TMCnet News
Facebook Popular in Taiwan, Hong KongBEIJING, Apr 15, 2011 (SinoCast Daily Business Beat via COMTEX) -- When there are rampant talks saying that Facebook will foray into Mainland China, the explosive growth of the social networking Web site in Taiwan shows the opportunity and challenge it faces in the Chinese market. In June 2009, Facebook only had 400,000 users in Taiwan. In the second half of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, the figure swelled 5.8 million. By March 2011, it has approached 9 million. Meanwhile, Facebook has 3.6 million users in Hong Kong. That is to say, 70% of its Chinese users come from Taiwan. Talking of the success of Facebook in Taiwan, Inside Facebook believes that the phenomenon results from the popularity of a social game in Chinese language, which won acknowledgment of local gamers in the island in 2010. In Taiwan, not only common people, but also politicians and social groups use Facebook, indicating that the social networking Web site has melted into local culture. If it plans to copy its success in the Mainland, it has to do as mainlanders do. Source: www.sina.com.cn (April 15, 2011) |