Even thought the communist government in China is not very enthusiastic about promoting the Internet in that country, the efforts are on to introduce more and more introduce based products in China. Recently, Reuters reported that MySpace China declared that it will launch an online messaging service “as soon as possible.” In spite of the Chinese authorities’ reluctance to allow unregulated Internet in that country, these efforts are witnessed often. The reason for this is China is the second largest Internet market in the world, which many Internet firms rightfully see as a major opportunity.

 

When Luo Chuan, chief executive of MySpace China, was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry conference, he reveled that Myspace China had invited experts in this field to test the beta version of the instant messaging service. The experts suggested that Myspace add dynamic features such as video to attract more users. Luo, who was the former head of Microsoft (News - Alert) Corp.’s MSN China said that the rollout of this service will depend on the user feedback and whether the performance is able to satisfy users’ demands. The company plans to role out this service as soon as possible.

 

Social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook target teenagers and let them share music, photos and videos. There is a huge market for Online messaging and with China’s huge population, the potential profits look even more lucrative. But it’s not a complete cakewalk for Myspace either. Competition is waiting in the from of “QQ” messaging service, maintained by Internet portal Tencent Holdings. According to Shanghai-based consultancy iResearch, “QQ” messaging service controls about 79 percent of the Chinese messaging market. Naturally, Myspace will have to offer a better and unique service to lure the customers who are already using “QQ” messaging services. Also, Microsoft’s online communication tool, MSN Messenger has been fairly popular all over China with many young professionals using it every day. MSN Messenger has more than 20 million users in China.

 

Although Luo refused to give the number of users registered with Myspace China, industry sources estimate that the number of registered users can be anywhere near 600,000 registered users for the site. China, which has more than 140 million Web users, attracts big players like MSN and Google (News - Alert). Myspace started the operations in April this year, looking for a piece of the lucrative social networking scene.

 

MySpace China (http://www.myspace.cn) is a locally owned, operated and managed company that has secured investment from Rupert Murdoch’s MySpace Inc., publisher IDG and China Broadband Capital Partners L.P., a fund operated by Edward Tian, the former chief of China Netcom (News - Alert) Group.

 

Myspace is not the only social networking company in China to have received solid investments. After Google purchased YouTube (News - Alert), investors are seeing the value in social networking sites and have been investing in site like 51.com, Tudou.com and Rox.com.cn.

 

According to industry analysts, Myspace will have a tough time localizing its contents and drawing users. But with a large market and a useful experience for support, Myspace is poised to make a definite progress very soon.