Japanese Facebook Mixi announced [J] today that they are shaking hands with China’s huge social networking service Renren [Chinese] and Korea’s massive social networking service CyWorld [Korean].
The initial project among the three is to standardize their social application platform, which enables third-party social application providers (SAP, Mixi calls) to run their applications over three social networks. Mixi is also thinking to make common basement for another social APIs.
The release notes that this alliance is talking with other major social networkings in other regions, like Europe and America.
Renren’s company Oak Pacific Interactive does not post any news on this alliance yet. Neither does CyWorld company SK Communications [Kr].
Locals versus Facebook?
As seen on the World Map of Social Networks, China, Japan and Korea are few markets where Facebook could not penetrate into.
Facebook in Japan is far behind from major three local networks. However, all those Japanese social networks have a problem that they are hitting the ceiling of Japanese market, and working on oversea projects.
This time’s announce does not include much substantial things. And it is unlikely that the alliance can become the single interconnected Asian social networks in future. But those local major players must be feeling pressure by Facebook.
