Why Facebook Won’t Win in China
In America, everyone knows the social media trifecta (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin). When someone wants to “friend” you, most people are aware of what the phrase means. If someone tries to “poke” you, most people still have no idea what that means, but they get the general gist. But if you head on over to China, pretty much no one will have any idea what you’re talking about. Facebook lacks a presence in China but is ready to change that by partnering with China’s largest search giant, Baidu to bring over their social services.
The appeal of China is obvious. They boast the largest Internet market, and have a variety of social networks, including RenRen, Qzone and 51.com. Basically, they are primed for Facebook. But could it be too late for Facebook to make the impact there, as it has here? Did they wait too long to take on the China-challenge? In the same way that many believe that Google waited too long to get into the social space, many believe that Facebook has waited too long and will not be able to penetrate the Chinese market. With Google+, there was a surge of users in the beginning, and now it seems as though interest is slowing down. Would it be the same if Facebook launched in China? Would people really not care?
While it may be hard for us to believe, there is a very real potential that China would not take kindly to Facebook. Think about your first reaction to Google+. For many of us, our gut instinct said “Oh awesome! But secretly I don’t think this will ever take off…”. And for China, who already has a plethora of social networks and a vibrant Internet market, it might just be that Facebook tried to join the game a little too late. What do you think? Does Facebook stand a chance in China?
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