-
-
Aug292007
Indian Women: Avoid Orkut, Switch to Facebook
As a blogger, I’ve seen many google queries with search keywords like: photo misuse on Orkut, indian women abuse orkut, and so on. 
Well, we all know how Orkut is being misused, so why do Indians, especially women and girls, stick with it when there are better alternatives available? Facebook for example, offers some of the best privacy features among all the social networking sites. You can choose who can see your profile and what information can or cannot be searched. You can pick and choose select parts of your profile for a select group of friends. You can control what information is shared when you message or send a friend request.
If one is familiar with Facebook’s privacy features, one will feel naked in Orkut. So why do Indian girls and women still stick to Orkut? Bollywood stars have already started migrating in droves from Orkut to Facebook. Will their fans and the Indian public follow?
Here are some points to ponder:
1. ‘Critical mass’ is a significant factor in such communities. Most people will join what most others have already joined, propelling the #1 even higher in numbers. There are over 7 million Indian Orkut visitors in July 2007, compared to 0.78 million for Facebook. Orkut is MTV’s Youth Icon 2007. Another factor of course, is general knowledge and awareness of the Internet and other alternatives.
2. As per Agencyfaqs citing ComScore: “Facebook grew phenomenally in India between April and June 2007, attracting an additional 323,000 unique visitors. The privacy issue, especially for women users, is reflected in the better representation they have on Facebook. While 40.7 per cent of unique visitors from India on Facebook are women, they constitute 28 per cent in Orkut.” So, at least some Indian women are already getting wiser!
3. However strong privacy features you introduce in a social networking platform, it cannot always protect you. Like they say, if you make something idiot-proof, someone will invent a better idiot!
4. More intriguingly, I wonder if the lack of privacy features in Orkut are uniquely tempting for the Indian youth. Is our repressive social culture driving our youth to sneak and peek into each other’s Orkut profiles instead? Our present social context bans dating. Does Orkut provide a safe way to get to know some more information about that heartthrob in your college? Does it help screen that boy or girl your parents introduced to you on your own terms and on your own platform, away from your parents scrutiny?
If that is indeed the case, then networks like Facebook will never gain critical volume in India. What do you think?
The views expressed in this post are those of the writer and are not necessarily endorsed by Mutiny.in
Subscribe
Submit Link
Chacko
001
12:27 pm
Orkut has only one thing going for it. Google.
Rajiv Dingra
002
1:48 pm
Hey nice post.. i guess this article would add more reasons to why facebook will overake orkut - http://www.watblog.com/?content=detail&id=859 Would love to know your thoughts on this.
Harsha
003
4:23 pm
Thr securuity factor could be one of the main reasons behind varying degrees of popularity of Facebook and Orkut in the uS and India. Facebook is more famous in the US where it has a whopping 85% of all University students registered, and Orkut is more famous in India and Brazil. In India, people definitely want to peek into others’ lives and Orkut is the perfect platform for all such people.
But we can select which parts of our profile are visible to friends and strangers, aint it? Some of my friends even clean up their scrapbooks at regular intervals to remove the ‘whazzup info’..
Mahendra Palsule
004
8:05 pm
Chacko: I agree, but think that there’s another: that there’s already a huge base it has developed is another major thing going for it.
Rajiv: Thanks for the interesting article. You did miss out on the important privacy implications! I’m still not sure Facebook will overtake Orkut in India.
Harsha: You can select privacy options for some parts, not all. Notice that everything under ‘Personal’ tab is always visible to all, and barring ’sexual orientation’, same holds true for ‘Social’ tab!
Rullz
005
3:02 am
Well i smell facebook sponsors here …. nvw i’ve been on facebook for as long as i’ve been on orkut, for some reasong facebook dosent get what orkut delivers , and with the new orkut look its better , if ppl move to facebook , not even 2% care abt their security …. so pretty much useless matter of fact where orkut has already grounded and facebook is still unexplored by most indians
Mahendra
006
9:49 pm
Rulz: I actually don’t even have an account on Facebook! So you’re smelling something non-existent!
I’m not sure what is it that Orkut delivers that Facebook doesn’t. Can you throw some more light on this?
With the new look, there is no change in Orkut functionality.
Regarding not even 2% care about their security: there you have a valid point! And that’s what this post is about. Why do Indian women not care about security and only complain post-facto?
SHAMS
007
10:46 pm
I NEED FRIENDS TO CHAT WITH PREFERRING MOSTLY 4 UAE PEOPLE I AM PAKISTANI BUT I LIVE IN UAE
SHAMS
008
10:49 pm
HI
SHAMS
009
10:49 pm
GJGJ JGJF
Pooja
010
8:26 pm
Intresting post…
But u cant stop ppl frm using/misusing orkut bcoz evry1 r addicted 2 orkut.
innocent
011
10:27 pm
i want the person under 25 in age simply becacuse i am a young guy of 24
hkjeet
012
11:50 am
hai i wants friend ship
pl reply
Young Female Friend
013
6:22 pm
@Goutam.
Hi !!!
Goodbye Goutam.
prakash
014
5:40 pm
hi i m M/30/Del wana a good friend(F) mail me now
rizwan
015
5:45 pm
i m M/26/Del wana b a good friend(F)
WeKnow
016
4:17 am
Social Networks all together seem boring to me. Coming back to the point Facebook is way classier and secure than orkut…..
Mehdi
017
12:22 am
hi!!
U have posted something debating, i agree with u that facebook is more secure than orkut. As we all knw wht orkut did to indians in recent years is just the result of facebook popularity reaching india so lately. i would like to knw more of ur views and ideas. Keep posting such thing. We r with u
vijeesh
018
3:55 pm
hi mi name is vijeesh?
i warking kuwait age 26 i need friends