Orkut Counter-Attacking Facebook?

It was only 3 to 4 years back when Orkut was the dominating social networking site in Brazil and India. No doubt, it still maintains the lead in these two regions, however the growing popularity of Facebook has forced it to put the thinking cap on to maintain its leader’s position. Not surprisingly, Google-owned Orkut has decided to refurbish its interface and design, which would be rolled out in few days. 

Users switching to Facebook from Orkut permanently would now have a reason to stay back due to the latest developments planned by the site. To start with, the new site has fewer pages and quicker browsing to help people connect with each other through multiple activities like chatting, watching videos, browsing and searching within full friends and communities lists on the same page. Secondly, it has reorganized the most important activities on the site for easier navigation and usage with a clean, simple interface.

One Year Enough for Facebook to Triple its US Market Share

They say change is the only thing that is constant. While year 2009 has been fabulous for Facebook as it became the leading social network worldwide, MySpace has struggled to sustain its strong position that it enjoyed last year. The US market has embraced Facebook and distanced from MySpace ever since the former gained acceptance and adulation from the global social networking audience.

The Mark Zuckerberg-owned company grabbed a 59% market share in US according to online research firm Hitwise. On the contrary, MySpace managed to grab only 30% of the visits in September this year. If you still think that 30% is not bad, you are bound to get shocked after comparing MySpace’s performance during the same period last year.

Bollywood Celebs Become a Victim of Twitter

Businesses, average citizens, Hollywood superstars, sportsmen, and now Bollywood celebrities; the Twitter phenomenon is experiencing rapid growth amongst the top-notch personalities across the world. It has just been over a month, and Priyanka Chopra – a prominent celebrity from the Indian film industry – has become the latest sensation on Twitter.

With over 22,000 followers already, Priyanka Chopra has managed to use the micro-bogging site effectively to stay connected to her fans and friends, which include Mallika Sherawat and Gul Panag (also famous actresses from the Indian film industry).

Barely 3 Months, and 50 Million Users Added

Facebook has become a synonym for social networking, which is not suprising at all especially due to its phenomenal influence on the global audience. After reaching a landmark of 200 million worldwide users just 3 months ago, the social networking mogul has crossed yet another milestone by reaching a whopping 250 million subscriber-base.

Facebook mastermind Mark Zuckerberg expressed delight on the official blog, stating 250 million users not just an impressive number, but also a mark of how many personal connections all the members have made.

Concerns Over Army Using Social Networking Sites

We all know how social networking has transformed our lives since the past few years. People across the world use it to share updates, pictures, videos and personal information with their friends and family. However, like every coin has two sides, social networking has a major drawback of leaking confidential information if not used carefully. Concerned about this issue, the Indian Army recently handed over a circular asking its personnel to beware from uploading such content on social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook.

To avoid putting the national security in danger, the Army has asked all the units across the country to remove work-related information such as place of posting, ranks, etc. from their profiles, if already posted. According to the Army’s estimation, about 35,000 of its total 1.1 million soldiers are active internet users.

Using Social Media as an Extension of Traditional Advertising

The success of a brand depends a lot on how well people familiarize with it. An average consumer comes across hundreds of advertisements each day through television, radio, hoardings, newspapers and magazines, internet, text messages, etc. However, the ones that appeal his needs, interests, imagination, thinking, behavior, and/or lifestyle tend to win over others when it comes to brand recall. At the end of the day, an individual remembers only few advertisements out of the major chunk that he comes across on that particular day.

There are several businesses that consider social media as an expense rather than an investment. Conventional firms often stick to the traditional advertising vehicles and are reluctant to use social media tools, which is not a desirable move today. No doubt traditional mediums are important, but the growing significance of social media just cannot be ignored.

Social Networking Sites – Virtual Real Estates

The global recession has created problems for a number of people to acquire a land- property or a home.  In fact land properties across the world are experiencing inflated rates, adding to the buyers’ woes. However, social networking sites are inviting worldwide users to invest in their site and find a virtual property to live in. Here, the investment is not in terms of money, but time. No wonder there is such an explosion in the usage of social networking sites since the last couple of years or so.

Finding a virtual property (i.e. becoming a member of a social networking site) is not a difficult task. There are plenty of options available for the users such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Orkut, Friendster, Twitter, LinkedIn, amongst host of others. Quite amazingly, most of these online properties are competing amongst themselves to attract more number of users, and eventually more number of advertisers.

Twitter – Broadcast Yourself?

After reading this title, you are probably wondering that YouTube shed off its tagline and passed it on to Twitter, aren’t you? However, this is not the case. YouTube, the media-sharing site, is the most popular broadcasting mediums in the social media world today. But the rapidly growing micro-blogging site Twitter can also be an example of a broadcasting medium for people who use it in that way, instead of using it as a social networking site.

The population at Twitter can be segregated into different categories:

Social Networking Up 83% in a Year, Facebook Leads the Race

Nielsen Online released latest figures of the social networking industry, stating that the time spent on these sites jumped 83% from previous year in the U.S. While this may seem to be exciting news, the report also warns that the behavior of social networking users is erratic and can turn the tables for any popular social networking site.

Not surprisingly, Facebook led the race with about 700% increase in total time spent on the site by users. The mammoth year-on-year increase from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009 made it the top performing social networking site in the category. Long term competitor MySpace slipped back 31%, while Twitter recorded a growth of over 3700%, as it can be seen from the table below.

Microsoft Integrates Twitter and Facebook with Xbox Live

Software giant Microsoft Inc. announced recently that social networking superstars Twitter and Facebook, together with Internet radio Last.fm are coming to the Xbox 360 gaming console. The announcements were made on the eve of a major Electronic Entertainment Expo trade gathering in Los Angeles, U.S.

Social networking and Xbox Live enthusiasts have a reason to celebrate as they will be able to access their Facebook and Twitter accounts through consoles. This means, users would have another medium to stay connected with their friends; besides desktops, notebooks, and smart phones.