Webjugate

AOL has gone public with its intention of selling its social networking site, Bebo by the end of the next month.

If the site is not able to attract a buyer, AOL plans to shut it altogether, just two years after the firm shelled out a whopping $850 million on Bebo to join the lucrative social networking business. AOL was a part of the Time Warner group at the time.

However, social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace gave Bebo stiff competition forcing AOL bosses to mail the staff that the company could not generate funds necessary for the site to compete with rivals.

In a mail to Bebo employees Jon Brod of AOL Ventures said Bebo is a business that is declining steadily in face of much stronger competitors. He said that the company would need more investment if it has to survive in the social networking segment. He added that AOL is trying its best to find a buyer for Bebo so that the business can be sustained.

To talk in terms of estimates Facebook has more than 200 million users in the US compared to Bebo’s user base which has come down to 5.1million from 5.8 million in the past year.

If you’re regularly checking out your profile on the social network sites, then it’s worth being aware of your ISPs data usage limits. For information on the Australian broadband providers, or if you need to learn more about your data limits (see Prepaid Wireless) take a look at a dedicated internet website for all the info you need on instant messaging, social networking and surfing the web on mobile broadband.