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Sunday, April 17, 2011

ORKUT : It taught us the meaning of social networking



It was a routine day during the winters, for a change the sun was shining bright as I was busy playing cricket and the board exams were fast approaching. As the play time ended, one of my friends invited me to his house. I obliged to his invitation. He started his computer, connected the internet; and then came the moment. He opened a site which was about to change my perception about the utility of internet.



It was called “ORKUT”. At first I was not able to spell it correctly and my retina faced difficulty in adjusting with the colour schemes of its homepage. Finally, the site opened. I started going through different applications and tabs of the site. For some one who has always used something as simple as yahoo messenger , Orkut was a complex thing to deal with as it was a totally different way of social networking.



I regularly visited the café and my friends who had access to internet. I also demanded my father to install a net connection as soon as my boards end. It was time to learn a few things about social networking. The learning started from the concept of scraps. As the chats were live and visible to all, thanks to the scrapbook, every one was interested about whom you are chatting , what you typing, which use to make it interesting for every one though at the cost of your privacy.



Another feature that took people by surprise was the privilege of uploading photos. This meant that now people can share their images with others and can comment too, instead of creating bulky mails for the same. Also, some of the notable features were : To become some one’s fan, rating people on coolness and trustworthiness, Message box, expressing your thoughts by writing testimonials for your closed ones. The best and most popular tab was the one which use to say “ Add as a friend “. Every one use to like hitting the key  But the main thing that simulated social networking in netizens were orkut communities , not only you can vote on the polls but also can be a part of an ongoing discussion on forums. At least in India, there would be very less homosapiens that were not feeling addicted to orkut.



Then came the doom of a fabulous creation by google. The reasons were clear, lack of innovation and marketing of the brand lead to the downfall , Then came “THE FACEBOOK” walking straight into the den of the lion called orkut. With the basic features of orkut and a bit of innovation , they completely ousted orkut out of the market. They went a step ahead and were known as a social networking as well as a micro blogging site. As the orkut team realized that the market is slipping from their hands, they started copying facebook features. Some of the highlighted duplication were : Dedicated chat window, status updates and profile changes and updates. By the time google’s orkut team discovered that they need to make amends, the market was already captured by Facebook. This high profile drama just emphasized on the lesson that being first is not enough but the key to success is to keep innovating.



Today orkut is a deserted place which acted as a training ground for a bigger thing call “ THE FACEBOOK” . Lets not forget that orkut taught us the meaning of social networking, adding a new dimension to the world of internet.
But the present and future of networking lies with FACEBOOK !!  

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Son Facebook will face the chin music.

- Advit

Ankit Saxena said...

I agree Advit but the time is no way near