Facebook

[timinua]

I believe it even has a Skype type interface to talk online.

yes, it does.

[alex330]

There are Russians on FB. If my wife's FB page is any indication most of the Russians on FB are ex-pats.

Yes, that is the impression I get as well. Or they have a tie to the West in some way be it business or family.

[Handycam72]

Okay, nm, I got it. 
Looking at vk.com, it definitely does look like a facebook from "back in the day" when I first started using it in college - no games, no news feed, no timeline. 
LOL.  I remember when they first started to use the newsfeeds, many people complained about it, calling it the "stalker mode".  So, facebook allowed some people to opt out of it.  But, eventually they forced everyone to use it - just like they did with timeline for the non-college generations.

Vkontakte.ru or vk.com.
 
Games - Yes
News Feed - Yes (My News)
Timeline - Sort of.......but is it really important.
 
 

I guess that my point is that facebook has got to be really popular in the FSU and that you can use facebook to network with women from the FSU.  I can't provide any statistics, but I do believe that people in the FSU have more reason to get facebook profiles than just because they have Western friends. 

vk.com is pretty archaic compared to facebook.  It seems that a person could get bored with it after a while.  Unless its simplicity is what attracts people to it.

However, facebook offers lots of games, and there are so many open-sourced projects out there for facebook.  Plus, let's not forget to mention, how facebook has mobile apps on Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone. 

I don't see why people in the FSU would just simply ignore facebook for "language" or just simply because it's based in Europe.  Chances are, most people in the FSU were already on facebook before vk.com came around. 

 
vk also has an app for iPhone, Blackberry and Android
 
Facebook is used by some of my FSU friends, mainly to keep in contact with people they know outside of FSU, or just for the hell of it. All have VK Profiles and use them a hell of alot more than their FB page. In fact they regard FB as a boring site.
 
Personally I find VK alot better than the mess that facebook has become. Especially for playing music and video, something which is virtually impossible to do on FB.
 
How much is Mark Zuckerberg paying to promote his site in favor of VK these days? 
 
 

[BC]

My wife and most of her RU friends are on odnoklassniki.ru

[Jumper]

vk.com is straight-up annoying me when I tried to register on it just now.  It couldn't find my university.  It apparently only has knowledge about a few of the major cities in the US and never even heard of the town I went to college in.

At least on facebook, I can find my school right away.

 


Why would VK or  [size=78%]http://www.odnoklassniki.ru/[/size]  bother with US based  universities,  when the huge majority of their users are Russian or FSU based?


I do feel that you really need to get past this mentality if wanting to date someone from another culture.
Some basics of this is to understand, that they are indeed from another culture.

you'll need an open mind!!


 Instead of debating with mendy, a russian with obviously an in depth knowledge of his culture,
 you might want to listen to him when he tells you most Russians wont have interest in a given website,and why.



What seems normal for you , isn't always for them.

[newjason]

 


Why would VK or  [size=78%]http://www.odnoklassniki.ru/[/size]  bother with US based  universities,  when the huge majority of their users are Russian or FSU based?


I do feel that you really need to get past this mentality if wanting to date someone from another culture.
Some basics of this is to understand, that they are indeed from another culture.

you'll need an open mind!!


 Instead of debating with mendy, a russian with obviously an in depth knowledge of his culture,
 you might want to listen to him when he tells you most Russians wont have interest in a given website,and why.



What seems normal for you , isn't always for them.

I can tell you, what they consider normal is not the OP.


I would have to ask the OP, 
Do you have any real friends?
What I mean by that is , Do you get out of the house and do things with people your own age and with similar interests?
How large is your circle of friends?
Do you have any friends from the FSU?
When is the last time you made a new friend?

If you are using facebook to try to meet people for online whatever..  that's cool.

If you are using facebook in place of having a socal life,  that is not cool.

[chivo]

Maybe this belongs here, so ...
 
Couple of things. Facebook is in Russian. My interface is all in Russian and I can search "only" Russian things on it. So, hopefully you all can stop arguing about that. Like many things in Russia, change happens fast. Some of you really have a hard time wrapping your head around this simple fact.
 
Facebook has added almost 800,000 new users in the last 6 months alone. I doubt they all speak English.
 
And while it significantly trails both Odnoklassniki and Vkontake in users, it has shown more growth. Matter of fact, Facebook s expected to grow faster than the other two in the coming years. Some other facts you might find interesting about this; The country has put Facebook in a strange position, since two competitors (Odnoklassniki and Mail.ru’s MyWorld) are backed by Facebook investor DST. Now that DST has been eliminated with Facebook’s IPO, the networks can compete on a more even playing field.
 
2) “The figures suggest that local social networks will not be able to hold onto their dominance much longer,” eMarketer said in February. “The real question may not be whether Facebook will overtake local social networks in Russia, but when.”
 
3)  Market leader Vkontakte’s popularity may decline if it complies with a court ruling that it breaches copyright by removing its file-sharing feature. This is something that has come under scrutiny as part of the pact for entry into the WTO. Many of the people who use Vkontake do so mainly to download movies, music and American TV shows.

[chivo]

It also stands to reason that as more and more Russians/Ukranians travel and learn English, the incentive for certain social networks like Facebook for instance, to grow is stronger as they make friends and have more real options to learn the language. Something its Russian rivals can't offer. And the number of Russians learning English has grown and continues to grow expontentially, not to mention the growth of the internet in Russia and Ukraine.
 
My Facebook page is 90% Russian. I see things that my Russian friends do with themselves and their friends...in Russian.
 
On my Facebook page yesterday, one of my Russian friends was talking to a Puerto Rican girl who was interested in an event coming to Moscow. She found the event through her Facebook search in English. 10 Russians answered her, including my friend. All spoke to her in English, yes, but many wanted to meet with her at the event and practice their English. And she said she is learning Russian and wants to practice her Russian.
 
It's only one example, but an important one as more and more Russians connect to the internet and the world. Facebook's main rivals, again, can't offer or compete with this. FWIW, Google has increased its market share in Russia compared to Yandex, and Facebook has about 20% of the market in Russia currently.
 
Twitter has grown 50% in Russian in just the last 6 months.
 
I agree though that it all could crash and burn one day for Facebook as we have seen in the past with other internet based services.  But, their growth has been impressive so far. Time well tell.

[BC]

I think folks in RU are looking more for FSU oriented providers.  Is logical as you normally don't want to have to filter too much extra 'stuff' to make contact with your peers.

[mendeleyev]

I also responded to the other thread with a post that probably belongs here instead.

I used stats and charts, including a news release from Facebook about their slow growth in the Russian market. Currently they are ranked #4 in social media sites in Russia as of 2011.

Facebook's biggest problem is that Mail.ru owns a significant chuck of everybody else (39% of vk and 58% of Classmates) and is talking about merging technology and content of their own "Moi Mir" (which also beats FB) with Vk.

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=14912.msg305838#msg305838

[mendeleyev]

One can see why vk is #1 in the rankings and FB lagging back at #4...it's the t-shirts! 

[chivo]

Facebook is still a baby in the market. VK and the others ahead of it have been in the game for much longer than Facebook in Russia. And were really the only options. If you make a direct comparison at this moment, it's apples to oranges.
 
Facebook is projected to increase its marketshare in Russia by 62% in 2012, the other networks, VK, Odnoklassniki, et al, 11%* 
 
Most of my contacts on Facebook are Russians, about 90%. They use it more with each other than with foreigners. If you live in Russia, the default language is Russian, so English is not an issue. The 800,000 people I referred to were/are indeed Russians. That was in the first 6 months of 2012.
 
As far as Russians wanting only Russian providers, I don't agree. Oh sure, you will always have die hards, but Russians want what's trendy, is of good quality, new and user friendly. You need not look any farther than at Starbucks here and its phenomenal growth in Moscow compared to the local standard. People just need to be aware.
 
There is no longer a conflict of interests concerning DST for Facebook, which will help its cause in Russia and level the playing field, so mail.ru has more to worry about than Facebook IMO. If you go just by the figures for today, Facebooks trails and is not even close to VK. But, one of, if not the most attractive feature VK offers is its movie, TV show, and music downloads. This is and will be an issue for them now as they are being pressured, as I mentioned, with copyright breach.
 
To anyone who knows or cares, Russia just finalized the ratification to enter the WTO. Whatever anyone's personal opinion or beliefs are concerning this, one thing is for sure; it will definitely change the landscape here in Russia. Part of that will directly involve copyright infringement. Now I don't think it will stop individuals from pirating movies and such, but for companies like VK, it will be a problem.

If VK loses this feature, it will hurt their base, no question about this as far as I'm concerned, as it's a difficult and boring site to deal with otherwise. A big portion of Russians use VK mainly for these downloads.

Like I said, Russia is changing fast and time will tell. 

As far as the OP is concern, well that is another issue. And really, he should just look for Russians in America if he's trying to hook up. Searching for Russians on a default Russian site when you don't speak the language is not the best way to go about things.
 
 
* source emarketer, who collects data from 4000 sources worldwide

[mendeleyev]

Facebook is still a baby in the market. VK and the others ahead of it have been in the game for much longer than Facebook in Russia. And were really the only options. If you make a direct comparison at this moment, it's apples to oranges.
 
Facebook is projected to increase its marketshare in Russia by 62% in 2012, the other networks, VK, Odnoklassniki, et al, 11%* 

I trust FB for growth projections over an email marketer and FB is projecting slow growth. They're #4 and behind three services with a common ownership thread. I agree that FB will grow but no they're not apples to oranges. I leave FB in the background too, as I do VK so as long as both are functional, I'll use both.

The only place where FB is growing right now in Russia is in the mobile market and that is where vk and Odd and Moi had better pay attention is they want to keep FB as an infant in the Russian market. Most economic experts believe that FB will do quite well in expanding that portion of their Russian coverage.

[chivo]

 Facebook’s growth has increased 300% since 2010. All sources will show you this.
 
The source used is from com.score. As I said, emarketer sources from 4000 outlets. This particular source was from com.score, which is, if you look closer, the same source of information used by the sources you posted regarding VK, mail.ru, etc.
 
 I’m also positive emarketer is in direct contact with the people from Facebook. Come on now.
 
And 800,000 new users in Russia in 6 months alone is slow growth? I tried to find FB’s projections for Russia in 2012 via Google and found nothing, so what FB’s projections are we talking about?
 
I trust this source as much as anyone else. I seriously doubt they have ulterior motives to bump up projections. Your sources are TNS Digital Life and dreamgrow.com, which uses com.score for its info. If you trust them more, great. Doesn’t mean other sources are less trusting.
 
I’m also not suggesting that Facebook will unseat VK as number 1. Maybe, maybe not, only time will tell.  I don't care either way. For the record, I don't particularly like Facebook. Don't use it much except when someone is trying to contact me.
 
And no it’s is not apples to apples, I disagree. And we will have to agree to disagree.
 
Firstly, The Russian sites have had a huge head start over Facebook, and secondly, in case anyone has forgotten, they’re Russian. And Facebook was compromised by a conflict of interests, specifically DST. Things take time, give it time.
 
And if the original point was about which site would a Russian use first, then I would agree that the average FSUW would use one of the Russian sites first, of course. But, if, as the OP suggested he might have luck meeting one online from America, then he’d have a much better chance with Facebook than the Russian sites for the simple fact that more English speaking Russians will be there, and it's an easier to navigate from his location.
 
Here's another good read from a Canadian based Ukranian (I think he's Ukrainian). He will talk about internet trends in all its forms from ecommerce, to application use, etc. You'll also notice some differences in the percentage of users, which just goes to show how information is what it is. Good information nevertheless;
 
http://www.multilingual-search.com/runet-2012-unprecedented-online-market-growth-in-russia-continues/13/07/2012/

[BC]

Facebook... I hate it.... In fact I hate almost all these social sites.

I call it 'Internet exhibitionism', a desire to expose one's life as if it's only worth what is on the pin board at your local walmart.

My daughter has something like 6,500 'friends' on FB....  yeah right...

[GQBlues]

Well, going back to pemda's intent, I believe all he's saying is, FB gives the MOB a portal between parties addressing a lot of what used to be ambiguous not too long ago. I agree with that and maybe he just wasn't aware the FSU already have their version for a while now in VK/Odnoklassniki, etc..

Facebook will see its day in the FSU sun, I'm sure. If it hasn't already. Give it a bit of time. After all, it's only been 20 years when FSU first discovered Teflon and Microwave ovens. It was just a day over 7 years when their 'net connection speed were topping at the light speed of 14,000 kbs (yes, gives you that 1990 'You Got Mail!' AOL flashbacks when in FSU).

Matter of fact, when I first dipped my foot in this madness, neither MySpace or FB were around. But the smart cookie that I was, since I was a WMVM, I got those 'free' website provider and created my own. Almost like FB is right now. Had 2 intro pages, in English and Russian w/ 2 supporting pics on each. The ensuing pages consisted of pic w/ captions of friends, places, etc...then a page for me to write recent activities I was doing, random stories, all w/ supporting pics, etc. I thought this was the best thing for me to do because a) their connection speeds weren't that fast then, so sending them a link instead of downloading pics (I was told) was 'easier' for them, b) I wrote to 'all' of them every time I updated the site and they were automatically sent a message when I do, c) I felt having the site at the time was about as unique compared to many other suitors then giving me (hopefully) an advantage ( but I'm so sexy I don't really need more, you know), d) writing me was as easy as a click of a button, e) I did feel I really did have a 'captive' audience more so than just having them open an email like they do with everyone else, f) easier for them to 'show' you to their family and friends, etc...

Lastly, there's this little goodie counter on the site. I get to keep count of the 'hit' number.

Anyway, that was all then, this is now so yes, a social site media serves the MOB well indeed. But also keep in mind, maybe it's hardly necessary since the FSU-based MOB had been dying a very slow death. In less than 10 years, the US K-visa numbers (for Russia/Ukraine each) had gone from a yearly tally of 4,000 +/- to hardly breaking 700/year. That's including ex-pats petitioning for FSUWs which I would think is a good chunk of that yearly petitions.

[newjason]

Facebook... I hate it.... In fact I hate almost all these social sites.

I call it 'Internet exhibitionism', a desire to expose one's life as if it's only worth what is on the pin board at your local walmart.

My daughter has something like 6,500 'friends' on FB....  yeah right...

+1


To be fair BC , I do notice that you have over 8200 posts on RWD. 
 

[mendeleyev]

And 800,000 new users in Russia in 6 months alone is slow growth? I tried to find FB’s projections for Russia in 2012 via Google and found nothing, so what FB’s projections are we talking about?

See the other thread on What Women Want where this topic is also discussed. I posted a news release from FB, and rankings of all the social media in Russia. At current numbers, FB will have to do multiples of 800K to even reach #3.

[BC]

+1


To be fair BC , I do notice that you have over 8200 posts on RWD. 
 

Oh...crap... that many? 

[LAman]

Facebook... I hate it.... In fact I hate almost all these social sites.

I call it 'Internet exhibitionism', a desire to expose one's life as if it's only worth what is on the pin board at your local walmart.

My daughter has something like 6,500 'friends' on FB....  yeah right...

+1


To be fair BC , I do notice that you have over 8200 posts on RWD. 
 

 

Oh...crap... that many? 

and I waiting for the standard answer......' but that is different'!!!! 

[Misha]

Oh...crap... that many? 

LOL! Facebook and forums fulfil for many a similar function: relieving the occasional moment of boredom.

[BC]

LOL! Facebook and forums fulfil for many a similar function: relieving the occasional moment of boredom.

 and I waiting for the standard answer......' but that is different'!!!! 

I do get the point..  but it is a wee bit different, first fairly anonymous, second the number of participants very small in comparison and third a common topic to keep things together a bit.

As far as virtual friends go much more quality here without a need to get too personal....

[I/O]

Michaels closing remark was clever.  

[BC]

Michaels closing remark was clever.

Indeed.

[newjason]

LMAO 

Herpatitus

LOL and you said it is different here.