Bebo Puts OpenSocial In Backseat, Rides Shotgun With Facebook

Strange how social networks behave today.

Bebo, a network with a strong member base in the UK, today announced its partnership with Facebook ? yes, partnership ? through which the two competitors will engage in cross-platform cooperation in the Web application space. Cooperation with one another only.

Yes, ?tis true. The company thought for weeks to be well in pursuit of the common OpenSocial goal some dozen online entities have espoused to hold allegiance to, Bebo has now come out in favor of operating a parallel strategy which it likely believes will bring to its door the best of both worlds. Indeed, it hasn?t abandoned hope for OpenSocial?s success. It?s still got one eye on that suspected prize-to-be. It?s only looking to connect with the expansive marketplace established at Facebook whilst Google and its respective associates in the networking industry determine how best to go about the business of incorporating such complex unity between one another.

And, to be frank, this is a rather sensible move on Bebo?s part. Why wait for something which, however promising and potentially rewarding, doesn?t have much of a firm outline as to when it will hit the ground running? No real reason to, right?

Right. But how?s this new relationship to be interpreted? Facebook isn?t out to give Bebo a boost without some measure of recompense. The two are competitors. Zuckerberg might be a nice guy to share a good couple of pints with, but he?s looking to conquer the industry, no question about that. So this thing the two companies now have going on between each other must naturally have some underlying reason to it.

Unfortunately, any clues to what that reason might be are quite difficult to decipher at present. Is the deal the first step to a merger? Probably not. Facebook wouldn?t have much incentive to fully combine both networks. Yes, it would have more members as a result, and thus pull in more advertising revenue, but its workforce would grow as well, more or less nullifying the ?upgrade?.

A more likely motive for the partnership is for both entities to make corporate friends of one another. Since OpenSocial?s emergence, Facebook has appeared a rather lonely (though nonetheless very big) soul, and it may very well have knocked upon Bebo?s door and given the well-positioned bastion of British networking an offer it could not resist. That simple.

What else could it be, really? This social Web stuff isn?t rocket science. There are no subliminal conspiratorial policies being employed. At least none that we are aware of. Most of what goes on and most of what is planned is often made quite conspicuous.

So unless we learn differently, we?ll stick to the basic premise that Bebo and Facebook are only looking out for their own best interests. Right now, those interests appear to intersect with one another. Facebook gets to show that it?s not alone. Bebo gets access to tons of applications.

What do you think of the deal struck by Bebo and Facebook? Think it changes anything? Is it worth the attention it?s been given? Share your comments below.