Goodbye Facebook, Hello CityIn?

Well, it does seem that everyone is talking about the fall of Facebook these days. Hmm..okay, did you honestly expect Facebook to continue its exponential growth…. forever and ever? OH, P-L-E-A-S-E!! It was inevitable that it would peak at some point in time, I personally believe that … it has simply reached a plateau, that’s it.

So… that being said? What’s the next big thing? Are users going to migrate to another social platform like Google Open Social. Is social media going to die?

Social media is here to stay and is taking multiple platforms such as mobile and gaming. On the web, as the media landscape is getting more fragmented, we will witness a wide variety of social networking sites. One that recently catched my attention is Cityin.com, a social networking site in China focusing on lifestyle, event and interests, launching on March 13. Even if you go to the site, you wouldn’t be able to read it as it is only in Mandarin or Cantonese! However, the concept is rather interesting- to be blunt and bold, it is a marketer’s wet dream.

‘Then what are the innovative features of CityIn.com? Simon (founder of CityIn.com) said CityIN is the social network that personally understands ‘you’, “When users browse through items listed under ‘Interests’, they can choose or add anything they like, e.g. a movie, a car brand or a celebrity. They can rate these items and see the ratings given by their friends or schoolmates. Users are then recommended to make friends with people who share similar interests and backgrounds locally, rate other interests which they may also like, or join local events that they may enjoy.”

Simon also believe that his previous experience with two small startups, including already dead Wazhua.com, has helped his team to fine-tune their recommendation engine and understand Chinese market better. He said, “For instance, what a student in Guangzhou prefers may be exactly opposite to that of a student in Beijing, and in CityIN we try our best to cater for different preferences”. ‘

Interesting concept: users identifying themselves to a brand. Mind you, your brand has to be pretty powerful to enjoy that kind of viral effect. Will it be the next Facebook or Myspace? I have my doubt, but still, worth mentioning it…

Another thing, don’t ask me if I can read Mandarin or Cantonese, I can’t!

Source: http://www.cwrblog.net/999/cityin-a-lifestyle-social-networks.html