|
Big will not beat small anymore. Itll be the fast beating the slow, media
baron Rupert Murdoch had once said. And what better explains his statement than
the Internet. Its viral nature has not gone unheard. The proliferation of
Internet entities has been comparable to none other. And so has been its
success.
The line between the provider and the consumer on the world wide web is hazy
as the word netizen encompasses both a user who utilizes the network and
partakes in its growth. This thin line between the consumer and the enabler has
made the web both a potent business preposition for many and a space for a truly
liberated existence for most. So if we thought the web 1.0 age saw Internet
startups rising to power to become Internet behemoths, the web 2.0 era is even
bigger.
But here, the more the merrier is not the case. In India, as the web is
graduating from its 1.0 version, spelling many continuing successesfrom job
portals to match-making to ticket booking or to news websitesthe feeling of
abundance was there. Now at a stage when web 2.0 in India is taking bountiful
shape, either from homegrown offerings by web 2.0 startups or by global
localized ones, the feeling persists.
New and Fresh
Whats new in it? Another social networking site? Angel funded but how will
it sustain? These questions and assumptions are justified when you question the
existence of innumerable startups in the last 2-3 years. But unlike the web 1.0
age, 2.0 has allowed for many cumulative changes in the form of communicating,
sharing, facilitating, and collaborating. There is something for everybody. With
such a broad scope, entrepreneurs have realized that there is something unique
they can offer to everybody. With the right mix of innovation, understanding the
targeted users, and building the sound model around it, Indian web 2.0
startupsspanning everything from social networking, sharing videos, blogging or
collaborationhave made their presence felt in a very short span of time in
India and the global market.
A success story to share is that of Tell-a-Friend/SocialTwist, a
collaboration tool for sharing and bookmarking started by Hyderabad based
Pramati Technologies. We asked ourselves how can we enhance web 1.0 to make it
more interactive by bringing in new generation tools and social technologies. A
web 2.0 social technology tool like Tell-a-Friend would definitely add
tremendous value to the website, says Jay Pullur, CEO, Pramati Technologies.
And that it did. TAF is one of the most popular sharing tools on the Net, and it
has understood the importance of fast evolving in a dynamic ecosystem like the
web. Today, unlike its other competitors, it has options of adding widgets that
make sharing into a direct marketing campaign. It differentiated by being a
one-on-one sharing tool rather than one-to-many. Sharing a banner ad that you
like with your friend will also be possible with the companys Tab for Ads tool.
Beyond Social
Indian startups have also been heavily skewed towards what is the most
popular aspect of web 2.0social networking. Here is where the real fight for
survival is. Social networking continues to attract the maximum number of users
after chatting and emailing. This demand though means an opportunity, it cannot
be denied that a handful of websites already grab a large share. So, instead of
targeting large numbers of users, being a need based social networking site did
the trick for ibibo.com. A talent based networking site where members promote
their talent and connect with people in the process, the site has around 4 mn
users around which 70% are from tier-2/3 cities.
On the other hand, for a-month-old website Indipepal, its about the right
mix of content, social networking, and views of thought leaders. We understand
that the needs of Indian users are different from other parts of the world.
Through Indipepal, we want people to make new friends around common interests.
We have commentaries from prominent personalities, content on politics, NGOs,
defence, etc. We provide content based social networking, says Prashant Agarwal,
founder, Indipepal.
Daring Streak
There are others who have dared to be unique in their approach and have
succeeded. For the 23-year-old Dushyant Bhatia, convincing people to turn their
personal blog space into profitable business has been tough. But his efforts
have not gone in vain. Through Blogertize.in bloggers, under eleven categories,
can buy pixel buttonsa new concept of ad space on the Netfor as low as $15 for
three years. Our ultimate aim is to ensure continuous traffic on a bloggers
page. Since the launch of our website in September 2008, we have sold 1,650
pixel buttons out of 2,860. Right now we are focusing on collecting funds. Once
we reach our target, we are going to reinvest in five areas like online
shopping, online marketplace, podcasting, etc, and earn through our advertizers
who would put the links on their blogs, says Dushyant Singh, founder,
Blogertize.in. In Blogertizes case, 75% of the bloggers who have bought pixel
buttons are either Indians or NRIs.
A startup, however, cannot always differentiate on concept. Rather, the tools
and features it provides while offering a particular online service are what
make it unique. A sound technology backing an application has greatly helped
some Indian startups to be successful. We have a dedicated team of engineers
who understand your PowerPoint presentation, convert it into flash, to ensure
that your presentation appears as it originally was once its uploaded. Updates
and changes on the slides even after they are uploaded is possible easily. We
are more than a site to upload PPTs; we are an extension of PowerPoint on the
Net, enabling users to do much more with it, says Harmen Singh, founder,
authorSTREAM, a PPT sharing website. Even with other slide sharing sites like
SlideShare, a hot property on the Net, authorSTREAM already has 1.6 mn unique
visitors, out of which 75% are from outside India and 50% from developed
nations.
It cannot be denied that many web 2.0 startups from India have died sudden
deaths, many have been eaten by big ones while there are others struggling for
survival. But the successes are far more, and it is impossible to document all
of them in the confines of these white pages. What is working for India is that
entrepreneurs here are mixing their engineering skills is tandem with that of
business requirements. And with the right mix of conviction and innovation, and
an Internet revolution underway in India and the sub-continent, Indian web 2.0
startups are not limiting themselves to being only thatIndian.
Shikha Das
shikhad@cybermedia.co.in
Page(s) 1
| 
Print
Comment
Email
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Twitter
