What’s this Facebook? The markets where Facebook is flailing
As the tech press (and Diane Sawyer) prepare for the imminent, champagne-filled announcement of Facebook eclipsing the 500 million user barrier, we hate to be killjoys here at SMI but we feel it necessary to point out that the first 500 million, that was the easy part. For Facebook, the vast unconquered terrain lies in China, Japan, Korea and Russian-speaking countries where Facebook is an also-ran. Can the momentum of Facebook help it overtake incumbents like China’s RenRen or Japan’s Mixi or even Orkut, the Google property that’s still dominant in Brazil and India? Now that would be an accomplishment worth celebrating.These are heady times indeed for Facebook. It will be the toast of the tech world this week, unspooling a series of inspirational film shorts showing off Facebook doing good in the world called “Facebook Stories.” Hollywood, always in search of a feel-good story, is releasing a full-length movie in October about the founding of Facebook. The film’s trailer is slowly becoming viral with the timely slogan “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
Facebook doesn’t intend to stop there, with an ambitious plan for international expansionan in the next few years. More specifically, its looking at places where it isn’t the established social network: the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India China) plus Japan and South Korea.
We outline here what no doubt some anxious investors are wondering: can Facebook crack the BRIC countries, and get a toehold in the mobile-savvy markets of Japan and South Korea too? Looking at what Facebook is up against, it has a long climb ahead of it. (Click on the chart to enlarge.)
Stay tuned. We’ll be releasing here on SMI shortly an in-depth analysis of the social networking markets in the BRIC countries asking the question: who will ultimately dominate the social networking world, with its billions at stake in digital marketing and commerce?
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What’s this Facebook? The markets where Facebook is flailing http://ow.ly/18d9yn
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
How Facebook plans to expand into BRIC countries is certainly one of the penultimate factors in determining the site “Googlosity”.
Asia, especially China and South Korea, constitutes a very enticing demographic, in terms of…well…pretty much everything. Eleventy-Billion internet users is certainly something Facebook could gnaw on for the next 20 years. However, facebook remains blocked in China.
While South Korea remains an open market where users have the choice to select Facebook, China is the exact opposite. The PRC has gone to amazing lengths to block the site, they’ve pursued this to the extent that proxy servers are by and large unable to access Facebook, as well. Here’s an interesting take on why:
http://www.shlaowai.com/2010/07/14/why-twitter-and-facebook-are-blocked-in-china/
In general, unlike other markets, whether “netizens” as they call them in China are able to choose Facebook is a decision not entirely up to them. Me thinks Facebook will first have to fill a few Chinese coffers, feed the corruption baby, first. Which I hear they are doing?
What’s this Facebook? The markets where Facebook is flailing http://ow.ly/1qJoQO
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
What’s this Facebook? The markets where Facebook is flailing http://ow.ly/1qJoQO
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
What’s this Facebook? The markets where Facebook is flailing | SMI:
More specifically, its looking at plac.. http://bit.ly/9b9pUV
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
The markets where #Facebook is flailing – http://bit.ly/a6vHJZ
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Facebook has the brand awareness but does it have the market share? @racepointgroup http://bit.ly/aXtf1F
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Nice to see a reality check on the Anglo/US centric Facebook boom: http://bit.ly/a0F3eG. Also think Hyves in Netherlands, Tuenti in Spain…
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
I’m sure it would be extremely hard for Facebook to beat the leading Russian –speaking social networking site Vkontakte. If you are interested to know why, please read my post http://bit.ly/drkjA1
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