for many , it was the original social network . bebo , which was a huge hit , was sold to aol in 2008 for $ 850m - before sinking without a trace as facebook became to world 's biggest social network . now , the husband and wife team who originally founded it have relaunched it , after buying back the domain name for $ 1m . scroll down for video . bebo promises ` chat with attitude ' , and its founder claims the social network is ` all about the banter ' bebo was launched in 2005 . users could upload blogs , photos , music and videos to their pages . bebo , alongside myspace was one of the contenders to facebook in the early 2000s . at its peak it had about 40 million users . it was sold by michael and xochi birch to aol for $ 850 million in 2008 . bebo was eclipsed by facebook as well as other social networking sites such as twitter , youtube , tumblr . aol 's reluctance to invest in the site has been blamed for its decline . bebo sought bankruptcy protection in 2013 and mr birch bought the company from its receivers for $ 1 million . at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . now , it is available as an ios and android app , with a web version coming soon . ` when we decided to come back we wanted to make something people would use , ' shaan puri , the ceo of bebo , told mailonline . he runs the site for michael and xochi birch , the couple who founded it in 2005 , and who bought the domain name back . ' a lot of casual conversation is about banter - so we came up with the idea based around that . ' when users first sign up , they create their own avatars which are their ` face ' on the network . using hashtags , they can be made to change their expression , for instance . other hashtags can show a map , play music or even launch games on the site . ` michael decided to use hashtags , to allow people to make their character do things - you can slap friends , or even play a game , or send a song , ' said puri . the firm plans to add extra features to the app over time . ` people will discover them in the network - people tell their friends as we release new features using hashtags . ' he also took aim at other social networks that sell packs of emojis or stickers to users . the original bebo : at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . ` unlike an emoji , you do n't have to go buy new packs - and we can have a hashtag up in seconds . ' the new site is also aimed at users of the original . ` it was a place to have fun with friends , and we hope those same things will carry on . ` this has got to be more fun - it 's not about using us over twitter , we think people will use both for different sets of people . ` but with your best mates , we hope you 'll be on bebo . ' bebo , which stands for ` blog early , blog often , ' was founded in 2005 and in its hey day had some 40 million users around the world . bebo was founded by husband and wife team michael and xochi birch , who met as students while both at imperial college in london . set up in 2005 , after several previous start-ups , it became vast , boasting more than 10 million users before the pair sold it to aol for a staggering $ 850 million , of which the birches pocketed $ 595 million . two years after the internet giant bought the social network , private equity form criterion capital partners tried to revive it for less than $ 10 million but failed , before the birches were able to buy it back . as well as resurrecting bebo , the pair have become angel investors , helping young start-ups get their first step on the online ladder , and michael is also heavily involved in profounders , a london venture capital firm that invests heavily in the capital 's startups . they now also run a software ` incubator ' called monkey inferno in san francisco , along with a private members club called the battery . earlier this yearhe californian-based couple have now snapped up the the farmers arms pub in woolsery , devon , and have vowed to restore it to its former glory . the firm also said it hoped to bring back photos from the old site . ` it 's taken a bit of engineering , but by 31 january we will have your photos available for download , ' it said . bebo , which stands for ` blog early , blog often , ' was founded in 2005 and in its hey day had some 40 million users around the world .
original founders michael and xochi birch bought domain back for $ 1m . couple sold the social network to aol for $ 850m in 2008 .
for many , it was the original social network . bebo , which was a huge hit , was sold to aol in 2008 for $ 850m - before sinking without a trace as facebook became to world 's biggest social network . now , the husband and wife team who originally founded it have relaunched it , after buying back the domain name for $ 1m . scroll down for video . bebo promises ` chat with attitude ' , and its founder claims the social network is ` all about the banter ' bebo was launched in 2005 . users could upload blogs , photos , music and videos to their pages . bebo , alongside myspace was one of the contenders to facebook in the early 2000s . at its peak it had about 40 million users . it was sold by michael and xochi birch to aol for $ 850 million in 2008 . bebo was eclipsed by facebook as well as other social networking sites such as twitter , youtube , tumblr . aol 's reluctance to invest in the site has been blamed for its decline . bebo sought bankruptcy protection in 2013 and mr birch bought the company from its receivers for $ 1 million . at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . now , it is available as an ios and android app , with a web version coming soon . ` when we decided to come back we wanted to make something people would use , ' shaan puri , the ceo of bebo , told mailonline . he runs the site for michael and xochi birch , the couple who founded it in 2005 , and who bought the domain name back . ' a lot of casual conversation is about banter - so we came up with the idea based around that . ' when users first sign up , they create their own avatars which are their ` face ' on the network . using hashtags , they can be made to change their expression , for instance . other hashtags can show a map , play music or even launch games on the site . ` michael decided to use hashtags , to allow people to make their character do things - you can slap friends , or even play a game , or send a song , ' said puri . the firm plans to add extra features to the app over time . ` people will discover them in the network - people tell their friends as we release new features using hashtags . ' he also took aim at other social networks that sell packs of emojis or stickers to users . the original bebo : at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . ` unlike an emoji , you do n't have to go buy new packs - and we can have a hashtag up in seconds . ' the new site is also aimed at users of the original . ` it was a place to have fun with friends , and we hope those same things will carry on . ` this has got to be more fun - it 's not about using us over twitter , we think people will use both for different sets of people . ` but with your best mates , we hope you 'll be on bebo . ' bebo , which stands for ` blog early , blog often , ' was founded in 2005 and in its hey day had some 40 million users around the world . bebo was founded by husband and wife team michael and xochi birch , who met as students while both at imperial college in london . set up in 2005 , after several previous start-ups , it became vast , boasting more than 10 million users before the pair sold it to aol for a staggering $ 850 million , of which the birches pocketed $ 595 million . two years after the internet giant bought the social network , private equity form criterion capital partners tried to revive it for less than $ 10 million but failed , before the birches were able to buy it back . as well as resurrecting bebo , the pair have become angel investors , helping young start-ups get their first step on the online ladder , and michael is also heavily involved in profounders , a london venture capital firm that invests heavily in the capital 's startups . they now also run a software ` incubator ' called monkey inferno in san francisco , along with a private members club called the battery . earlier this yearhe californian-based couple have now snapped up the the farmers arms pub in woolsery , devon , and have vowed to restore it to its former glory . the firm also said it hoped to bring back photos from the old site . ` it 's taken a bit of engineering , but by 31 january we will have your photos available for download , ' it said . bebo , which stands for ` blog early , blog often , ' was founded in 2005 and in its hey day had some 40 million users around the world .
for many , it was the original social network . bebo , which was a huge hit , was sold to aol in 2008 for $ 850m - before sinking without a trace as facebook became to world 's biggest social network . now , the husband and wife team who originally founded it have relaunched it , after buying back the domain name for $ 1m . scroll down for video . bebo promises ` chat with attitude ' , and its founder claims the social network is ` all about the banter ' bebo was launched in 2005 . users could upload blogs , photos , music and videos to their pages . bebo , alongside myspace was one of the contenders to facebook in the early 2000s . at its peak it had about 40 million users . it was sold by michael and xochi birch to aol for $ 850 million in 2008 . bebo was eclipsed by facebook as well as other social networking sites such as twitter , youtube , tumblr . aol 's reluctance to invest in the site has been blamed for its decline . bebo sought bankruptcy protection in 2013 and mr birch bought the company from its receivers for $ 1 million . at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . now , it is available as an ios and android app , with a web version coming soon . ` when we decided to come back we wanted to make something people would use , ' shaan puri , the ceo of bebo , told mailonline . he runs the site for michael and xochi birch , the couple who founded it in 2005 , and who bought the domain name back . ' a lot of casual conversation is about banter - so we came up with the idea based around that . ' when users first sign up , they create their own avatars which are their ` face ' on the network . using hashtags , they can be made to change their expression , for instance . other hashtags can show a map , play music or even launch games on the site . ` michael decided to use hashtags , to allow people to make their character do things - you can slap friends , or even play a game , or send a song , ' said puri . the firm plans to add extra features to the app over time . ` people will discover them in the network - people tell their friends as we release new features using hashtags . ' he also took aim at other social networks that sell packs of emojis or stickers to users . the original bebo : at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . ` unlike an emoji , you do n't have to go buy new packs - and we can have a hashtag up in seconds . ' the new site is also aimed at users of the original . ` it was a place to have fun with friends , and we hope those same things will carry on . ` this has got to be more fun - it 's not about using us over twitter , we think people will use both for different sets of people . ` but with your best mates , we hope you 'll be on bebo . ' bebo , which stands for ` blog early , blog often , ' was founded in 2005 and in its hey day had some 40 million users around the world . bebo was founded by husband and wife team michael and xochi birch , who met as students while both at imperial college in london . set up in 2005 , after several previous start-ups , it became vast , boasting more than 10 million users before the pair sold it to aol for a staggering $ 850 million , of which the birches pocketed $ 595 million . two years after the internet giant bought the social network , private equity form criterion capital partners tried to revive it for less than $ 10 million but failed , before the birches were able to buy it back . as well as resurrecting bebo , the pair have become angel investors , helping young start-ups get their first step on the online ladder , and michael is also heavily involved in profounders , a london venture capital firm that invests heavily in the capital 's startups . they now also run a software ` incubator ' called monkey inferno in san francisco , along with a private members club called the battery . earlier this yearhe californian-based couple have now snapped up the the farmers arms pub in woolsery , devon , and have vowed to restore it to its former glory . the firm also said it hoped to bring back photos from the old site . ` it 's taken a bit of engineering , but by 31 january we will have your photos available for download , ' it said . bebo , which stands for ` blog early , blog often , ' was founded in 2005 and in its hey day had some 40 million users around the world .
for many, the original social network. bebo, which a huge hit, sold aol in 2008 850 - before sinking without as facebook became to world 's biggest social network now, the husband and wife team who originally founded it, after buying back $ 1m. scroll. bebo promises ` chat attitude and its founder claims the social network ` all the banter ' bebo was 2005. users could upload blogs, photos music their pages. bebo, alongside myspace was one the contenders facebook in early. at its peak it. it sold michael and xochi birch to aol for 850 million 2008. bebo was eclipsed facebook as well twitter,. aol 's reluctance invest the site blamed. bebo sought bankruptcy protection 2013 mr birch bought its receivers 1. at its height 2008, bebo saw over 1 billion page views a now, it available an ios and android, with a web version coming ` when decided come wanted people use, ' shaan puri the ceo bebo told mailonline he runs michael and xochi birch, the couple founded, who bought back. ' a lot casual conversation banter - so came based around. ' when users first sign, create which their ` face on using hashtags, they made change their expression, for. other hashtags can show a map, play music launch. ` michael decided use hashtags, to allow make their character do - you slap friends, play send a song ' said puri the firm plans add extra features over. ` people will discover them the network - people tell as we release using hashtags. ' he also took aim other social networks sell packs or users. the original bebo : at its height 2008 saw a ` unlike an emoji, you do n't go buy new packs - and we have a hashtag up in seconds. ' the new site also aimed users original. ` it a place have, we hope those same things carry. ` this has got more fun - 's about using us over twitter, we think people both for different sets people. ` but with your best mates, we hope 'll on bebo. ' bebo, which stands ` blog early, blog often ' was founded in its hey day around bebo was founded husband and wife team michael xochi birch, met as while both at imperial college london set up in 2005, after several previous start-ups, it vast, boasting before the pair sold aol for staggering 850, of the birches pocketed 595 two years the internet giant bought, private equity form criterion capital partners tried revive for less 10 but, before the birches able buy as resurrecting bebo, the pair become angel investors, helping young start-ups their first step the online ladder, michael heavily profounders heavily the capital 's startups they now also run a software ` incubator called monkey inferno in along a private members club the battery. earlier this yearhe californian-based couple have now snapped the the farmers arms pub woolsery, devon, have vowed restore the firm also hoped bring photos the old site. ` it taken engineering, by 31 january we your photos available, ' it said bebo, which stands ` blog early, blog often ' was founded in its hey day around
for many , it was the original social network . bebo , which was a huge hit , was sold to aol in 2008 for $ 850m - before sinking without a trace as facebook became to world 's biggest social network . now , the husband and wife team who originally founded it have relaunched it , after buying back the domain name for $ 1m . scroll down for video . bebo promises ` chat with attitude ' , and its founder claims the social network is ` all about the banter ' bebo was launched in 2005 . users could upload blogs , photos , music and videos to their pages . bebo , alongside myspace was one of the contenders to facebook in the early 2000s . at its peak it had about 40 million users . it was sold by michael and xochi birch to aol for $ 850 million in 2008 . bebo was eclipsed by facebook as well as other social networking sites such as twitter , youtube , tumblr . aol 's reluctance to invest in the site has been blamed for its decline . bebo sought bankruptcy protection in 2013 and mr birch bought the company from its receivers for $ 1 million . at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . now , it is available as an ios and android app , with a web version coming soon . ` when we decided to come back we wanted to make something people would use , ' shaan puri , the ceo of bebo , told mailonline . he runs the site for michael and xochi birch , the couple who founded it in 2005 , and who bought the domain name back . ' a lot of casual conversation is about banter - so we came up with the idea based around that . ' when users first sign up , they create their own avatars which are their ` face ' on the network . using hashtags , they can be made to change their expression , for instance . other hashtags can show a map , play music or even launch games on the site . ` michael decided to use hashtags , to allow people to make their character do things - you can slap friends , or even play a game , or send a song , ' said puri . the firm plans to add extra features to the app over time . ` people will discover them in the network - people tell their friends as we release new features using hashtags . ' he also took aim at other social networks that sell packs of emojis or stickers to users . the original bebo : at its height in 2008 , bebo saw over 1 billion page views a week . ` unlike an emoji , you do n't have to go buy new packs - and we can have a hashtag up in seconds . capital firm that invests heavily in the capital 's startups . they now also run a software ` incubator ' called monkey inferno in san francisco , along with a private members club called the battery . earlier this yearhe californian-based couple have now snapped up the the farmers arms pub in woolsery , devon , and have vowed to restore it to its former glory . the firm also said it hoped to bring back photos from the old site . ` it 's taken a bit of engineering , but by 31 january we will have your photos available for download , ' it said . bebo , which stands for ` blog early , blog often , ' was founded in 2005 and in its hey day had some 40 million users around the world .
 Bebo, a social network founded in 2005 by Michael and Xochi Birch, was initially popular but eventually declined. It allowed users to upload blogs, photos, music, and videos to their pages. At its peak, it had around 40 million users. The site was sold to AOL in 2008 for $850 million before being eclipsed by other social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. In 2013, the company filed for bankruptcy protection and was bought back by its founders for $1 million. Today, Bebo is available as an iOS and Android app, with a web version coming soon.