Shanda (Nasdaq:SNDA) literature site Qidian.com plans to start open beta testing of a literature-focused social networking site at sns.qidian.com on December 25. Shanda began offering internal testing accounts on Monday and plans to begin issuing accounts to paid users on December 25. Site functions include a bookshelf, book sharing and reviews.
source:jlmpacificepoch.com
Monday, December 22, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Using SNS In The Workplace
As I was busy finishing a piece of writing project during lunch-time, I went online to my Facebook account and discovered that one of my Facebook contact is a volunteer for a Manila-based Radio Station (I am from Singapore). I decided to send her my greetings and discovered that she was hosting a live radio programme. To my surprise she introduced me to her radio audience on-air and I also gave her my assurance that I could also be a mentor if her radio station needs my advice.
All this within a space of 15 minutes. What did it cost me? Maybe I was away from my writing for 15 minutes and had a shorter lunch-break. But the benefits definitely out-weigh the costs. This is possible because of internet technology.
Why do I bring up this incident?
The reason is that many companies are not allowing their employees to use Social Networking Sites (SNS) like Facebook, MySpace or even MSN because they feel that the employee’s productivity will decrease and this will add to the cost of hiring the person.
According to employment law firm Peninsula, 233 million hours are lost every month because employees "are wasting time" on social networking. Their study is based on a survey of 3,500 UK companies and has drawn a conclusion that businesses need to be firm on not allowing employees use SNS at work. Similarly an Internet security company, SurfControl estimates that the slack time costs employers approximately A$5 billion a year in lost productivity in Australia!
In my own opinion, it is important that the employee should be given some space to read his Facebook account because in many cases, the people who he works with, including business suppliers may be more comfortable communicating with these online tools. Thus the employee could be compelled to reply through this SNS media so as not to come across as arrogant. The truth of the matter is that too many people already have a SNS account! In Captain D. Michael Abrashoff’s book It’s Your Ship, he reiterates “To achieve unity, you must recognize common interests. Maximize the individual's uniqueness and focus on their commonality. Channel these values or characters toward the common goal of the organization.”
Another contentious issue is the use of Facebook application. The more an employee adds a Facebook application, the more his working time is perceived to be compromised because it is assumed that he has to set some time going through the various updates and postings daily. In Jody Nimetz’s blog, SEO-Space, (http://seo-space.blogspot.com/2007/09/11-business-benefits-of-using-facebook.html), he highlights 11 Business Benefits of Using Facebook Applications of which the 3 relevant benefits for this article are drive web traffic, lead generation and the viral effect.
Jody’s ideas can be applied in this way; If your employee is well known as an expert in his particular field, he will be able attract a sizeable following in the various SNS. They may eventually be your company’s future customers – assuming your organisation has an open relation with your employee who will broadcast positive messages through his blog etc.
Eventually, it is up to your company to be able to think out-of-the-box and find ways to maximize the opportunities that your employee goes into cyberspace.
Source:cibmagazine.com.cn
All this within a space of 15 minutes. What did it cost me? Maybe I was away from my writing for 15 minutes and had a shorter lunch-break. But the benefits definitely out-weigh the costs. This is possible because of internet technology.
Why do I bring up this incident?
The reason is that many companies are not allowing their employees to use Social Networking Sites (SNS) like Facebook, MySpace or even MSN because they feel that the employee’s productivity will decrease and this will add to the cost of hiring the person.
According to employment law firm Peninsula, 233 million hours are lost every month because employees "are wasting time" on social networking. Their study is based on a survey of 3,500 UK companies and has drawn a conclusion that businesses need to be firm on not allowing employees use SNS at work. Similarly an Internet security company, SurfControl estimates that the slack time costs employers approximately A$5 billion a year in lost productivity in Australia!
In my own opinion, it is important that the employee should be given some space to read his Facebook account because in many cases, the people who he works with, including business suppliers may be more comfortable communicating with these online tools. Thus the employee could be compelled to reply through this SNS media so as not to come across as arrogant. The truth of the matter is that too many people already have a SNS account! In Captain D. Michael Abrashoff’s book It’s Your Ship, he reiterates “To achieve unity, you must recognize common interests. Maximize the individual's uniqueness and focus on their commonality. Channel these values or characters toward the common goal of the organization.”
Another contentious issue is the use of Facebook application. The more an employee adds a Facebook application, the more his working time is perceived to be compromised because it is assumed that he has to set some time going through the various updates and postings daily. In Jody Nimetz’s blog, SEO-Space, (http://seo-space.blogspot.com/2007/09/11-business-benefits-of-using-facebook.html), he highlights 11 Business Benefits of Using Facebook Applications of which the 3 relevant benefits for this article are drive web traffic, lead generation and the viral effect.
Jody’s ideas can be applied in this way; If your employee is well known as an expert in his particular field, he will be able attract a sizeable following in the various SNS. They may eventually be your company’s future customers – assuming your organisation has an open relation with your employee who will broadcast positive messages through his blog etc.
Eventually, it is up to your company to be able to think out-of-the-box and find ways to maximize the opportunities that your employee goes into cyberspace.
Source:cibmagazine.com.cn
Friday, December 12, 2008
Alibaba To Invest CNY300 Million In Yahoo Koubei
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has announced plans to invest CNY300 million in the newly merged Yahoo (YAHOO) Koubei Company in 2009 to develop the lifestyle services business of the company.
A representative from Alibaba told local media that Yahoo Koubei's development strategy is to further focus on the e-commerce areas of lifestyle services to provide Chinese consumers with a platform with the lifestyle service market as its core and Yahoo's social networking site website Yahoo Relations as its support.
In the future, Yahoo Koubei will be mainly engaged in lifestyle services and will play down Yahoo's former businesses like news and search services. This is the key focus of the company which was set during the merger of Yahoo and Koubei.com.
The representative adds that there will be personal adjustments in the company. Although it is unclear whether the company will cut staff or not, some employees, who originally worked in Beijing, will be transferred to Hangzhou, and some worked in Hangzhou will be working in Beijing in the future.
Shen Jianming, vice president for Alibaba Group and vice president for Yahoo China, just resigned her positions and officially departed from Alibaba Group. Shen says she left Alibaba Group for personal reasons. She says her departure is partly because Yahoo China shifted its focus to Koubei.com after it acquired the website and she was asked to work in Hangzhou to manage Koubei.com. However, she does not want to leave her family in Beijing, so she put forward her resignation a month ago.
source:chinatechnews.com
A representative from Alibaba told local media that Yahoo Koubei's development strategy is to further focus on the e-commerce areas of lifestyle services to provide Chinese consumers with a platform with the lifestyle service market as its core and Yahoo's social networking site website Yahoo Relations as its support.
In the future, Yahoo Koubei will be mainly engaged in lifestyle services and will play down Yahoo's former businesses like news and search services. This is the key focus of the company which was set during the merger of Yahoo and Koubei.com.
The representative adds that there will be personal adjustments in the company. Although it is unclear whether the company will cut staff or not, some employees, who originally worked in Beijing, will be transferred to Hangzhou, and some worked in Hangzhou will be working in Beijing in the future.
Shen Jianming, vice president for Alibaba Group and vice president for Yahoo China, just resigned her positions and officially departed from Alibaba Group. Shen says she left Alibaba Group for personal reasons. She says her departure is partly because Yahoo China shifted its focus to Koubei.com after it acquired the website and she was asked to work in Hangzhou to manage Koubei.com. However, she does not want to leave her family in Beijing, so she put forward her resignation a month ago.
source:chinatechnews.com
Kaixin001 Adds More Advertising to Site
Social networking site Kaixin001 has introduced advertisements for BMW on its front page, and ads for real-estate group Vanke on its new 'Home Buying' section. Kaixin001 founder Cheng Binghao said that the ads are an experimental foray into advertising for the SNS, but that the user experience will continue to be the top priority for Kaixin001, and the addition of advertising is not simply a rush to find a profit model.
Hylink Advertising oversaw the advertising deal for Kaixin001, which has yet to establish a marketing or sales department. Hylink CEO Su Tong said that many of the firm's clients were interested in advertising on Kaixin001.
source:marbridgeconsulting.com
Kaixin001 Launches In-Game Advertising
Social networking service Kaixin001.com has begun placing in-game advertisements in games running on its site, starting with an ad for cars in the game 'Zheng Chewei' ("Fighting for a Seat"). Reportedly the ad placement was overseen by Hylink Advertising Shanghai.
A source revealed that prices for Kaixin001's embedded ads range from RMB 50,000 to RMB 100,000 per day. In an interview regarding the matter, Kaixin001 founder Cheng Binghao did not respond to questions about Kaixin001's plans for upcoming ad placements, though he indicated that Kaixin001 will use this to move into advertising services.
source:marbridgeconsulting.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Online SNS in China IM Extension
The entire online world has taken notice of the phenomenal membership growth of social network services (SNSs) such as MySpace and Facebook. Now China’s SNS market is entering the development stage.
To learn more about current and potential user attitudes toward SNS and mobile SNS, In-Stat conducted an online survey of 704 respondents. The survey’s findings include that SNS has become “sticky,” i.e., these services have cultivated loyal memberships. Also, the SNS market in China has entered a phase of rapid development, whereas mobile SNS is at an early stage of development. Overall, Chinese consumers appear to have moderate interest in SNS and comparatively low interest in mobile SNS.
This report analyzes survey responses regarding user behavior and preferences relating to SNS. Our results show that SNSs based on IM, especially local websites such as QQ Space, are highly popular with respondents. SNS use in China is closely related to IM use, and the long-tail SNS market is of considerable size. Most of the other preferred social networking sites are popular portal websites. Finally, respondent payment and advertisement preferences reveal the business model that most would prefer to use.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Definitions
Introduction
Survey Demographics
Survey Results
Current User Survey
Mobile SNS
Potential User Survey
Level of Interest
Preferred Ads
Preferred Uses
Preferred Functions
Conclusions
Methodology
Related Reports
List of Figures
Figure 1. Respondent Age
Figure 2. Respondent Gender
Figure 3. Respondent Monthly Income (US$)
Figure 4. Respondent Time Spent Traveling for Business on Work Days
Figure 5. Respondent Attitudes Toward New Technology
Figure 6. How Satisfied Are You With SNS?
Figure 7. Are You Willing to Pay for SNS?
Figure 8. Which Payment Method Do You Prefer?
Figure 9. How Much Are You Willing to Pay Monthly for SNS? (US$)
Figure 10. What Do You Use SNS for?
Figure 11. Primary Uses of SNS, by Age
Figure 12. Which SNS Websites Do You Use?
Figure 13. SNS Websites Used, by Age
Figure 14. How Many Hours Do You Spend Using SNS per Week?
Figure 15. Weekly Time Spent Using SNS, by Age
Figure 16. Which SNS Functions Do You Use Most Often?
Figure 17. Are You Interested in Using Mobile SNS?
Figure 18. Reasons for Lack of Interest
Figure 19. How Much Are You Willing to Pay Monthly for Mobile SNS?
Figure 20. Which Types of Ads Are You Willing to Receive on Mobile SNS?
Figure 21. Acceptable Types of Mobile SNS Ad, by Age
Figure 22. Which Mobile SNS Functions Are You Most Interested In?
Figure 23. Do You Plan to Use SNS in the Future?
Figure 24. Why Don’t You Currently Use SNS?
Figure 25. Which Types of Ads Are You Willing to Receive on SNS?
Figure 26. What Will You Use SNS for?
Figure 27. Which SNS Functions Are You Most Interested in?
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6658ad/online_sns_in_chin
To learn more about current and potential user attitudes toward SNS and mobile SNS, In-Stat conducted an online survey of 704 respondents. The survey’s findings include that SNS has become “sticky,” i.e., these services have cultivated loyal memberships. Also, the SNS market in China has entered a phase of rapid development, whereas mobile SNS is at an early stage of development. Overall, Chinese consumers appear to have moderate interest in SNS and comparatively low interest in mobile SNS.
This report analyzes survey responses regarding user behavior and preferences relating to SNS. Our results show that SNSs based on IM, especially local websites such as QQ Space, are highly popular with respondents. SNS use in China is closely related to IM use, and the long-tail SNS market is of considerable size. Most of the other preferred social networking sites are popular portal websites. Finally, respondent payment and advertisement preferences reveal the business model that most would prefer to use.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Definitions
Introduction
Survey Demographics
Survey Results
Current User Survey
Mobile SNS
Potential User Survey
Level of Interest
Preferred Ads
Preferred Uses
Preferred Functions
Conclusions
Methodology
Related Reports
List of Figures
Figure 1. Respondent Age
Figure 2. Respondent Gender
Figure 3. Respondent Monthly Income (US$)
Figure 4. Respondent Time Spent Traveling for Business on Work Days
Figure 5. Respondent Attitudes Toward New Technology
Figure 6. How Satisfied Are You With SNS?
Figure 7. Are You Willing to Pay for SNS?
Figure 8. Which Payment Method Do You Prefer?
Figure 9. How Much Are You Willing to Pay Monthly for SNS? (US$)
Figure 10. What Do You Use SNS for?
Figure 11. Primary Uses of SNS, by Age
Figure 12. Which SNS Websites Do You Use?
Figure 13. SNS Websites Used, by Age
Figure 14. How Many Hours Do You Spend Using SNS per Week?
Figure 15. Weekly Time Spent Using SNS, by Age
Figure 16. Which SNS Functions Do You Use Most Often?
Figure 17. Are You Interested in Using Mobile SNS?
Figure 18. Reasons for Lack of Interest
Figure 19. How Much Are You Willing to Pay Monthly for Mobile SNS?
Figure 20. Which Types of Ads Are You Willing to Receive on Mobile SNS?
Figure 21. Acceptable Types of Mobile SNS Ad, by Age
Figure 22. Which Mobile SNS Functions Are You Most Interested In?
Figure 23. Do You Plan to Use SNS in the Future?
Figure 24. Why Don’t You Currently Use SNS?
Figure 25. Which Types of Ads Are You Willing to Receive on SNS?
Figure 26. What Will You Use SNS for?
Figure 27. Which SNS Functions Are You Most Interested in?
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6658ad/online_sns_in_chin
Monday, November 3, 2008
China's Xiaonei.com To Open Payment System To Third Parties
China's leading social networking services website Xiaonei.com has announced plans to open its Internet payment system application program interface, making it the first SNS website that has opened its payment system to third parties.
The opening of Xiaonei.com's payment system to open platforms aims to help more third party companies, to help them gain profits and get through the coming financial crisis. Xiaonei.com has reportedly allowed all qualified application developers enter its payment system from October 17, 2008. At present, several application developing teams have joined the payment system and the engineers of the website are helping them to get used to this system and guide them to design proper charging models.
Xu Chaojun, vice president of China InterActive Corp, which is a major stakeholder in Xiaonei.com, says that Xiaonei.com's payment system has established cooperations with many Chinese banks and third-party payment software developers. With this platform, the entire payment process can be easily handled and the only thing for the application developers to think about is how to get the money into their users' pockets.
source:chinatechnews
The opening of Xiaonei.com's payment system to open platforms aims to help more third party companies, to help them gain profits and get through the coming financial crisis. Xiaonei.com has reportedly allowed all qualified application developers enter its payment system from October 17, 2008. At present, several application developing teams have joined the payment system and the engineers of the website are helping them to get used to this system and guide them to design proper charging models.
Xu Chaojun, vice president of China InterActive Corp, which is a major stakeholder in Xiaonei.com, says that Xiaonei.com's payment system has established cooperations with many Chinese banks and third-party payment software developers. With this platform, the entire payment process can be easily handled and the only thing for the application developers to think about is how to get the money into their users' pockets.
source:chinatechnews
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
