This is an online Policy Primer for my NET23 University assignment SP3 2009.
The aim of this document is to make the public aware of the terms of service for the social networking site BEBO
2. What is Bebo? Bebo stands for blog early, blog often. Bebo is a Social Networking Site, founded in 2005 and sold to AOL in 2008 for $850mil. Bebo has over 50 million users worldwide. Bebo offers users the ability to: * Easily find your AIM Buddies, Skype & Windows Live messenger friends all in one place. * Get feeds from your other networks like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. * Check your Gmail, AOL & Yahoo mail from one location and much much more. (Bebo, 2009)
3. Are there age restrictions? Bebo allows users to be as young as 13. You must be 13 years or older to use the Bebo Service. By registering for the Bebo Service, you represent and warrant that you are 13 or older and that you have the capacity to understand, agree to and comply with these Terms of Service. (Bebo, 2009) It is recommended that a parent or guardian read the ToS if you are under 18.
4. What are Terms of Service? The Terms of Service (or Terms of Use) are the conditions you agree to when you sign up for any social networking site. They include information about Conditions of Use, Membership Eligibility, Privacy & Personal Information and the sites Copyright Policy.
5. Bebo & Ownership? You own all material that you post on your Bebo profile BUT By submitting, posting or displaying any Materials on or through the Bebo Service, you hereby grant to Bebo and its agents and assigns a limited license to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Materials solely in connection with the Bebo Service or the promotion thereof. (Bebo, 2009)
6. So how does it effect me? It means that even though you own the photo or you wrote the statement, by posting it on your Bebo profile you have granted Bebo the right to use the information to promote Bebo for free.
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8. Private – friends or members of groups you belong to can view your profile
9. Fully Private – only direct friends can view your profileAll new accounts are set to Private. Photos can also be set to Private.
14. By participating in the Bebo community, you agree to this privacy policy.(Bebo, 2009)
15. WHAT? This means that by joining Bebo you give them permission to give third parties (other companies) your personal information & information about how you use the Bebo service.
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17. While Bebo has Policies and Guidelines for these providers, we can’t control how they may use your information - and so you should review these application providers’ policies carefully.(Bebo, 2009)
18. Bebo & copyright Like most websites, Bebo has a strict copyright policy. You may not post, modify, distribute, or reproduce in any way any copyright material, trademarks, or other proprietary information belonging to others without obtaining the prior written consent of the owner of such proprietary rights. Bebo respects the intellectual property rights of others and reserves the right to terminate any user's access to the Bebo Service according to these terms of use if Bebo is notified that such user's activities infringe the rights of third parties on more than one occasion. (Bebo, 2009)
19. I don’t understand This means that you can not post anything that is not yours or that you do not have written permission to post on your profile. If you do more than once Bebo has the right to cancel your account.
20. Public access to Bebo Bebo acknowledges that there are areas within their site that are accessible by the public . Internet awareness Whenever you voluntarily post personal information in public areas, like journals, weblogs, message boards and forums, this information can be accessed by the public and can in turn be used by others to send you unsolicited communications. Bebo recommends that you exercise discretion in deciding what information you disclose on the Internet. (Bebo, 2009)
21. Signing up to Bebo Creating a Bebo account is relatively quick and took approx. 5 mins. Bebos Terms of Service can be accessed by clicking on the ABOUT link at the bottom of the home page.
22. In Conclusion All social networking sites are fun and a great way to stay in touch with friends and family BUT you need to be aware of the terms of the site you choose AND you need to be careful what personal information you are giving away. Always be careful on the internet.
23. References Bebo. (2009, April 30). Terms. Retrieved October 23, 2009, from Bebo.com: http://www.bebo.com/TermsOfUse2.jsp
