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Friendster enthusiasts can keep in touch on the go
Agnes Winarti and Maulina Sartika Pravitasari , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 08/28/2008 10:08 AM | City
Friendster buffs can now access the global online social network while on the go using their mobile phones.
"The mobile site is just getting started, but it is already doing a billion mobile page views per month, according to last week's statistics," said Friendster global marketing vice president David L. Jones during the recent launch of its new mobile site and text alert service.
"Indonesia is now the largest country using m.friendster.com," he added.
Available in Indonesian -- the second most commonly used language on the site, after English -- Friendster's mobile site can be accessed from a cellphone and used to check network activities, messages, friend requests, shoutouts and photos -- to name a few.
Starting Aug. 22, users will begin receiving text message alerts, used to send and receive friend requests, messages, comments and bulletins as well as for texting Friendster to update shoutouts.
Services are free, with users being charged for mobile web accessing.
"The charge for text messaging will depend on the (telecommunication) carrier and country, which may vary, whether they are free or premium rates," David said.
"The use of short message service (SMS) is very popular in Asia," he added.
About 90 percent of users of Asia's more than 1.2 billion mobile phones send short message services (SMS).
The online social network Friendster currently has 12 million registered users in Indonesia, 8.2 million of whom visit the network on a monthly basis.
Maulida, a Friendster user since 2004, told The Jakarta Post she had tried the company's mobile site.
"I'm satisfied because it's got a quick loading time."
The 20-year-old, who uses a 3G mobile phone, also said she would love to register for the new text alert service.
When asked whether she would use the site's mobile phone services, Kurnia, who created her Friendster account back in 2004, said, "Don't you need a high-tech phone for that?"
"I don't think the service would be useful for me. My cell phone is from the Stone Age," said the 20-something private employee from Jakarta.
Maulana, a 24-year-old computer hobbyist, who has used Friendster since 2005, expressed a similar sentiment: "It's good to know Friendster has a mobile site, but the service is probably only available to wealthy people who can afford high-tech phones."
The leading global online social network in Asia also announced it would be rolling out a set of common application programming interfaces (APIs), called OpenSocial, for web-based social network applications as part of the Friendster Developer Program.
Through OpenSocial, companies and developers can introduce applications to Friendster users, who number around 75 million.
The community-driven interface has been developed over the past 10 months, with involvement from a host of developers, websites and companies, including Google and Friendster.
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