iSMOblog

When the ever so popular Google launched its own social networking site ‘Orkut’ in 2004, it got a lukewarm response in the beginning.  Initially it was only popular with IT professionals but thanks to the youth of our nation, it became a youth icon (literally, in reference with the MTV Youth Icon Awards). Now if you don’t know what Orkut is or what it is about, then you need to do some serious homework. Orkut became the new trend, the new fashion and the new need. Yes…you got me right- need! It had actually become impossible to survive without it.

The trend had actually become that if you came across someone you are meeting up for the first time and you wished to stay in touch with that person then instead of exchanging phone numbers or e-mail ids, you straight away asked- “Hey, you there on Orkut?”. Such is its reach. No doubt, that in no time, Orkut became the 2nd most popular website in India and the most popular website in Brazil!
Why it became so popular…

Its users liked it for its simplicity and more than anything else, its novelty! Orkut can be given the credit for acting as the pioneer in India as far as the entire concept of social networking is concerned.

Moreover, since it was owned by the ever so popular Google itself, then the fact that its sister website also became popular does not come to anyone of us as a surprise.

Orkut also had the advantage of people not knowing about its competitors such as MySpace or Facebook. People knew only about Orkut and Google made sure that it did everything to popularise it even more (like by giving a link to Orkut from each of its web search results page etc.)

Is the charm fading out…

The charm of Orkut, as they say, is surely fading out. And there are a number of reasons responsible for it.  First of all, and thankfully people got aware of the other options to choose from. Facebook is undoubtedly catching up and even MySpace has also started to make its presence felt. Even the Indian social networking websites like BiggAdda and ibibo etc. are gaining momentum. They are likely to do much better if at all they pay a bit more attention to their advertising campaign. That’s a different issue however.

Next, the spam! This issue has really led to the defaming of Orkut. Fake profiles, fake ids, fake communities, and receiving bulk spam messages- all this and more such things have led to users gradually shifting from Orkut to other similar sites. The security and safety of the user account and his/her personal information is also a big question that Orkut has not been able to answer time and again.

It can also be noticed that since the time Orkut.com changed to Orkut.co.in, its popularity has actually gone down.

I hope that Orkut’s this popularity check has helped you, at least a bit, in your opinion about the same. If you are still on Orkut, then Happy Orkutting else congratulations on your wise decision!