Bebo has launched its Open Application Platform, opening its API to third party developers to integrate their applications with the social networking site.

The firm claims partnerships with more than 40 developers to date who have created applications from music and movies to gameplay and photo sharing for the site's 40 million users worldwide.

"By opening up our API and establishing an open developer-friendly platform, we enable developers big and small to create entertaining, engaging applications for our global community, providing another great way for Beboers to communicate, relate and express themselves online," said Michael Birch, chief executive officer and co-founder of Bebo.

According to Bebo, the new platform will be the first in the industry to implement the standards defined by the Facebook Platform, an open development system that enables companies and developers to extend Facebook's more than 7,000 applications to other social websites.

"With Bebo's implementation of Facebook's open standards, developers can expand their reach, which will lead to even more application development, and ultimately benefit both Bebo users and Facebook users," explained Adam D'Angelo, chief technology officer at Facebook.

Furthermore, Bebo plans to integrate with Google's upcoming OpenSocial in early 2008, making it the first social media network to be compatible with both the Facebook and OpenSocial platforms.

There seems to be a growing trend for social networks to create a standard platform for application developers. However, shortly after Google announced its plans for OpenSocial, Tim O'Reilly, the father of the term 'web 2.0', slammed it as "boring" and a "full blown disappointment".