MySpace To Launch In Japan

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Reuters via Yahoo: MySpace to launch Japan venture with Softbank
News Corp.'s MySpace.com is expected to be launched in Japan by mid-September in a 50/50 agreement with Softbank Corp., according to a research note from UBS on Thursday, citing comments made by News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch. News Corp. declined to comment.

PingMag has a short comparison of Mixi and MySpace here

[IkemenTommy]

It sure appears that way..

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

Japanese will love this! Ugly web pages that will look like regular ugly Japanese web pages full of meaningless nothings.

[IkemenTommy]

Japanese will love this! Ugly web pages that will look like regular ugly Japanese web pages full of meaningless nothings.

You mean like Mixi?
It's a matter of time before they start talking about being listed on Jasdaq

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

Mixi probably isn't a good example, I don't think the design is that bad. I can't look at a myspace page for any more than a minute without feeling a headache coming on.

[firefly]

Isn't Mixi generally targeted more towards business and more mature kind of communication, rather than MySpace which is frequented mainly by teenagers? Is it a different market, or do they actually compete?

Have I missed the boat on Social Networking sites?

[American Oyaji]

My ex's best friend sent me a friend invite for myspace today.

Of course my ex's picture is in her picture list.

[IkemenTommy]

I am just too chicken-shit that whatever I write is so damning that my employer, girl friend, whatever will read and get me in trouble. That is the only reason why I decline to sign up for Mixi, Friendster, MySpace, etc.

[Mulboyne]

CNN: MySpace faces culture hurdles -- and Mixi -- in Japan

Visit Japan's top social-networking site, the 8-million-strong "Mixi," and you'll see prim, organized columns and boxes of stamp-size photos -- not the flashy text and teen-magazine-like layout of its American counterpart, MySpace.com. The difference in appearance between the two online hangouts reflects a broader clash of cultures -- and illustrates the challenge News Corp.'s MySpace faces as it jumps into the Japanese market. Mixi knows how to thrive off the nation's cliquish culture so different from the aggressive me-orientation prevalent in the United States. "MySpace is about me, me, me, and look at me and look at me and look at me," said Tony Elison, senior vice president at Viacom International Japan, which is offering its own Japanese-language social networking service here. "In Mixi, it's not all about me. It's all about us"

Mixi Inc. President Kenji Kasahara, 31, and others say the services merely reflect the cultural differences. While self-assertion is quick and direct on MySpace, with posted profiles upfront about personal views, Japanese tend to be more reserved and prefer to gradually get to know each other. The messages on Mixi are surprisingly positive: You look great. It's so nice seeing you. I feel the same way. Kasahara calls it a "friendly mood that values harmony." "I feel people speak their minds on MySpace," he said. "Japanese tend to like peaceful communication. We're often told how heartwarming Mixi is"...more...

[Mulboyne]

Sci-Tech: Can Nintendo's Mii Concept Kill MySpace?

Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto says the company plans to move the Mii concept forward with a new Wii channel that will enable Nintendophiles not only to chat, but also to participate in Mii popularity contests and other events. One analyst said the Mii idea might lead to the Wii being the most successful and valuable social-networking community on the Web...more...

[QwertyJPC]

I thought myspace was already used in Japan!? I have seen many Japanese myspace pages. MAybe you are talking about a Japanese myspace that uses Japanese kanij and kana? MAybe that is what you're talking about.

[Mulboyne]

Yes, this thread is about the localized MySpace which is going up against Mixi.

[Mulboyne]

[Mulboyne]

AFP: Rivalry in Japanese social networking sites heats up

MySpace launched new services in Japan on Tuesday a day after Facebook launched a Japanese version amid growing competition here between social networking sites. MySpace said it was partnering with 33 companies in Japan to create and encourage new stars and strengthen its support for the 55,000 artists and professionals who are registered with the site. "Due to this partnership, we will energise the market by offering opportunities to young creators to release a CD, produce or participate in various events," it said in a statement. MySpace's partners include some of Japan's largest recording companies EMI Music Japan and AVEX Entertainment, as well as the music shop HMV. They will organise auditions and talent shows to seek out new artists. MySpace entered the Japanese market in 2006 in a joint venture between News Corp. and Japanese Internet giant Softbank Corp., hoping to entice customers away from Japan's hugely popular online social networking site Mixi. It launched an online video sharing service last year to entice customers away from YouTube.

Rivalry in Japan's online social world is heating up after Facebook's entry into Japan on Monday. Facebook Japan is expected to reinforce access to the site through cellphones, which is a priority for Japanese users. Mixi's success has been helped by its mobile phone service for its 14 million and more users. Last month, the blockbuster US microblog Twitter, on which users can post no more than 140 characters, launched a Japanese service after one-quarter of the world's access to Twitter in February originated from Japan.

[fuckedupjapan]

since we're all over the age of 12, this isnt really significant news to us is it?

[DrP]

Jeez -- they've been here for ages and still as totally clueless. Sharing offices with SBBM. What? MySpace stealing market share from Mixi? Only if Mixi keeps moving at the snail pace it currently does with regards to new features.Some day -- sooner or later Japanese users will get into the swing of bling -- then they'll be attracted much more to MySpace and Facebook -- until then -- its Mixi and Ni-Chan (niconico included) all the way. Also -- dont forget the pressure from other native companies like Ameba and Excite which also carve out significant market share. The sleeper? FC2 -- which still has more blog traffic in Japan than anyone. My money is with the xenophobes, not with the imports.

[Taro Toporific]

Jeez -- they've been here for ages and still as totally clueless. ....

[SIZE="4"]Why MySpace & Facebook are failing in Japan [/SIZE]
from TechCrunch---
Sized at an estimated $5.6 billion in 2007, Japan boasts one of the biggest online advertising markets in the world --- a huge potential just waiting to be tapped by foreign social networks. The world's two largest social networks, MySpace and Facebook, barely register in Japan. As the Google Trends for Websites chart above shows, local social network Mixi is outpacing both in Japan. On Alexa, Mixi is ranked the No. 6 most popular site in Japan, compared to No. 95 for MySpace (Facebook doesn't even make it into the top 100). MySpace and Facebook are trying - but why are they failing?
Complacency and failure to adopt to cultural differences
Social networks have become integrative elements of modern American youth culture over the last years, shaping social patterns and changing the ways that people communicate. When taken abroad, these services have to deal with a large number of cross-cultural peculiarities by their very nature...more...