Qzone   (QQ空间)

 

Qzone

 

Qzone, launched by Tencent in 2005, is China's largest social networking website, built on the back of the 637 million active accounts for Tencent's QQ Messenger. It permits users to write blogs, keep diaries, send photos and listen to music. Users also can set their Qzone background and select accessories based on their preferences so that every Qzone is customized to the individual member's taste. Qzone is rapidly growing: as of March 2011, it already had 481.3 million registered users, most of whom are teenagers. 150 million Qzone users update their accounts at least once a month. This makes Qzone one of the most active communities in the entire industry.

   Renren   (人人网)

 

Renren

 

Renren, formerly known as Xiaonei Network (literally "on-campus network"), is a leading Chinese real-name-registered social network. Xiaonei.com was set up in 2005 and became Renren in August 2009. It is massively popular among college students and professionals. As of March 2011, Renren had over 170.1 million registered users, with 95.1 active users. However, although the site is setting the standard for social network sites in China, it still faces challenges from Tencent Pengyou and Kaixin001.

 

   Tencent Pengyou   (腾讯朋友)

 

Tencent Pengyou

 

Tencent Pengyou (friends) is a real-name-registered social network site set up by Tencent Corporation. On January 6, 2009, QQ Xiaoyou (alumnus) was launched by Tencent, and two years later on January 6, 2011, QQ Xiaoyou was replaced by QQ Pengyou, which aims to build the largest online community for students and professionals. As of March 2011, QQ Pengyou had more than 131.3 million registered users, with 80.2 million active users, and it ranks as the 36th most popular website according to Alexa CN.

   Sina Weibo   (新浪微博)

 

Sina Weibo

 

Sina Weibo is a red-hot microblogging service launched by Sina Corporation, China's largest web portal, in August 2009. Although the site remains in beta currently, it already has more than 120 million registered users and 65 million of them are active users. The company also said it has more than 60,000 verified accounts now, consisting of celebrities, sports stars and other VIPs. Furthermore, there are more than 5,000 companies and 2,700 media organizations using Sina Weibo. The site is also available in Hong Kong, Taiwan and a Malaysian version. On April 7, 2011, Sina Weibo launched its new domain http://weibo.com/ to promote Weibo brand.

   Kaixin001   (开心网)

 

Kaixin001

 

Kaixin001 is a famous Chinese real-name-registered social networking website launched in March 2008. It gained popularity among white-collar workers via its games and post-forwarding features. But recently the social games mania has died down and the appeal of its post-forwarding has been surpassed by Sina Weibo. In 2010, Kaixin001 ranked as the 13th most popular website in China and 67th overall according to Alexa CN. As of March 2011, it had more than 95 million registered users and was ranked 19th by Alexa CN.

   51.com   (51.com)

 

51.com

 

51.com, founded in August 2005, is one of the largest and earliest social networks in China. It endeavors to provide all users safe and stable data storage and a convenient information communication platform. 51.com enjoyed early popularity among mainly rural users but now appears to be in a downward spiral. As of March 2011, the site claimed more than 178 million registered users, and was ranked as the 51st most popular website by Alexa CN.

   Douban   (豆瓣网)

 

Douban

Douban, launched in March 2005, is the largest Chinese website devoted for movies, books, and music reviews. It has never had explosive growth or a massive user base (in China terms), but it attracts lots of young, urban Chinese eager to discuss social issues or share opinions about movies, books, music and events. It had about 40 million registered users as of March 2011 and ranks 22nd in China and 139th worldwide according to Alexa CN.

   Taomee   (淘米网)

 

Taomee

 

Taomee is a social network and gaming site (similar to the Disney-owned Club Penguin), which is massively popular with children and their mothers. Founded in October 2007, the site is in fact the parent company that runs a number of different children's sites, including Moer (mole-themed), Saier (sci-fi themed), and XiaoHua (princess-themed). As of March 2011, it had at least 180 million registered users, with 20.2 million active users.

   Jiayuan   (世纪佳缘)

 

Jiayuan

 

Jiayuan.com is considered the largest and the most popular dating site in China. Founded in October 2003, the site features online dating and various real-life blind-dating activities. As of March 2011, it boasted over 30 million registered users, with 11.2 million active users, and claims to have sparked more than three million marriages. Its main users are professionals, and Alexa CN ranks it 43rd in popularity.