Networking with a local twist
2008-06-13 07:43
Cape Town - Local social networking site Blueworld.co.za has lots of characteristics that distinguish it from Facebook and other leading international players, one of the site's founders says.
News24 chats to Blueworld's business manager Bradley Voges and operations manager Charl Norman to find out more.
When was Blueworld started?
Blueworld Communities Pty was founded by Charl Norman, Brendt Brooks and Bradley Voges in 2005.
How did it all happen?
Bradley: We had taken over an events and nightclub photography website which was operating from the Eastern Cape. Over time we added social networking functionalities which eventually developed into Blueworld.co.za as you know it now.
Would you consider Facebook, MySpace as competition for Blueworld?
Bradley: To a certain degree yes. But to the same extent these platforms have also opened doors for us and introduced people to the phenomenon of social networking who would otherwise never have considered getting involved or entertained the idea of maintaining a profile about them online. We also find that people will have more than one profile so we aim to offer a uniquely South African offering.
Blueworld has been described as South Africa's own Facebook. How do you feel about that?
Bradley: That's a huge complement for us. Facebook is a revolutionary product and we can only feel honoured to be compared to them.
Charl: We don't wake up in the morning with the goal to take out Facebook - we can't compete against them and don't try to. Blueworld has lots of functionality and characteristics that distinguish it from Facebook and other leading international players.
What distinguishes Blueworld from the big international players?
Bradley: Blueworld is predominantly about meeting new people in South Africa whereas Facebook is more about keeping up to date with your current friends. We also aim to offer a local feel that the user can associate with.
Charl: One of the key differences with Blueworld is it's an open social network. You can surf through the community's content and profiles without logging in; when you as a Blueworld member publish media, such as blogs, videos and photos, your content is featured on your profile but also aggregates into the public areas such as the Blueworld blogging, photo tagging or video sharing areas. There the rest of the community can then rate, discuss and share your content. We want our members to construct meaningful relationships through picture, video and text.
On top of that you can customise your profile's theme and header image which is a middle play between Facebook, which is very restrictive in terms of layout, and MySpace, whose really open to customisation. We try to keep a balance between the two.
You've recently updated your site with new functionalities. Has the response been positive?
Bradley: Tremendously positive. We try to add new functionalities in a way that it remains understandable and user-friendly for the members. Our drive remains to attract new people and keep the current members happy or even increase their joy. We can see this positive reaction in the increase in average duration time spent on the website.
Charl: We constantly analyse our visitors' behaviour on the site and innovate around those trends. Some of the new functionality we launched over the last few weeks came from what we discovered in our visitors' behaviour.
There are more cellphones in circulation in South Africa than there are PCs. Do you have mobile offering/s to tap into this market?
Bradley: Yes we do. We have recently launched m.blueworld.co.za which allows users to interact with their online profiles as well as with their friends via their cellphones. In addition we have included news feeds allowing users to keep up to date with the latest developments. Going forward there are a number of additions that we will introduce. We are very excited at the potential of this service.
Charl: South Africa has a huge mobile following so it's essential for us to be in this space. Our mobile offering allows the community to take their Blueworld profile and activities with them on the go. As cellphones evolve with each new-generation handset, browsing on handheld devices has become more bearable. You will find more and more of your visitor base logging on for quick visits from mobile connections.
International social networking sites are raking in the cash. How's Blueworld doing?
Bradley: In comparison to our international peers we're probably some distance behind. The South African advertising market is slowly awakening to the online opportunities. In this regard the online advertising environment is still a number of years behind global leaders.
Charl: I wouldn't say the international players are "raking in the cash" - Facebook together with numerous other leading US based web 2.0 startups still lead round after round of financing to bankroll their business. MySpace is profitable because their parent company, News Corp, bombard the community with advertisements and new offers. MySpace has become an extension of the Fox News advertising network.
Social networking as a business model still has some way to go.
What does the future hold for Blueworld - do you have other products in the pipeline?
Bradley: We have too many ideas to put on paper here. There are a number of very exciting ad-ons that will be launched within the next two to three months. Unfortunately we need to keep these under wraps for now. There is no industry that moves and changes as fast as the one we find ourselves in. Keep checking Blueworld for more details.
Charl: I can't say much but one of the reasons for our acquisition by 24.com was to leverage our social networking technology to build vertical communities with existing and new 24.com/Naspers brands. We look forward to exploring these opportunities.
On the net:
www.bwcom.co.zawww.blueworld.co.za
www.zoopedup.com
24.com has a controlling stake in Blueworld Communities.