Despite the Chinese government’s censorship of the Internet, users in China stay connected in a variety of ways including using social networking sites.
While Facebook remains blocked in China, savvy users still access Facebook using Virtual Private Networks. But for millions of users who cannot use VPN to bypass Internet restrictions, Chinese versions of social networking sites have proliferated.
Facekoo:
飞思酷 (feisiku, face cool) is a social networking site aimed at younger Internet users. Facekoo was launched in 2008 by three Chinese Americans who worked in Silicon Valley. Facekoo features a MagicMirror, which allows users to meet friends by using a face recognition system. The site also offers a range of games and applications.
Kaixin001:
开心网 (Kaixin001, happy net), a Chinese clone of Facebook, was launched in March 2008. Kaixin001 is now one of the most popular Websites in China. Most of Kaixin001’s users are white-collar workers. Users can upload photos, write blogs and microblogs, share music and store up to 1G of information.
Kaixin001 copied popular apps from Facebook like Friends for Sale, an app where users can buy and sell their friends, and Happy Farm, a game in which users to grow vegetables and steal vegetables from their friends. Kaixin001 has other apps which have been adapted to the local market like Where I’ve Been. This app loads a map of China instead of the world since most users have never left the country. Other apps like iLike have been blocked. iLike allowed users to upload and share music.
Kaixin001 sued Qianxiang Group, who runs competitor social networking site Renren, in 2009. Qianxiang Group purchased the domain name kaixin.com and launched a Kaixin001 clone tricking users into thinking they were on Kaixin001.
Renren:
Formerly called 校内网 (Xiaonei, on campus network), 人人网 (Renren, everyone’s network) is a social networking Facebook clone. Xiaonei was founded by four Tsinghua University graduates in 2005. The majority of users are college students. Users must be students to register. The site allows users to list personal information, upload photos and blog. Users can choose their profile backgrounds and music.
Xiaonei was bought by Oak Pacific Interactive, a Chinese Internet business that had its own social networking site, 5Q. As Xiaonei, the site shifted its focus in 2008 and no longer allows third-party applications. Renamed Renren in 2009, the site includes a wireless application version for use on mobile phones and 人人桌面 (Renrenzhuomian), an instant messaging service similar to Facebook chat.
Renren is one of the most heavily censored social networking sites in China. Blog posts containing sensitive words like Tiananmen Square and Falun Gong are blocked or taken down.
Renren users can use the site’s currency, 校内豆 (Xiaoneidou, Xiaonei beans) to participate in parts of the site including gift purchase, game coin exchange, advertising and to activate 紫豆服务(zedoufuwu, Purple Bean Service), an enhanced service offering users several perks. 1RMB=1 Xiaoneidou. The domains 5q.com, xiaonei.com, and renren.com are now part of Renren.
