10 Ways Orkut Can Compete with Facebook

Well, I had a tough time convincing some of my Indian friends that Facebook has far more users than Google’s Orkut.  Although, Orkut and Facebook were launched almost at the same time, way back in the first quarter of 2004, the later has earned greater popularity beating the giant social networks like MySpace. With over 230 million active users Facebook has been dominating the social networking sphere world-wide. While Orkut’s dominance remains confined to Brazil and India. Since July Facebook has started accelerating its coverage in both Brazil and India. In May alone Facebook  doubled its users in Brazil. A similar trend was seen in India where Orkut reigns supreme with 13 million monthly active users. Facebook users doubled from 1.6 million to 3.2 million during May and June. Facebook is fast gobbling up Orkut’s strongholds. The crux is that the buzz on Orkut is losing steam. Whatever be the reason, we are hear to discuss 10 ways Orkut can compete with Facebook.

1. Publicity

Well, most of the social butterflies in US might have never heard of a social network named Orkut. Whereas Facebook is widely advertised on news channels, especially during elections. That’s a great opportunity on which Facebook is cashing. It’s high time Orkut establishes a Media presence to allure all the newbies who just adopt whims and fancies in the name of Google.

2. Privacy

Orkut neither has a wall nor a celing, it all open under the sky. Those seeking a safe heaven won’t go for it. In Orkut you can view people’s profile publicly. In Facebook you can only see a profile after the person has added you in his/her list.

In Facebook you can selectively control what people can see on your profile. Well, by that  I don’t mean you can’t do that on your Orkut profile but the options are limited.

3. Quicker Response

Orkut’s seems to turn deaf-ear against the hacks. Well, we need to share our own experience when talking about hacks. We had posted a Facebook Hack to see the album of any private user. Within a few weeks Facebook was up with a solution to check the snag.

Coming to Orkut, we had posted an amazing hack to copy and save photos from an Orkut Album. Goolge’s Orkut development team is yet to shake its lazy legs as people continue to thank us for such a whack hack. It’s high-time for Goolge to get serious with Orkut hacks.

4. Appearence

Facebook offers a fully customizable layout and random craps to make it an eye-candy. Although there was much fuss over the recent redesign, social media insiders could be a happier lot. Orkut features a amateurish interface and a primitive layout that looks incredibly dull.  That simply weighs upon Orkut’s fun quotient.  As a sub-section we could include the rustic themes.

Themes

When it comes to theme there’s a hell and heaven difference between Facebook themes and Orkut. For someone with an eye for art would realize the aesthetics of Facebook themes. The Orkut themes are just cartoonish with minimal styling.

Google needs to give some personality to Orkut.

5. Wealth of applications

Orkut seems faceless before Facebook’s diverse set of quality apps. The standalone Orkut users could never hallucinate about stuffs like ExitReality 3D Apartment, Super Mario World, 80’s Memories Gifts, Say Something etc. Moreover, these quality apps are smooth sailing without any hitch ups. Although after recent redesigning in July there were issues with Slide, RockYou, Familylink.com apps you still have some real  quality apps.

By now Orkuteers must have been fed-up with the buggy and non-productive Orkut apps. To add to it Google could have refrained to display it is a bad bad server.

6. Improved status updates

The number and frequency of alerts and updates on Facebook is just amazing. Every microchanges and activities on Facebook are splashed on the screens of their friends.  The Pokes are real fun on Facebook.

Any comment you make on your friends is updated on the mini threads that you receive on your Facebook profile. Orkut never informs you what your friend is doing right now. You can find a lot of Orkutians trying add their current status to their name. For instance, I often come across titles like Peter…back in Orkut. What if Orkut could provide a status update like What’s on your mind.

7. Chatting Options

Facebook has Comet-based instant messaging application called “Chat” to several networks. It offers similar functionality like the desktop-based instant messengers. When you log in Facebook you are automatically logged into Facebook Chat. There are three Facebook chat tools The first indicates the whether you are online. The next one would inform you about any new Facebook notification right from the tool. The third tool is the actual chat tool. It allows you options to appear offline to specific Friends Lists within Chat. Further you can delete your entire chat history.  You can even use Facebook Chat from your desktop without opening Facebook.

Orkut has no indigenous IM for chatting but integrates Gtalk as Orkut messenger. For using Orkut chat you have to sign up with your Gmail account. However, in case you are using a ahoo, Rediff or any other email service the messenger would not include your Orkut friends in the Gtalk  or Gmail list. To add to the misery, Orkut messenger is buggy and sluggish, there’s nothing instantaneous about it.

8. Multimedia Sharing

Facebook is amazing with multimedia sharing. If your friend as updates a latest audio or video in their profile you can watch that right from your profile. You don’t have to navigate to your friends profile.
No doubt Orkut allows you to share videos and audio but, you need to move to your friends profile where you have the video embedded.

For the latest, Facebook Connect was announced for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo DSi.

Orkut needs to improve on it’s multimedia sharing features.

9. Tighter Integration

We often hear that Facebook is much more complicated. Let me tell you Facebook allows you much more stuffs than just browsing others profiles and reading scraps.

In Facebook everything is finely integrated in the home page from Messaging, to friends update, invites, tagging photo and many more. In Orkut it’s scattered with features distributed over pages.

Orkut should have a well integrated interface with all major features perfectly set.

10.  Marketplace

Facebook’s Marketplace is feature often compared to Craigslist. It allows users to post free classified ads. However, unlike Craigslist listings posted by a user on Marketplace are only seen by users that are in the same network as that user. Orkut might boast that it carries no ads but to go global it need to be more productive.

Conclusion

Well, I heard someone saying, Orkut is copying facebook. Orkut has copied following features from Facebook - updates, status message, comment on pictures, applications and may be more. If Orkut has to grow in the world wide social network, Google needs to think beyond a step ahead.

No denying when we are talking real social issues Orkut is the best platform to hold debates and discussions. This is what social bees call helping people socially, which is nowhere in Facebook. But, Orkut remains a favored site for newbies who love the Orkut’s intuitive nature and find Facebook intricate. Well, Facebook is for Pro who want real social gaming on networks. Google need to work on gaps in Facebook where Orkut could set its feet. But it seem Goolge reluctant to leverage its social boy to regain its stature.