Global Social Media Beyond Borders

Global Social Media:
20 Networks to Know in 2012
All content proprietary. ©2012

Global Social Media:
The World Beyond Our Borders

As social media evolves, brands and
marketers alike are facing the
realization that successful global
marketing programs will need to
grow beyond the mainstays of sites
like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
While this can seem a daunting
challenge, to explore the digital
world beyond the platforms we
know, there are a few global power-
players with which social media
professionals should get acquainted.

To that end, we have assembled an
overview of social networks we
believe will start playing an active
role in brands’ global marketing
programs in 2012 and beyond. In
the pages that follow we provide a
brief look at 20 networks (each with a

minimum of 10 million registered
users) from around the globe that
showcase social media’s
powerhouses.

2

Spring Creek Group Methodology

Our research was informed by publicly available information, analyst
commentary from those publishing in-market and, when possible,
firsthand experience using the networks.

While this has shaped our initial analysis of these networks, we recognize
that elements like membership totals are in flux and are often reported at
artificially inflated rates.

Our information is based on the most widely reported and commonly
accepted figures for the end of the third calendar quarter in 2011.

Profiled networks in this publication include: Bebo, Cyworld, Friendster, Habbo, Hi5, Hyves,
Kaixin001, Mixi, Me2Day, Nasza Klasa, Odnoklassniki, Orkut, Pengyou, Q Zone, Renren, Skyrock,
Sonico, Tuenti, V Kontakte and 51.com.

3

1999
The Birth of Social
Networks: 2000
Launches from 1999 to
2010 2001

For many, social media’s
2002
original social network was
Friendster, followed closely

Social Networks by Launch Date
by MySpace. However, 2003

Cyworld and Habbo were
founded much earlier, 2004
offshoots from traditional
chat rooms.

For others, it was 2005
Facebook’s launch that
catalyzed the era of social
media for the U.S. – this is
true, though Latin America, 2006
Western Europe and Asia
each saw their own social
media platform emerge.
2007
By the time Twitter joined
the globe, the landscape
had already grown

2008
cluttered. In the years that
followed, the space
continued to grow and 2009
fragment, as we can
observe in today’s social 2010
landscape.

4

The Behemoths: Dynasties and Upstarts

The largest of the networks we profiled, those we deemed the
“Behemoths”, maintained registered user totals at or above 100 million,
as shown in the chart below. This set was diverse, representing most of
the globe and showcasing both the oldest and newest social networks.

From a geographic perspective, the group was dominated by some of
the largest Chinese social networks including Q Zone, RenRen, 51.com
and Pengyou. Eastern Europe’s flagship sites, Odnoklassniki and
Vkontakte, were also highlighted due to their remarkably large user
bases.

100M

Social Networks with 100M+
115M

Registered Members
117M

129M

135M

160M

160M

230M

530M

5

The Small Giants: Powerful Regional Players

Though smaller than their counterparts on the previous page, our
“Small Giants” are social networks with user totals between 10 million
and 99 million that demonstrated the success that can be had by
focusing on a single linguistic or geographic region.

This group also underscored the truly global embrace of social media.
Spanning from Asia to Europe, this group captured the variety of
successful approaches from reinventing virtual banking and credit
transactions (Hyves), to providing a highly closed and controlled
network (Mixi), to focusing on students (Nasza Klasa).

10M

Social Networks with 10M-99M
10M

12M

Registered Members
18M

20M

22M

25M

27M

46M

66M

75M

6

The Behemoths:
Signs of Consolidation

With Facebook clearly established as
the first true global social network,
many of the older sites’ stars will
wane. For players like Tencent
Holdings this may mean rolling up its
family of social networks into a single
portal. For others, success will lie in
earning a reputation as industry-
leading in an area like virtual
payments, social gaming or location-
based mobile offerings.

The Small Giants:
Innovation Will Be Key

For smaller regional networks the
pressure is even higher to retain and
expand their user base, or else they
will quickly lose mindshare to their
larger rivals. This has translated into a

continued push towards innovation
and differentiation, an environment
where networks must carve out a
loyal niche to remain competitive.

7

Social Network Profiles: A Quick Readers’ Guide

The profiles of each network on the following pages include basic
information about the networks as well as brief summaries of their
history, value to the marketplace and any significant factors that will
impact the sites’ success or growth.

Each profile also highlights the network’s primary geographic region(s)
on a map in the upper right hand corner.

Global Map Network’s Primary
Region

File Privacy General Virtual Celebrity
Gaming Chat Sharing Controls Sharing Payments Business Mobile
Users

Competitive Focus Areas

Beyond this, we highlight through an on/off button system (shown
above) which focus areas the network appears most heavily invested in,
those that are considered competitive differentiators.

Each profile closes with a summary of the site’s primary competitive
opportunity, that which would most likely contribute to the network’s
continued marketplace success.

8

20 Global Networks to
Know in 2012

9

Registered Members: 530 M (approx.) URL: qzone.qq.com
Primary Region(s): China Launch Date: 2005

Gaming Chat Business Mobile
Sharing Controls Sharing Payments Users

‡ Achieved acclaim as the largest Chinese network by
piggybacking on parent company Tencent’s QQ
Messenger
‡ Nickname-based network alternative to sister site

Pengyou
‡ Popular with teen audience, though lagging with
older adults

Opportunity:
Better integration with other Tencent networks could consolidate and
better unify segments of the Chinese social market.

10

Registered Members: 230 M (approx.) URL: habbo.com
Primary Region(s): 31 countries Launch Date: 2000


‡ Fading from its heyday, still attracts high-profile
sponsors and celebrities due to teen-centric focus
‡ Several “hotels” (region-specific portals) merged or

closed due to low activity levels
‡ Experienced moderators for age-specific site, well-
managed and reliable payments/credits system

Opportunity:
Potential to leverage exclusive content and promos to drive
membership growth in key teen demographic.

11

Registered Members: 160 M (approx.) URL: renren.com


‡ Well-earned reputation as “The Facebook of China”
and has completed the transition from a college-
centric site to an open network
‡ Recent IPO has drawn attention to network’s

continued compliance with state censorship
‡ Clear power player in the Chinese market, even with
acknowledged inflated membership totals

Opportunity:
Increased membership from Kaixin001.com integration could
reengage inactive members and attract a broader audience.

12

Registered Members: 160 M (approx.) URL: 51.com


‡ Fading in popularity but still widely popular with rural
users in China
‡ Lackluster innovation and increased competition has

drawn comparisons with MySpace’s rise and fall
‡ Will maintain social gaming focus with increased
investment by MMO leader Giant Interactive

Opportunity:
Potential to revamp network leveraging MMO features to expand user
base and increase time spent on site.

13

Registered Members: 135 M (approx.) URL: vkontakte.ru
Primary Region(s): Eastern Europe, Launch Date: 2006
Central Asia


‡ One of the first Facebook copycats, now the dominant
Russian social network
‡ Maintains a wildly popular integrated torrent file-

sharing feature
‡ Recent language build-out indicates market
expansion, but site now requires invitation to join

Opportunity:
Expansion into 67 languages is fueling speculation that the network is
planning for an IPO in 2012.

14

Registered Members: 129 M (approx.) URL: pengyou.com


‡ Growing quickly in targeted Chinese white-collar and
middle class audience segments
‡ Requires that users provide real names, testing

enterprise version for inter-office communication
‡ Recent exclusive local game contract with Zynga
indicates social gaming is a clear priority

Opportunity:
Enterprise offering could open up new user base, while traffic levels
and game exclusivity may catalyze site to lead Chinese market.

15

Registered Members: 117 M (approx.) URL: bebo.com
Primary Region(s): 17+ countries Launch Date: 2005


‡ Once a power player, now lagging in innovation and
facing stagnant membership numbers
‡ Recent entrant into social gaming but titles have

gained popularity quickly
‡ Introduction of Facebook-compatible APIs now allow
game porting

Opportunity:
New ownership could refresh the brand and articulate a more
concentrated focus on gaming or traditional social networking.

16

Registered Members: 115 M (approx.) URL: friendster.com
Primary Region(s): Southeast Asia Launch Date: 2002


‡ Re-launched in 2011 as a social gaming platform,
though still carries legacy as a failed social network
‡ Successful virtual payments system embraced by

users for in-game purchases
‡ Multi-lingual single platform with millions of
grandfathered accounts

Opportunity:
Legacy user base that, if reactivated and coupled with new game titles
and micro-spending, could quickly scale up earnings.

17

Registered Members: 100 M (approx.) URL: odnoklassniki.ru
Primary Region(s): Eastern Europe, Launch Date: 2006
Central Asia


‡ Consistently ranks as a top 5 Alexa-ranked site in
Eastern European/Central Asian countries (e.g.
Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan)
‡ Features social gaming and tight integration with

popular email service Mail.ru
‡ Faces stiff competition from local player Vkontakte
and global player Facebook.

Opportunity:
Growth has been slow but steady and has remained the preferred site
for highly-educated users in former Soviet states.

18

Registered Members: 75 M (approx.) URL: kaixin001.com


‡ Early and dominant player in Chinese office worker
user base for social gaming
‡ Plagued by slow game development, recently opened

platform to select partners for app expansion
‡ Users spend twice as much time on this site versus
competitor sites

Opportunity:
Opening its platform should increase title development and may
attract a broader user base while retaining existing members.

19

Registered Members: 66 M (approx.) URL: orkut.com
Primary Region(s): Brazil, India, Japan Launch Date: 2004


‡ Saw little traction in the U.S. market, but quickly
flourished in the BRIC region
‡ Tight integration with Google products, especially

Gmail, Gchat and YouTube
‡ Fraught with spam profiles and often the target of
worm/hacking attacks

Opportunity:
Established in several emerging markets; with Google backing, there is
potential to earn mindshare before other networks enter the market.

20

Registered Members: 46 M (approx.) URL: hi5.com
Primary Region(s): Latin America Launch Date: 2003


‡ Rebranded in 2010 as a social gaming site with rapid
(non-exclusive) title release schedule
‡ Newly launched proprietary monetization platform

(Sociopay) and distribution channel (Sociopath)
‡ Introduction of Facebook-compatible APIs now allow
game porting

Opportunity:
Monetization and distribution efforts may increase profits while new
titles could continue to draw new members.

21

Registered Members: 27 M (approx.) URL: nk.pl
Primary Region(s): Poland Launch Date: 2006


‡ Originally student-centric, now an open network with
near-complete market saturation in Poland
‡ Active player in the social gaming market though
game titles are fading in popularity

‡ Has publicly emphasized expanding users’ mobile
experience in future development

Opportunity:
Mobile emphasis tied with gaming expansion could create innovative
take on mobile/social/gaming intersection.

22

Registered Members: 25 M (approx.) URL: skyrock.com
Primary Region(s): Western Europe Launch Date: 2007


‡ Associated with the French radio station of the same
name
‡ Popular with self-styled musicians seeking
collaboration partners or looking to be discovered

‡ Foothold in Western Europe and French-speaking
nations especially among youth, but little adoption on
a global scale

Opportunity:
Skyrock radio station offers opportunity for integration or promotion;
user base ripe for UGC campaigns.

23

Registered Members: 21.6 M (approx.) URL: mixi.jp
Primary Region(s): Japan Launch Date: 2004


‡ Controls membership by requiring a Japanese mobile
phone number to join
‡ Recent partnership with Twitter perceived as effort to

counter Facebook’s market entry
‡ Popular with celebrities/tarento who maintain official
profiles on the network

Opportunity:
Twitter partnership may loosen up the closed nature of the network,
opening up opportunity for expansion to new markets.

24

Registered Members: 20 M (approx.) URL: sonico.com
Primary Region(s): Latin America Launch Date: 2007


‡ Popular throughout the Spanish-speaking world,
recently expanded into the Portuguese market
‡ Offers users unique and separate personal,

professional and public profiles
‡ Slow innovation has led to losses to both Facebook
and other regional networks

Opportunity:
Successful Portuguese-language expansion could be replicated across
new target markets.

25

Registered Members: 18 M (approx.) URL: cyworld.com.cn or
Primary Region(s): China, South Korea, cyworld.co.kr
Vietnam Launch Date: 1999


‡ Smaller than other regional networks, though user
base is loyal to Gaia Online-like customizable design
‡ Failed market entry in Germany, Japan and the U.S.

led to abrupt portal shutdowns
‡ Successful premium item marketplace for decorating
“rooms” (personal pages) popular with users

Opportunity:
Monetization model could be replicated in new market launch,
though expansion would need to be limited to target geographies.

26

Registered Members: 12 M (approx.) URL: tuenti.com
Primary Region(s): Spain Launch Date: 2006


‡ Reputation as the “Spanish Facebook” earned
through minimalist UI and popularity with students
‡ Strict privacy controls and requires invitation for

membership
‡ Leveraged by parent Telefonica as testing ground for
its MVNO offering, overall very strong in mobile

Opportunity:
Hugely popular in Spanish market with potential to expand
mobile/social offerings outside core market.

27

Registered Members: 10.3 M (approx.) URL: hyves.nl
Primary Region(s): Netherlands Launch Date: 2004


‡ Comprehensive virtual payment program also offers
person to person and real-world payments, accepted
in most Dutch restaurants/bars

‡ Small footprint with no expanded language coverage
‡ Social gaming features remain competitive though
networking offerings are limited

Opportunity:
Payments program could rival traditional credit transactions,
especially when combined with mobile expansion.

28

Registered Members: 10 M (approx.) URL: me2day.net
Primary Region(s): South Korea Launch Date: 2007


‡ South Korea’s Twitter alternative with a 150-character
limit and a mobile-focused interface
‡ Features official profiles and updates from well-known

Korean celebrities
‡ Until recently, single language portal; English portal
launched in late 2011

Opportunity:
With English portal launch, potential to expand beyond current
market footprint.

29

From Dating to Job Hunting:
3 Additional Networks to Note

30

Professional Networking:
More than LinkedIn

European rivals Viadeo and XING are
clear professional networking leaders.
While their user bases remain largely in
Europe, both are poised for large scale
expansion. As the blurring of
professional and social networking
continues, these sites are both worth
keeping an eye on.

Dating and Mobile Hookups:
Beyond Online Dating

Though online dating networks were not
included in our research, the massive
dating site Badoo emerged as a strong
rival to traditional social networking.
Badoo’s mobile integration and

meteoric growth based entirely on word
of mouth mean this network is one to
watch. However, note Badoo’s growth
has also been accompanied by closer
public scrutiny of the seedier side of
Badoo’s audience.

31

Registered Members: 11.4 M (approx.) URL: xing.com
Primary Region(s): 200 countries Launch Date: 2003


‡ Largely European and German-language market
professional network, smaller than regional
competitors
‡ Closed enterprise groups for big-name businesses like

IBM and Accenture
‡ Successful premium vs. free model and well-respected
privacy/anti-spam features

Opportunity:
Enterprise group model could be replicated to support targeted
expansion.

32

Registered Members: 40 M (approx.) URL: viadeo.com
Primary Region(s): Europe Launch Date: 2004


‡ Largest European professional network, M&A activity
helping penetrate Asia and South America
‡ Recent acquisition of a contact management provider

indicates move to differentiate
‡ Profitable with steady revenue stream from premium
accounts

Opportunity:
Active M&A period quickly changing competitive position and global
footprint.

33

Registered Members: 125 M (approx.) URL: badoo.com
Primary Region(s): Latin America, Launch Date: 2006
Western Europe


‡ Hybrid dating/chat site with reputation as a source for
casual hookups
‡ Remarkable growth based purely on WOM though

plagued with rumors of use in sex industry
‡ Successful monetization model with seamless mobile
integration

Opportunity:
Mobile model replication and continued viral buzz could lead to rapid
market expansion.

34

For additional Lily Croll
information Senior Strategist
about this eBook lcroll@springcreekgroup.com
please contact: @findlilyhere

For additional Twitter.com/springcreekgrp
information
about Spring Springcreekgroup.com
Creek Group
please click
any of the Springcreekgroup.com/blog
following:
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