Thursday, 14 June 2007

• Malaysians the Best Friendster

  I must and should say that we, Malaysians are THE (Pronounced 'duh') 2nd most users of Friendster. Here's a report by NST on 12 June 2007 :

  KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have taken to online social networking like a duck to water.

  The highest traffic volume to one of the world’s leading social networking sites, friendster.com, comes from Malaysia.
  
  Friendster.com is also the second most visited site in Malaysia next to yahoo.com. Out of the 13.5 million Internet users in Malaysia, 3.1 million are registered on Friendster.
  
  The site, the 17th largest in the world, was founded in California in 2002.
  
  With 44 million members worldwide, the site allows users to set up their personal profiles, which can either be accessed by anyone or by a select group of friends.
  Users can make new friends, find old ones or locate activity partners and dates through the site.
  
  Users can email each other over Friendster, which also allows them to share photos, post bulletins, videos, and blog.
  
  Friendster Inc marketing and public relations director Jeff Roberto said according to Alexa.com, a website that provides information on web traffic, Friendster’s traffic breakout is: 22.4 per cent Malaysia; 21.8 per cent Philippines, 20 per cent Singapore; 12.7 per cent Indonesia; and six per cent United States.
  
  "It is ranked the number one site in the Philippines, and number two in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
  
  "The majority of users, about 55 per cent, are women. This pattern is the same all over the world. I think it’s probably because women are more social than men.
  
  "The Asia user base is mostly 16 to 30-year-olds," he told the New Straits Times.
  
  Roberto said Asia currently accounts for over 70 per cent of total daily traffic to Friendster. It represents some 150 million daily page views and over four billion monthly page views.
  
  Asked why Friendster is bigger in Asia than in the West, Roberto said users in this part of the world are younger and tend to keep their pages open for viewing.
  
  "Their profiles are open so there is more activity. We are also the first to enter this region."
  
  On email from undesirable characters, Roberto said there are security features on the site that users can tap into to keep their profiles private or accessible only to friends.
  
  There is also a mechanism for users to lodge complaints against abuses like fake profiles, and offensive language and photos.
  
  On claims that such sites have wrecked marriages and facilitated adultery, Roberto said that on the contrary, Friendster has led to couples hooking up and getting married.
  
  "They email us to tell us the happy news sometimes. We are not meant to be a dating service but sometimes it happens."
  
  (Source : NST Online)
  

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