DISQUS

rod / techwatching.com · 1 year ago

I don't know... 7M users is 14% of Facebook's userbase - not exactly a drop in the bucket. More than the userbase, I think they'd be trying to acquire the team - i.e.: the on-the-ground, culturally plugged in expertise that makes entering the CN market a challenge for N/A firms.

Nick O'Neill · 1 year ago

That's a good point Rod. This is still a serious investment though for a company that has around $500 mil in cash. They do need to take some risks though. This would be a huge investment.

Pat · 1 year ago

I concur with rod, the team would be incredibly valuable. There's little point buying Facebook.cn, translating the interface into Mandarin and expecting the US concept to work in an entirely different culture.

Even in Australia, where we use the Facebook.com site, the cultural differences from the US are noticeable. And annoying.

The distinguishing feature of China, against Australia, is that China's big enough to warrant its own social networking site/s.

It will also be interesting to see what the Chinese government asks of Facebook in return for letting it operate? Or perhaps Zhanzuo is a way for Facebook to profit from Chinese social networking population, without having to deal directly with the government, and without irritating the nationalist government.

There are at least some synergies in terms of back-end software and management, without turning Zhanzuo into "Facebook China".

ac / 113.com · 1 year ago

This valuation thing always the game of the VC's.. at the end of the day, it's how much ROI the VC's want, for whichever website they so invested..

Number of users a matter of lesser relevancy.. eg., 51.com claims to have 80M registered users, for example.. how much are they worth?..

Zach Katkin · 1 year ago

Is ~ $10/user a good deal? I think so. That should be easy to make back.

Plus, as Rod said they would be acquiring a socially connected, thriving team and platform.

I've heard it's not always easy to start a business in China. I've heard it compared to the early days of the industrial revolution here. I've had a few friends from countries in Asia observe that, it's not only about how skilled you are, but how connected you are and what those connections allow you to do.

Only 14% of China is online - a number that is already larger than the number of connected Americans and growing rapidly. It is essential that Internet companies tap into this massive market.

I give kudos Zhanzuo for doing so amazingly well. And think it would be a smart move for Facebook.