Google goes after plaxo and bebo

After the Microsoft offer for yahoo .....Google want a struggling search engine and technology company with an over-sized price tag, where it can snap up a few social media for a low sum amount.Industry speculation has Google circling social media companies Bebo and Plaxo. While everyone else is wondering whether Microsoft will produce the $57 billion for Yahoo!, Google has been quietly focusing on a more social direction.Bebo factsheetBebo is a social network that allows users to create profiles, connect with other users, whilst also providing a platform to view and share photos, video and audio.

It Started in July 2005
Has 34 million registered users
And is the Largest social networking site in UK, Ireland and New Zealand
3rd Largest in the US behind Facebook & MySpace

Plaxo factsheetPlaxo is a free service that helps users maintain an up to date address book by tapping into their various communication tools such as Outlook, Messenger etc. Plaxo more recently introduced a social network named Plaxo Pulse which aggregates user information from other social networks.
It Started in July 2001
Gets 20000 new users per day
15 million users as at Sep 2006

So what do Plaxo and Bebo offer a search giant like Google, given the established issues of monetizing similar social media offering?Bebo could be used in conjunction with Google's existing social network Orkut, to increase its grip of social network markets outside the US. The Bebo acquisition would instantly double Google's share of the social networking market and provide it with valuable search exposure in the UK and commonwealth nations.