14 DAY TRIAL // Social networks mean a lot of things for many people who check their accounts daily, afraid of losing any of the comments, the photo updates from their friends or other information that allows them to be socially active. In the U.S., Facebook is, by far, the most visited website of this type, with almost 30 million unique visitors in June, according to a Nielsen Online study.
Some online social networks rely on international development that can bring, in the long term, even a greater audience. This is the case of hi5, a network that is particularly popular in Europe and South America, thanks to its multi-language support and localized features, that enable users who speak regional dialects to have their account set up according to their preferences. Furthermore, hi5's local advertising partners make users feel at home every time they get connected, as local relevant ads are displayed on their page.
As an announcement on the official webpage of hi5 reveals, over 80% of its users come from outside of the U.S., the total number of people who rely on the company's network to give color to their social life surpassing 56 million per month. The most outstanding piece of news is yet to be revealed. According to a comScore report cited by hi5, the online community had the fastest rate of growth in the first half of 2008. 79% more people chose to create a hi5 account from January to June 2008, which makes the network be the one with the fastest development rate from the top 10 most visited worldwide.
Localization seems the key to success for the team, as Ramu Yalamanchi, CEO of hi5 explains. "Not everyone wants the typical one-size-fits-all social networking experience. By embracing these unique attributes in our product, we help build a sense of cultural affinity with our users that keeps them engaged with the site and telling their friends about hi5." he says, proving that the team's approach is anything but U.S.-focused.