Bebo is collaborating with Facebook on an application development platform which works across both sites.

Web developers and businesses now can build their own small Web tools for Bebo using a set of code offered by the site.

According to the deal, Bebo's Open Application Platform is compatible with the code used on Facebook, meaning that applications built for one only needs minor changes to work on the other.

Bebo also supports the new Open Social initiative coordinated by Google, a set of standards that enables applications to work across numerous sites, the Guardian reported.

So far, Facebook is not yet compatible with OpenSocial, but “had already started working with Bebo on a joint platform”, Bebo president Joanna Shields said. "We have a great relationship with Facebook and they did really impressive things with their application platform. But we had widgets on the site a long time before that became so successful."

At launch, 36 companies, including Flixster, Gap, and CBS, had built applications for Bebo.

Applications have become a major feature of social networking sites, allowing users to access a host of services inside the site, according to the Guardian. Facebook, for example, now has over 10,000 applications developed by external developers.

“Web sites will increasingly move to make their services open and their content shareable, and mobile will see the next big wave of activity for social networks,” said Shields. "This year was really about original professional content and applications."

Bebo's next move will be the international expansion by rolling out localised versions. It has launched a site in Poland last week, and owns versions in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.