Minna no Business Online (=business for everyone online) is a newly released web hosting service by Google in Japan, today on September 13 2011.
The site is, very different from typical Google web services, not under google domains but have its own jp domain (minbiz.jp), designed with vivid red, like the color which is used by the nation’s largest e-commerce mall Rakuten [J].
Features they post on the top page are:
- Easy for everyone to build
- Free for 1 year
- Specialized designs for many industry categories
- Your own domain
On your registration, you will be asked a new domain name you want to use, from the selection of “.jp”, “.com”, “.net”, “.org”, “.biz” and “.info”, which covers most top level domains Japanese companies usually choose.
You may choose about 100 different designs from 14 categories of industry. At the end of registration process, you need to receive an automatic phone call to get authenticated (that you are a real shop owner).
Google’s motivations for the service seem on 2 points. Firstly, this service will start charging after 1 year, for example with “.jp” domain, 1,470 yen (US$19) per month. The other part is the site guides the new website owners to its advertising platform, AdWords.
Google’s commercial film is up on YouTube,
“Free website building in 15 minutes”
The partner page shows that Google Japan is collaborating with some others. KDDI, 2nd largest cellphone carrier, and its subsidiary KDDI Communications who has been running website builder/hosting Jimdo in Japan. Actually, design choosing form on the Minbiz’s registration process is on Jimdo site.
Extra-governmental Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation and NPO IT Coordinators Association [J] are also on the partners list.
The first case studies are introduced on the site. There Google took a small island Kouzusima, and let some small business owners make their first websites.
via Google Japan Blog
Grea! I’ve been waiting for something like this in the Japanese language.I am a long term Japan resident Englishman married to a Japanese,I have a permanent visa.
My wife wants to start a site selling hand made UK jewellry,do you think that will be ok,I guess the business had better be in her name to simplify things! We don’t have a real store as such so would such a business be ok I wonder.David