Orkut, is a social media aspect of Google that has done anything but take off...in the United States that is. According to Orkut's demographic page 50.6 % of users are from Brazil, followed by 20.44% of users in India and only 17.78% in the United States . Alternatively in these foreign countries, Orkut's counterparts Facebook and Myspace seems almost non-existent. So how did this happen? Why does Orkut have such staying power overseas?
According to an article published in Forbes magazine in 2007, branding and advertising are the key. In 2007 alone Facebook was projected to make over $100 million that year. And according to Greg Sterling, a consultant with Sterling Market Research, Google has a very high potential to gain revenue from Orkut too, especially overseas. Because Google has ad coverage overseas, that appeals to that clientele, it only makes sense that Orkut would gain popularity and revenue. Yes, it is true that Orkut will need more than just ad sales to increase it's popularity, but since 2007 there have been a lot of changes in Google's version of Facebook.
Just this December alone, Orkut has re-vamped their communities feature, added personalized theme pages, and badges to their site. Recently Orkut has even acquired an app from the Apple Store for the iPad and iPhone. It is clear that Google is definitely trying to make Orkut more inviting, however from what I can tell , almost everything you can do on Orkut you can do on Facebook faster. Even in Orkut's two most prominent use countries, India and Brazil, usage and interest as decreased and moved to Facebook. Should Google cut ties with Orkut or keep going on this rocky course? It seems they have made their choice...
While, Google still tries to keep Orkut alive, it seems that, they are simultaneously promoting Google+ as a social app and it is gaining more speed. Google+ commercials come on TV in the United States all the time now, promoting the "Circles" idea, much like Facebook's "lists". But Orkut is still laying by the side of the road untouched in the advertising market. So is Google giving up and going a different path in the social networking world or have they given up altogether?
In my opinion, Orkut is an amazing idea because the possibilities are endless when teamed up with all over the other applications that Google offers, but if Google wants to thrive with Orkut in the social networking market, their are going to need to advertise, advertise, and advertise some more. Because without exploring all of the Google apps options as a class assignment, I had never heard of Orkut at all and I'm sure there are many other people who could say the same thing.
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Good post. Several good resources too.
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