Facebook fends off attack of the clones

In its bid to go global, Facebook is facing off against itself.

Clones of the wunderkind social-networking Web site _ some of which resemble Facebook right down to color, font and layout _ have popped up in local languages around the world. These competitor sites offer identical core services, letting users post pictures, make groups and choose their friends…. complicating Facebook Inc.’s global campaign, which began in February and has since rolled out 18 foreign-language editions, including Norwegian and Czech, with plans for 54 more.

Facebook’s international challenges illustrate just some of the ways global expansion can bedevil major U.S. Web companies as they seek swarms of users and advertising dollars in new markets… Facebook’s particular problem is winning over people who are already hooked on local-language sites hocking similar services with a similar look.