All posts tagged Technology

In light of the latest Google/China drama that unfolded Tuesday, I bring you the 7 websites that China wouldn’t really miss if the Great Firewall blocked them completely starting tomorrow. That is, if it hasn’t already.

1. Google
Replacement: Baidu

Why: By now, you’ve probably heard the stats: state-sponsored Baidu owns around 60-70% of the Chinese market. Google only owns 20 or 30%. Google’s threat — whatever its true motive may be — is just a bleep on the radar for Internet users in China. True, 30% of the estimated 225,000,000 people online is still a pretty big number. But consider Google’s growth in the US: in 2005 it accounted for just 35% of all search queries; by November 2009 it was at 66%. If Google could grow that quickly in the US, imagine how Baidu would fare in China with its biggest competitor out of the picture. Plus: does Google have a section on the site solely dedicated to searching for MP3s? Thought not.

2. Youtube
Replacement: Youku, Tudou

Why: Go ahead, laugh at their goofy names. (The former is a blatant ripoff of Youtube’s name and has no literal translation. The latter literally means “potato.”) But when it comes to video sharing sites, Youku and Tudou reign supreme in China. And both sites have what the currently blocked Youtube lacks — a download button.

3. Twitter
Replacement: Sina Micro-Bo

Why: Mircoblogging is a popular trend that won’t go away soon. Neither will the Great Firewall’s block on Twitter, especially with the havoc it wreaked on Iran and Moldova last year.

4. Facebook
Replacement: Renren

Why: Formerly Xiaonei, the website Mashable once referred to as a “blatant Facebook rip-off” has around 22 million active users, most of them college-aged. That’s more than the total number of people enrolled in college in the United States. It’s not nearly as popular as its — ahem — inspiration (which coincidentally is blocked), but give it time.

5. Yahoo, MSN
Replacement: QQ

Why: No, Yahoo and MSN aren’t blocked here. And these two sites are both actually fairly popular. Meanwhile, QQ has everything both portals have: news feeds, a search engine and free email accounts. But where Yahoo and MSN failed in instant messaging (to AIM, no less), QQ succeeded. And now, it’s by far the most popular IM service in the country, with nearly 300 million users. That’s almost, but not quite, equal to the size of the US population.

6. eBay
Replacement: Taobao

Why: eBay isn’t blocked either, but Taobao is said to account for an estimated three quarters of the market share.

7. GMail
Replacement: 139.com

Why: Unlimited storage? Check. Connection to a mobile network bigger than the population of the US? Check. Even though it’s currently unblocked, can GMail do that?

So Internet companies, there’s nothing wrong with pulling out of China for ethical reasons. But just remember: China has allowed blantant rip-offs of yours to dominate their market shares. And the number of Internet users in China only continues to grow.