would willingly upload such images to a dating service.<ref name=Iltalehti/> It also states that Badoo may use several ]s to automatically gather Facebook users' personal information.<ref name=Iltalehti/> | |||
| In April 2011 '']'' carried a feature on the website and its founder.<ref name="wired"/> | |||
| ==Open source== | ==Open source== | ||
Revision as of 16:32, 5 August 2013
 | |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Type of site | Social networking service |
| Available in | 42 languages; Arabic, Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, UK English , US English, Chinese, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Slovenian, Slovak, Serbian, Tagalog, Indonesian, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Vietnamese |
| Traded as | Badoo Ltd |
| Founder(s) | Andrey Andreev |
| Industry | Internet |
| Revenue |  $150 million (2012) |
| Employees | 150+ Worldwide (2013) |
| URL | badoo |
| Commercial | free, but with a charge for extra features |
| Registration | Yes |
| Users | 183 million+ |
| Launched | November 2006 (2006-11) |
| Current status | Active |
Badoo is a dating-focused social discovery website, founded in 2006. online social networking service whose mission is to provide the world’s easiest, fastest and most fun way for people to meet each other locally and globally.
The social discovery, dating-oriented social network, was founded in Spain in November 2006 by Andrey Andreev and a small group of international programmers and tech entrepreneurs. Badoo was originally a basic photo sharing website but evolved into a social networking and dating website in 2008. As Badoo is a meeting place for adults, nobody under the age of 18 is eligible to sign up for the service.
Users must register before using Badoo . They can then create an account and instantly upload photos, videos and chat to other users. Additionally, Badoo offers a premium service where users can pay to customise and increase viewings of their profile as well as play games .
In 2008 Finam Capital injected $30m into Badoo and the company now has an annual run rate of $150 million, from around 1 million paying users every month . Badoo has an office in London, UK.
The site operates in 180 countries and is most popular in Latin America, Spain, Italy and France. Badoo ranks as the 51st most popular site in Brazil and the 136th globally, according to Alexa Internet, a decline of 19 places since 2010. In December 2012, Badoo.com is ranked as the 59th most visited website according to Google, based on Google AdPlanner statistics.
Jimmy Wales, Co-Founder of Misplaced Pages, nominated Badoo CEO and Founder Andreev as one of ‘50 People Who Will Change The World 2012,’ in Wired Magazine’s Smart List 2012. Wales said he was “intrigued by Badoo's growth to over 120 million users in an under-the-radar way,” and that Andreev seemed “a smart, serious, interesting tech geek on a mission to create something that people like” .
In June 2013 Alexa.com rated Badoo's global ranking as 129.
History
Badoo was founded by the Russian entrepreneur Andrey Andreev and launched in London in November 2006.
In January 2008, the Russian investor Finam Capital paid US$30 million for a 10% stake in Badoo. The funding will be used to build Badoo in Russia, where the market for social networking is beginning to grow. As of 2009, Finam now has 20% ownership of Badoo.
In September 2011, The Economist published an article that explained how Badoo had a shot at becoming "one of Europe’s leading internet firms" and that Badoo seems to have discovered a large new market. That month, Blendr, "powered by" Badoo, appeared in the iTunes app store.
As of November 2011 Badoo claimed to have over 130 million registered users of which 6 million are from the US. According to their website FAQ, Badoo claims to employ over 200 people internationally. In April 2011 Badoo was threatened by Facebook with an audit and potential removal if it didn't make its Facebook app less viral. According to Insidefacebook.com, during the week of January 11, Badoo was ranked 17th in growing Facebook apps.
The official Badoo USA launch was on March 23, 2012 with Nick Cannon introducing the service in the US.
In April 2012, the company entered into a marketing agreement with the site Hot or Not to display its members in the companies service. It is unclear if that lead to Hot or Not profiles becoming Badoo profiles, and if original Hot or Not contributors had given consent for their images to be resold.
On April 19, 2012, Badoo announced it had appointed long-time Google executive Benjamin Ling as Chief Operating Officer to push its mobile and web platforms and US growth.
However, in October 2012, Badoo's COO Benjamin Ling left the company after a short tenure in the position.
In May 2012, the company claimed in a press release it had exceeded 150 million registered users.
Badoo is claimed to be the world’s fourth-largest social network with users spread across 180 countries. According to a Badoo press release reported by London Loves Business, it is growing by 125,000 new users a day. According to the article, in both Spain and Brazil, roughly one in eight people who use the internet are Badoo members.
Apps
Badoo Apps
Badoo is present on almost every mobile platform. The first App to be released by Badoo was for the iPhone 3 in December 2010 . This was followed by the Android App in February 2011 , Blackberry App in December 2011, Windows in August 2012 and HTML 5 in 2013 along with the new iPad app . The iPad app has been well received and currently has a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 in the iTunes store. In 2013 Badoo’s android app was featured as one of PC Magazine's ‘100 best Android Apps of 2013’ . Badoo has just released a Firefox version of Badoo, which is present on the Firefox marketplace.
In 2011 Badoo’s Facebook app broke into the ‘Top 3 Facebook Apps in the World,’according to appdata.com .
As of June 2013 the Badoo app has been rated: – Google Play – average of 4.5 out of 5 with (over 500,000) 490,297 reviews and over 350K 5 star reviews . – Blackberry app store – 4 out of 5 . – Androidpit - 4.5 out of 5 with (over 500,000) 489,359 reviews . – iTunes App Store – 4.5 out of 5 from 468 (404) reviewers .
Apps supported by Badoo
Blendr Badoo supports Blendr as a white lable app. Blendr is powered by Badoo Trading Ltd and users are subject to the same terms and conditions and privacy policy as Badoo users. Blendr was launched by Joel Simkhai CEO of Grindr in September 2011 .
Website & features
Users must register with the site after which they create a personal profile. Users can register using a third-party log-in such as Facebook, Yahoo, Google, VK.com or odnoklassniki.ru. Users may also create an account directly with Badoo.
Badoo is a freemium service. The basic service is extensive and free for everyone. As soon as members sign up they can chat, upload photos and videos and see and contact people who live in their area — or even a different city or part of the world. Some of Badoo’s free features include:
Ice Breaker
This feature offers example conversation starters for users who need a helping hand introducing themselves to other users.
Interests
Users can create a self-generated list of hobbies instead of pre-defined ones.
Anonymous Chat
The anonymous chat game is part of Badoo's Chat feature. Badoo finds someone random for user to chat to and they have three minutes before deciding if they would like to see each other's picture and if they would like to keep chatting, or chat to someone new.
People Nearby
The People Nearby section shows members in the user’s area and other cities, whilst the search lets users find people according to their interests.
Encounters
Encounters allows users to see photos of other users who match their interests. Users can increase how often they appear in Encounters when other Badoo users are looking at it for 100 credits.
Visitors
Users get to see who visited their profile.
Matches
Playing encounters or visiting profiles enables users to build up a list of profiles they like as well as a list of people who like them.
Badoo offers premium paid options for those who wish to be seen by far more people in their area and to truly take advantage of all the possibilities available on Badoo. These premium options aim to increase user’s success in attracting and selecting the people they would like to meet and connect to. Some of Badoo’s premium features include:
Credits
The main benefits of credits are: to enable users to ‘Rise Up’ in search results, ‘step into the Spotlight’ on the search page and get more displays in Encounters.
Rise Up
Rise Up is one of Badoo's paid features. For 100 credits the users profile is boosted to the top of people’s search results in the users area, this raises user visibility and increases the chances of being contacted by other Badoo users.
SuperPowers
The Super Powers feature is subscription-based and includes a range of premium features that basic users don’t have. Super Powers can be bought for one, three, six or twelve months.
Spotlight
Spotlight enables users to put their photo at the top of the page so everyone in their area can see it. The Spotlight strip is a carousel of profile pictures visible in almost every page of the website. Users can increase their visibility at the cost of 100 credits each time.
Favourites
A favourites list, as part of the Superpowers package, enables users to easily access profiles of people they like to chat to. Users are also able to see who has added them to their favourites list.
Criticisms
Censorship & Blocked Countries
Badoo has met with some controversy and it’s flirtatious aspect is assumed to be the reason it has been has been blocked in Iran (2010), China and the United Arab Emirates (2011), though no official reason has been given.
Spam
Badoo has been met with criticism for allegedly spamming and scamming. There have been user complaints stating that they were signed up without their consent and that Badoo sent spam emails to their entire address book without permission telling them their friend "has left you a message." . Rather than their friend leaving them an actual message Badoo sends a template email asking your contacts to join up as well. Blogger Daniel Stuckey says, "With its shiny presentation, sexualised premise and slick startup ploys, Badoo feels like a bizarre super-collider of radical honesty and spammy fakery; that is to say, a souvenir of the Internet" .
Fake Profiles
Badoo has been accused of generating fake profiles by harvesting information posted by users on other social networking sites, without these users consent. Badoo responded to the complaints by asking users to send their details, via the website feedback page, so they could look into the problems. There have been no recorded complaints to the UK Data Protection Commissioner . In 2011 the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that Badoo profiles were been created without people's consent. It also states that Badoo may use several Facebook applications to automatically gather Facebook users' personal information. According to Badoo’s website “accounts can be deleted by signing into the profile, if you can’t remember or believe you don’t have a password then you can enter your email address and a new password will be sent to you . Once in your account click the ‘Delete Profile’ button on the left hand-side of the screen and follow the instructions. Deleted profiles are immediately unsearchable on Badoo’s website but are left inactive for 30 days. If the user has not signed back on during that time the account will then be permanently deleted . When joining Badoo through Facebook or other partners, Badoo’s privacy policy states that, ‘If you have registered on one of our partner websites, such as Facebook, your Profile will be available to all users of the Badoo social network whether via our site or our partners’ websites’.. Badoo’s Safety & Security policies were reviewed by John Carr, UK Government Advisor on Internet safety and security, in September 2011.
Opinions of Badoo.com on TrustPilot, which are based on user reviews, rather than press releases, rate the site as 'Very low', with a current score of 1.7 out of 10 (as of 26th June 2013). Complaints included fake profiles, and spamming of email accounts of signed-up users. However opinion differs and many bloggers enjoy and recommend using the site . In a peer-reviewed study conducted and published by Cambridge University in 2009, it was given the lowest score for privacy amongst the 45 social networking sites examined at that time . Whilst some scamming may exist and some members have had concerns regarding fake profiles on Badoo, any scammers found or reported to Badoo are normally removed from the site in around 15 minutes. Badoo uses an intelligent algorithm that ensures users who are not behaving appropriately are tagged and prevented from contacting other users.
According to TopTenReviews Badoo is "like a chat room, dating site and picture rating site disguised as a social network." It was noted Badoo did not offer any group or other type of community to facilitate users meeting similar people.
Open source
Badoo has released several pieces of software under an open source licence, including various improvements to the PHP scripting language, the Pinba real time statistics server, and the Blitz template engine.
Michelle Kennedy, Head of Legal for Badoo, stated "Over the next six to 12 months the changes in cookies will be big for us, and we've also had a geo-location facility set up. Facebook did a check-in facility which allowed you to work out people's behavioural patterns, but we're more concerned about the safety of our users."
Revenue
Badoo is a Freemium web site and 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. In the end of 2007, it was reported that 20% of Badoo's then 22 million users accessed this function once a month. Lloyd Price, Director of Marketing for Badoo, stated "We expect to hit 140 million users by the end of 2011, continue to generate USD $100m + in gross consumer spend per year and expand worldwide."
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