Facebook finds itself squaring off against a plethora of “clone” web sites, many of which resemble Facebook, or even use the same colors, fonts and web page layout. A number of these sites have begun to appear in different languages worldwide, often offering the same services as Facebook, and going after the same demographic.
In some ways, Facebook is dealing with the fallout of its own tremendous success. The social networking site has been so popular, that crafty entrepreneurs around the world have pumped out dozens of copycat sites providing roughly the same services.
Of course, all this is complicating Facebook’s plan to expand its business globally. Facebook has so far developed 18 foreign language versions of its site, and the company plans to roll out 54 more local language sites as it continues to expand into new countries.
But because of the swarm of Facebook look-alike sites already in place in many countries, the company may find it difficult to expand into these markets and gain a strong foothold. In the world of social networking, the first company with their “boots on the ground” usually captures the lion’s share of the market. And convincing users to switch over to Facebook can be difficult once they have become accustomed to using an existing site available in their language.
Russia is a good example of this phenomenon. A Facebook-type social networking site called Vkontakte has been online for more than a year in that country, and claims to have 14 million unique members. Competing with these types of entrenched local language sites might not be easy, but Facebook is determined to establish its brand name and gain market share against its foreign rivals. To that end, Facebook has recently launched a Russian language version of its site, working closely with local business and advertising experts to ensure Facebook Russia is as appealing as possible to the local population.
Facebook representatives point out that their advantage over local copycat sites is that they are a truly global network which allows users to connect with friends and family members around the world, not just in one specific country. Most of the local “clone” sites cannot hope to compete beyond their country’s borders.
In English speaking countries, Facebook is faring much better. They are currently the number one social networking site in the United Kingdom, and are growing rapidly in both Australia and New Zealand. But continental Europe may prove a tougher nut to crack. The German social networking site StudiVZ, for example, dominates the social networking scene in both Germany and Austria, making it difficult for Facebook to even get its foot in the door.
