Kaixin001: China’s Apple of Social Networks

KAI XIN, both pronounced with high tones, means happy. WAN, low tone from deep in your throat, means network. Thus, KAI XIN WAN is the happy network.

XIAO NEI, both with downward tones i.e. start high, finish deep in your throat, means 'school inner' or on-campus network. FYI.

Kaixin001: China’s Apple of Social Networks

by Guest Author on October 16, 2008

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Kaixin001, the latest newcomer to the Facebook clone wars in China, is China’s fastest growing social network having amassed a staggering 7.5 million users in the first 5 months since it launched in May 2008. The site tripled Twitter’s traffic reach in the month of September alone and is currently the 250th most popular site on Alexa worldwide.

Compared with rival incumbent Xiaonei, which targets college students, Kaixin001 appeals to white-collar office workers with a simpler UI that is more intuitive to older audiences. This is a significant detail in China, where one in four college students does not own a computer and can only access Xiaonei by walking to an Internet Cafe and paying by the minute. White-collar office workers by comparison, spend an average of nine hours a day in front of the computer...