At this stage, new social networks tend to get more of a shrug than a second look.  Badoo is fairly well established in some parts of the world, however, and may have a bit of an edge as it prepares to launch in the UK.

Badoo is based in London, you see, and the home field advantage often proves important.  It may not be enough to guarantee success (compare the presence of Google’s Orkut in India and America, for example), but it’s important.  After all, most companies are more dominant in their own country than elsewhere in the world.

Badoo also boasts a draw that many social networks, regardless of location, lack: an absence of advertising.  Given the hubbub over Facebook Beacon, we think this will be incentive enough for some people to give Badoo a try.

All that’s left, then, is to wait for that official UK release.  With about 12 million users elsewhere, we’re interested to see how the social network will do in the region, and Mark Sweney reports, "A PR-led push, fronted by as an as-yet-unnamed celebrity, is due to launch in February."