Tuesday

Social Network Monetization Battle. Quick Roundup of Myspace, Facebook, and Orkut

Monetization issue is gaining attention. With recession fears growing every day, time to critically review business model is here. Big social networking players are not shy about making tall claims. Here is a quick run down of how they did recently.

Myspace claimed important client - Cartier -  dispelling notion that MySpace user base is all run of the mill (read no class!). Myspace executives are claiming that 85% of MySpace’s audience is over 18. If that’s not surprising then check this claim - 40% of all Moms are on MySpace and more people making $100,000 or more are on the network. This should change how marketers view Myspace demographics.

Facebook is getting close to rolling out new profile interface. Monetization objectives are key in user interface design. This is clearly designed to optimize contextual ad rendering as well as engage users in persuasive commerce. Something to watch.

Google’s Orkut continues to strengthen their early lead in emerging market. Orkut has a strong lead in Brazil and India. Indian developers prefer Orkut over Facebook and Myspace. “73% of them said they had used Orkut, as compared to 35% for Facebook and 32% for MySpace.” (Evans Data Corp). Marketers looking towards emerging market should be creative about developing OpenSocial applications. App installs will provide better return in the short run.