Social Networking with Alien Friends via Bebo

Your potential friend network is about to expand as Social Network Bebo hopes to reach out to extraterrestrial civilizations. Bebo has asked users, celebrities and politicians to post messages that “consider the planet from a fresh perspective” to raise awareness of environmental pressures on Earth. In true Social Media “Digg” fashion, users will vote the top 500 messages to be transmitted to a small red dwarf star planet, Gliese 581 in the hopes of making a few new friends.

“A Message From Earth presents an opportunity for the digital natives of today, for whom the internet is both a fact of life and an integral part of their lives, to reconnect with science and the wider universe in a simple, fun and immersive way,” said Mark Charkin, vice president of Sales at Bebo.

Bebo has chosen to beam to a star with an orbiting Earth-like planet, a possible candidate where life may have evolved. The planet called Gliese 581c is classified as a “super-Earth” and it is located approximately 20 light years from us.

The friend invitations from Earthlings will be broadcast October 9, 2008 by the National Space Agency of Ukraine’s giant RT-70 radar telescope, which is usually used to monitor NEO (Near Earth Objects) and track potential Earth asteroid and meteor collisions.

If anyone is still doubting the impact that Social Networks and Media are having globally, consider for a moment the fact that we are taking one of the primary stations that protect our planet from meteor collisions offline to send friend requests into outer space.

While this may not be the smartest move for planatary protection, it’s a brilliant marketing move. Bebo is getting worldwide attention for the now viral project.

I wonder if the Glieseians will consider 500 friend requests spamming?

If I were in charge of the project, I wouldn’t bother with the friendly “Will you be my friend” requests.
I would instead ask them more relevant questions:

1. Have you managed to do better than we have? Because we have pretty much screwed things up completely here on Earth and it would be nice to know someone in this Universe got it right.

2. Is it just me, or are you avoiding us? Because if you have the technology to get this message, you obviously could have messaged us a long time ago. Oh. Ouch… You are avoiding us.

3. Are we still here? We beamed this message in 2008 and it’s now 2029 when you’re getting it… In the likely event that we have destroyed our planet by now, these 500 pitiful friend requests are all that is left of our civilization, AND we perished begging for friends. *sigh*

4. If we are no longer here, is it because we took our Near Earth Object monitoring off line to send you these stupid friend requests back in 2008? Damn. I knew that was a bad idea.

5. Can I be your top friend?

~Erika

More Coverage on this story from CNet.com