Three Dimensions of Differentiation for Indian Social Networking Sites

Comments 13 March 2008

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Quick Summary: Read why language (English vs. vernacular), mode of access (Internet vs. mobile) and social dynamics (global vs. Indian) will be the three dimensions of differentiation for Indian social networking sites.

- X – X – X -

In my previous post, I wrote about why Indian social networking sites need to differentiate themselves –

Most of the Indian social networking sites are basically India-focused Facebook/ MySpace/ Orkut/ LinkedIn clones. Such clones would only be popular amongst a small set of twenty-something Indians in metros who won’t want a clone anyways.

I also presented a typology of Indian social networking sites on a 2X2 matrix with Indian-vs-global social dynamics on the X-axis and Indian-vs-global user appeal on the Y-axis –

– and suggested that –

To really build an identity and a broad Indian user base for themselves, Indian social networking sites need to reflect the unique nature of relationships in the Indian society.

Three Dimensions of Differentiation: Language, Access and Social Dynamics

Based on the discussion in the comments section and on Twitter, Facebook and e-mail, I have realized that there are, in fact, three dimensions of differentiation for Indian social networking sites — language (English vs. vernacular), mode of access (Internet vs. mobile) and social dynamics (global vs. Indian).

Three Dimensions of Differentiation for Indian Social Networking Sites

Why is Social Dynamics a Dimension of Differentiation?

I have already illustrated in my previous post how an offering that reflects the unique Indian social dynamics is likely to be well-adopted by Indian users –

Matrimonial sites like BharatMatrimony, JeevanSaathi and Shaadi are the Indian equivalent of international dating sites. A lot of my Indian friends who wouldn’t risk being seen on a dating site, use matrimonial sites basically to meet interesting people they can date (and, just maybe, marry).

In this post, I’ll share some numbers with you to illustrate how language and access are the other two dimensions of differentiation for Indian social networking sites.

Why Vernacular Languages and Mobile Will Drive Web Usage in India

Why is Language a Dimension of Differentiation?

According to various sources, the number of Internet users in India is estimated to be between 20mn and 30 mn. According to NRS 2006, the readership of English language newspaper is only 26 mn, less than 10% of the overall readership of newspapers in India. Given that English is the predominant language on Internet in India, is it any surprise that English language newspaper readership in India and Internet usage in India are in the same ballpark? Also, if you flip the numbers, vernacular language newspaper readership in India is ten times higher than English language readership in India. It’s probably reasonable to project that, if vernacular language Internet was to become popular in India, Internet usage in India will potentially increase tenfold.

Why is Access a Dimension of Differentiation?

According to TRAI, there are 250 mn mobile phones in India compared to only 3 mn broadband connections. It is also estimated that there are 38 mn mobile web users in India (note: I’m still searching for a reliable source). Even if we leave alone mobile web, 250 mn Indians have access to SMS compared to the 20 mn to 30 mn Indians who have access to Internet and the 3 mn Indians who have access to broadband. Not only that, mobile phone access is more widely distributed across both urban and urban Indian than Internet access. It’s quite a no-brainer, therefore, that web usage in India will be driven by the mobile web (with SMS integration) and not the PC web.

Early Signs: Micro-Blogging and Mobile-Blogging in India

While Twitter is still very niche in India, Indian micro-blogging networks like MyToday MOBS and Webaroo SMSGupShup have wide user bases –

‘We expect users in excess of 20 million before the end this year,” says Webaroo vice president Chirag Jain. (HT)

I’m sure that a large percentage of these 20 mn users will be passive users, who only receive messages instead of sending them. However, it’s no laughing matter that one micro-blogging service in India claims to have almost the same number of users as the entire Internet user base in India.

Expect more action in the micro-blogging and mobile-blogging space with Reliance and Nokia entering the space.

The Killer Indian Social Networking Site

So, what will the killer Indian social networking site be like?

I’m sure that the killer Indian social networking site will be differentiated along all the three dimensions of language, access and social dynamics –

- It will offer users a unique value based on Indian social dynamics beyond friending and following people.

- It will offer users deep content in a wide range of vernacular languages and not only English.

- It will offer users multiple access points, including PC web, mobile web, SMS (and maybe voice), so much so that most users won’t even think of it as a “website”.

What will the killer Indian social networking site be like, in your opinion?

Author

Gaurav Mishra

Gaurav Mishra - who has written 746 posts on Gauravonomics Blog on Social Media and Social Change.

As CEO of 2020 Social, I build and nurture online communities for Indian and international clients, connect their customers, partners and employees, and help them achieve their business objectives. Ask us how we can help you.

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anjali28

I think that Reliance and Nokia will have a tough time breaking into this space, more because the Nokia blog can only be used by Nseries users, if I understood the website correctly. Reliance looks like it is still very basic, plus its glamour has worn off - the Rworld stuff I mean, so moving into blogs/micro-blogging requires a whole dedicated campaign, which I doubt they are ready for yet.

As far as language is concerned, I feel that computer users who will use Hindi or other local languages are likely to be older and therefore less inclined to blog, given the dynamics of blogging/microblogging in India, where it is mostly young people who engage in it. Younger kids tend to prefer learning English, even in rural areas or the lower middle class in the urban ones, so the potential success of the vernacular social networking sites is questionable. I like your thought process though.

Rajesh

Already happening Gaurav. You of course know of SMS Gupshup - they are going great guns and the potential of private networks is yet to be touched.

Check out mygamma.com another -very- successful social networking site on the mobile.

There are a couple of others that I have sampled but are yet to be launched formally an d even as they run in silent mode have already built up significant following through word of mouth.

Keep writing.

Cheers.

Rajesh

Navin

Nice article. Good data and analysis.

As for the "killer Indian social networking site", I think it will not be a site at all. I think it will be a sms based network. Your data shows that non-internet enabled mobiles far outnumber everything else. I have another interesting data point. One one of my websites the number of SMS subscribers outnumber the RSS/E-mail subscribers. This is despite the fact that the RSS feed has existed for twice as long as the sms feed. And the fact that the website is not mobile enabled at all.

The only problem I have with existing mobile social networking sites is that they are really treating mobiles are little computers and hence we end up with services like SMS GupShup which is simply Blogger.com in 140 characters per post. Somebody is going to come up with a radically different way of socializing via SMS - and we'll all think, in hindsight, that it was such an obvious and simple idea. And that guy will have a killer app on his hands.

I should explicitly point out that this hasn't happened yet. I haven't been able to figure out how to use SMS GupShup or twitter in the context of my current friends circles. So we are stuck to sending group SMSs.

Gaurav Mishra

@Anjali: As I said, the killer Indian social networking site will probably not even look like a website, so I'm not talking about vernacular blogs/ microblogs. The real value is in getting the non-computer savvy users to engage with a social network via SMS.

@Rajesh: Will spend some time at MyGamma . Didn't have a great first impression though. Also it doesn't seem to have had much traction yet, in terms of traffic and user base.

@Navin: Yes, the present business models don't quite leverage the full potential of mobile. I agree with you that the killer social network will need to offer full functionality on SMS, including, posting, profiles, friending, following, and more.