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News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch recently paid a visit to social network Bebo, according to Bebo employee Emma Carlsgaard, who posted an update to her Bebo profile about the sighting. What's Rupe doing visiting Bebo? A recent rumor suggests acquisition talks.

Last we heard from the social network, Bebo had just hired a bank in order to find a buyer. A flack soon hushed acquisition talk, saying the company was just looking to get more funding. Murdoch's appearance belies that spin, however.

Why buy Bebo? Three words: Britain, Britain, Britain. According to Hitwise, while MySpace was the no. 10 most visited site in the U.K., Bebo came ahead at No. 7. Murdoch's not known to happily stay in second place, especially in a key market like the U.K.