Social Networking has grown by 50% in India in the last year. ComScore also puts the total Indian online population (Above the age of 15) at 3,20,99,000 (32 million)
Some other figures:
Facebook has grown by 150% in India in the last one year.
Active users on Orkut in the month of December, 2008 – 1,28,69,000
Active users on Facebook in the month of December, 2008 – 40,44,000
The surprise is LinkedIn.com makes the Top 10 in India with 5 Lakh+ unique visitors to their site in the month of December!
BharatStudent is the most popular Indian site on the list. It seems ibibo‘s and BigAdda‘s heavy spending is not really paying off as non-spending competitors like Orkut, Facebook and even Hi5 are beating them comfortably.
Another interesting statistic is that 60% of the Indian internet traffic is on a social network. But the problem is monetization!
Note: ComScore data excludes visits from public computers such as Internet cafes and access from mobile phones or PDAs.
Thanx a lot for the stats Ekalavya. I believe Twitter will overtake both Orkut and Facebook by the end of 2010. What’s ur view.
There was a lot of buzz around Minglebox’s funding last year around this time. Am curious to know how does it feature in the list.
@ khushbu: MingleBox and IndyaRocks don’t feature in the Top 10.
Well minglebox is more like a campus network…a niche within the whole Social Networking space. Well thats how facebook started. IndyaRocks is immensely popular because of their free msging.
I guess any site which gets around 2 lakh unique visits a month without spending a lot of money – is doing a good job.
@ Jhangora: I don’t know. Twitter seems nice now…but I doubt if it will overtake facebook.
Do you believe these statistics? Bharatstudent at 3.2 Mn UV’s????? Comscore is way off the mark and Bharartstudent is nothing but gaming the stats. Eklavya: We were hoping for some stronger insights from you.
ya i work on BharatStudent site.That is purely indian and too good for the promotion of the site.a
Before I make my point, consider this. Among the riders of bikes, geared scooters, gearless scooters (like Kinetic Honda) and mopeds which two-wheeler category do you think is used by the widest audience among teenage boys, teenage girls, men and women?
My answer is: teenage boys, teenage girls, men and women can ride gearless scooters (like Kinetic Honda) and mopeds.
I could be wrong but the above is my guess based on the fact that it requires very little learning to get started and use them daily.
Based on this logic I am going to claim that “Website design” and “Positioning” are two key factors for success.
My first argument is “Website design” – I am not surprised that Orkut tops the table. Its simple, consistent pages for all users, so simple that any 12-yr old can use it!
Facebook had literally become unusable due to the cluttering of features. Even a seasoned internet surfer and social media enthusiast like me had to learn something new everytime I went to Facebook.com.
I am again not surprised at LinkedIn making the cut what with all the job losses in the market. (I am sure, if you check naukri.com, their traffic probably rose in the last few months just like LinkedIn’s). I think LinkedIn is one of the very well designed sites out there and that has helped them to be used by a very wide audience.
I have not used the other sites so I cannot comment on them.
In a nut shell, this is my argument – the design of the websites I think contribute to a great extent to the traffic they get. Simpler the website, and the less head-scratching it takes to get going, the wider is its appeal.
My next point is “Positioning”. If you have never heard this word read a book by that by Al Ries and Jack Trout.
“Positioning” simply means, people should understand what your website stands for and does.
What does Twitter stand for- Provide update in 140 characters
(Can you believe it? No photos, no videos, no html, no attachments!)
What does Orkut stand for- Friend’s networking.
What does BharatStudent stand for- Students networking.
What does LinkedIn stand for- Business networking.
What does Naukri stand for- Job posting.
Get my point? The simpler the purpose the website the better it is for understanding and remembering it.
Welcome comments.
@ the anonymous visitor: These are ComScore figures off a Press Release made by them. These are not my insights.
im confused between bharatstudent and minglebox .. i was thinking minglebox started out as a social network and is now implementing open social into its core keeping in mind the potential and platform bharathstudent built its traffic
not that 2 lakh UV’s per month ( 6500 UV’s per day ) is a good site .. dont say that … watblog gets around 4000 UV’s i assume, but still watblog is good site …. its about the content dear not the quantity .. eklavya im really disappointed .. i feel the keys are with the thief
when we are saying unique visitors, we are saying no. of people registered…. are we?!
A Great statistical report of social networking traffic growth. Thanks for sharing.