Why is it that most Australians flock to American Social Networking sites, shunning Australian ones? For a social network site to be successful in Australia, the platform should be designed for Australians.

They are a few aspects which will make an Australian social networking site successful. These include but are not limited to:
1. The site should be a form of persistent online Australian identity.
2. The site should broker services that can connect individuals who share interests in a context-sensitive manner.
3. Members should leverage their participation in the social network to expand markets, advance new ideas, protect their social interests, and help build their community while collaborating within a safe, neutral environment.
4. The site should have cutting edge technology
5. The site should be community based.
6. Above all membership and services should be free.

A study of three Social networking sites is summarised below.

http://www.Getalife.com.au- They say "Getalife.com.au is all about making it easy for people and communities to do more. ..... and putting you in touch with fun, like-minded people." Getalife's main drawback is they charge subscription fees.

http://www.Buzz.hi.org.au. They say "buZZ is like facebook without mindless apps & myspace without annoying ads. .... membership is available only to individuals or not for profit organizations, NOT businesses." Buzz member ship has been growing rapidly. Buzz lacks the cutting edge communication technology, if they don’t keep pace members might be deserting them soon for better networks.

http://www.linkau.com.au. They say "Linkau, is ....designed to give the power of networking to the Australian community. Membership and all services are FREE……You have the choice of joining a national portal or various state based portals and community based portals." A closer look reveals that http://www.linkau.com.au has got all the potential to grow big in Australia, it is community based, and it has the cutting edge technology. They give members access to other sites like youtube, flickr, odeo, without leaving linkau site, but surprisingly their membership is still low.


It is my opinion that these three websites will define and play a major part in Australian social networking environment.

Or...you could simply involve yourself in a vibrant Christian church and get REAL world hugs rather than cyber ones :)

I am not sure what the posters point is, but in answer to your initial question, I use an international social networking site because, like many Australians, I have lived overseas and I've socilaised in Australia with non-Aussie ex-pats. The internet is international by default — it would seem to limiting to me to use an Australian site.

Does that answer your question? Why are you asking the question? Are you trying to promote those sites?

It does kind of defeat the purpose of the internet. If you are interacting online it doesn't make any difference whether the other end is next door or on the other side of the world. Except that interacting with people on the other side of the world will broaden your experience a lot more.

Here is a political and social networking site I set up, targetting local political issues:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl

It's a shame this place doesn't let you send PMs.

Sorry people, you're missing the point - as Boazy says, if you "simply involve yourself in a vibrant Christian church" you won't need any of this new fandangled computer trickery. If the Lord meant us to interact via the Internet, we'd have been born with modems.

I just wish he'd take his own advice, in this case anyway :)

Vanilla - "Are you trying to promote those sites?"

Looks like a blatant plug for the third site I'd say.

linkau - This is an opinion forum. It shouldn't be highjacked for personal promotion.

"Why is it that most Australians flock to American Social Networking sites, shunning Australian ones? For a social network site to be successful in Australia, the platform should be designed for Australians."

add to your list

the site should obey the laws of the web that if it does not come up within 3 seconds the surfer will go elsewhere - this buz one failed dismally and other 2 were not even there

but what IS "social networking" - sounds like a Don Watson weasel word to me

in finally getting to see the site it seemed to be defined as bending the minds of the young by advertising in its most extreme form via peer pressure

Bronwyn: "Looks like a blatant plug for the third site I'd say."

Oh yeah. D'oh! Sorry all. I fed the troll. And now, by posting again, I guess I'm still.... double D'oh!!

Here's my prediction.

Each of these three sites will wither and die. The only difference will be when it happens. Sooner, or later.

The fad is over. Social networking sites have already lost their lustre, which turned out to be nothing more than novelty value in the first place.

What is left of them is being squabbled over by people keen to "monetise" the sites. By which they mean, find a way to earn a buck. But they are quickly coming to the conclusion that the party is over.

And there is no possible virtue in an "Aussie" site. There is nothing specifically national about any of the English language sites - the internet is as effective communicating with the person in the next room (which I do frequently) as with someone across the globe (which I also do, frequently).

Added to which, it would be a shame if we started to see the OLO site playing host to sales pitches.

Looks like I have stirred a storm in a tea cup here. This is good. I will add a bit of salt to the wound. CAN THE REAL AUSSIES COMMENT PLEASE? Would you rather, cut the ties at home and network abroad. Guys charity begins at home. What do you think?

What is a social network anyway? Here is an extract from Wikipedia

"A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, idea, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, conflict, trade, web links, sexual relations, disease transmission (epidemiology), or airline routes. The resulting structures are often very complex."

To me this definition resembles that of a community sharing common values. It does not say the links have to be international every time. There is nothing wrong with international ties, thats what the internet is there for "its a global village" alright, but what wrong with starting linking at the grass roots "at home" before you go abroad? That gives you a better understanding of your own community before understanding somebody else's community. What is missing in Aussie that people have to look abroad?