Source: en.blog.orkut.com
When working with social media we have to remember that social media is a medium of technology and culture. One such company that used this very well was a social networking site called Orkut. It was named after its founder Orkut Büyükkokten (Mahoney and Tang, 2016). Orkut spanned from 2004 – 2014 (Mahoney and Tang, 2016). Ninety percent of Orkut’s users were in Brazil (Mahoney and Tang, 2016). How did they manage this success?
· They marketed to users with phones who wanted to connect with their community.
Though they were most popular in Brazil, their success is undeniable at 30 million users during their most popular span (Mahoney and Tang, 2016). Users connected to schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, and street groups.
· They made users feel important.
Orkut was an invitation only social media site. The fact that you had to be invited to join, made people feel well connected in the realm of technology (Mahoney and Tang, 2016).
· Easy to use.
One thing that is always important when it comes to technology, is that it is easy to use. Orkut had an easy-to-use interface. It was simple, clean, and stylish, which made it easy for users to navigate the search and connect with other communities (Mahoney and Tang, 2016).
· They put the users’ privacy first.
Privacy concerns are important to people using technology. Nobody wants to use a site where they have to worry about their safety.
"Where Orkut eventually went wrong, was when they stopped focusing on user needs."
Where Orkut eventually went wrong, was when they stopped focusing on user needs. In Brazil, outdoor advertising is against the law. This makes Brazil highly in favor of online shopping, networking sites to research products, and using social media to look at user reviews (Mahoney and Tang, 2016). They also love brands that allow them to blog, post online videos, and socially engage in gaming (Mahoney and Tang, 2016). Because it was difficult to post videos on Orkut, they began to lose users. It is heartbreaking to see a brand that was so successful, fail simply because of lack of video sharing. But it was not just that. One top of video sharing, there was difficulty photo sharing, limiting the number of friends one could have, and blockages (Mahoney and Tang, 2016). Had Orkut met the needs of their users, they could very well still be alive and kicking today. They could have gained even more popularity and spread to other countries. We all know that there is no shortage of social media here, but if one were to come through providing what we already have in other apps, but it was invite-only, we would be begging to be added. Let this be a lesson. Meeting your consumers’ needs is success 101. It is one of the main things a company needs to do in order to last.
Resources
Mahoney L. M., & Tang T. (2016). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781118556900/