With froth about Twitter recently, many “behind scenes” stories i’m tempted to riff from an owl-themed-social-media-corp, especially about open/closed APIs, translation/localization, advent of “promoted tweets”, scrapyard acquisitions etc, but I’m gonna hold off, for now anyhow.
From the archive for historical record (and to recall the efforts of me and my marketing/community/international teams at Hootsuite) – of course, i no longer work at/with the company and this is not official in any way, was once part of the public internet. #AlwaysBeArchiving
Social media in China is huge. So huge that nobody wants to ignore it. And while lots of people think “Twitter” when they hear HootSuite, the folks at HootSuite are taking China seriously. We already know the company has recently added traditional characters and Sina Weibo support, but what else is in the cards? I got a chance to talk with Dave Olson, HootSuite’s community VP, who gave me the lowdown on the company’s China plans.
Why is HootSuite interested in China?
Since launching almost 4 years years ago, HootSuite’s goal was to make our social media management system available to as many people as possible.
With this in mind, we monitor conversations about HootSuite and reach out to markets in which we see rapid organic growth. Afterwards we work to localize these unique markets. We started with Japan, then Spanish speaking countries, around Europe and then onwards into other Asian markets like Indonesia.
We knew the Chinese market was important but wanted to make sure we avoided missteps that we observed from other companies. We also knew that HootSuite is blocked by association in China because our core product includes access to Twitter and Facebook.
HootSuite is very cognizant that Chinese social media users have different networks, different needs, habits and culture along with different language. In addition we know there is more than one Chinese market with different expectations around China’s provinces including communities in Hong Kong, Taiwan/Taipei, Singapore and the huge ex-pat community such as in our home city of Vancouver.
We also learned that despite the difference, people using Chinese social networks share some of the same needs as users in the West, which are: sharing content across networks, managing multiple online profiles, and help listening, responding to, and analyzing their online interactions.
We’ve learned a lot from localizing elsewhere, and are hoping to use these lessons in bringing HootSuite to Chinese users. We want to tread lightly, and listen attentively.
As such, we are taking a diplomatic and educational approach to build community, share knowledge and deliver on expectations. Eventually we can build a business case as well.
What are you doing to get into the China market already?
Along with adding Sina Weibo support, we translated HootSuite’s web and mobile social media dashboard into Traditional Chinese and released it on October 8th in order to start the conversation with social media enthusiasts in Hong Kong, Taiwan/Taipei, etc.
However, before starting the translation project, we held a Chinese Localization Symposium in which we invited a cross section of Chinese social media users to discuss the linguistic, cultural and logistical challenges. The event was a success and we followed it up with a fun translathon with Chinese themed decorations, music, food, tea and more!
We also built a company presence on Sina Weibo, created a Twitter account, published a variety of videos to say hello and discussed our vision of collaborating with Chinese social media users.
Now, with the Traditional Chinese version launched, we’re underway with working on the Simplified Chinese version. We’ve also started developing a Chinese specific branding as well, to share our name and culture in Chinese characters.
We aim to keep things pretty grassroots, talking with people through our @HootSuite_CN and Sina Weibo accounts to see what is working, what isn’t, and what they want to see in the future.
Building relationships with users is our biggest priority.
What comes next and what are your long term plans?
Next up is getting our Simplified Chinese translation released by the end of the year. We will also increase Sina Weibo integration features, and are exploring integrations with other Chinese social networks like Renren and other Tencent properties. A lot of our next steps will be based on what we hear from conversations with our Chinese users.
We also hope to find quality social media industry events for our CEO Ryan Holmes to speak at and share our culture and story.
Long term plans are based on the feedback and reaction from these initial steps. Obviously, there are challenges facing foreign companies wanting to operate in Mainland China – especially technology companies like HootSuite – so we’ll stay focused on finding ways to get HootSuite in the hands of as many users as possible, perhaps with a China-specific version.
What are you finding the differences are between your Chinese and international users? Between weibo and twitter users?
First off, Chinese users can say a lot more in 140 characters!
Social media has broad appeal, regardless of which network you are using. The desire to connect with people, to broadcast, listen, and share, spans cultures.
Social media usage patterns and attitudes for Chinese specifically – and international in general – is a topic we spend lots of time researching. Getting a finger on the pulse of those differences is something we hope conversations with our users will produce.
For example: Weibo has a focus on media-rich content like photos and videos, as well as things like emoji. Comments and ‘likes’ on posts also helps keep the conversation going.
Overall, feature differences between networks reflect and/or inform usage patterns, so there are definitely some differences between Sina Weibo and Twitter users. We’ve embraced the differences in Twitter usage between North America and countries like Japan and Indonesia, so we’ll continue listening to the Chinese users for guidance.
Mr. Olson also shared some cool extras with us, like this Chinese pronunciation guide an enthusiastic employee made and an introduction video in Chinese (embedded below). I’m sure not everyone at the company is learning Chinese, but this is still a nice, friendly touch that shows the folks at HootSuite are really working to communicate with Chinese users on their terms. Here’s hoping that HootSuite can move even further into the Chinese market (and that that pronunciation video will stop people from pronouncing weibo like “way-bow”)!
Source: HootSuite Talks China Plans: Simplified Character Support, Chinese Branding Coming Soon
From the archive for historical record (and to recall the efforts of me and my marketing/community/international teams at Hootsuite) – of course, i no longer work at/with the company and this is not official in any way, was once part of the public internet. #AlwaysBeArchiving
From the archive for historical record (and to recall the efforts of me and my marketing/community/international teams at Hootsuite) – of course, i no longer work at/with the company and this is not official in any way, was once part of the public internet. #AlwaysBeArchiving
This spring, the Owls are flying south as HootSuite releases Portuguese web and mobile versions of the leading social media dashboard plus an Orkut integration. To celebrate this, we’ve written this post in both English and Portuguese.
See the Portuguese version here. Clique aqui para ler em português.
Owly has graduated from a course in Portuguese, bought the perfect carnival outfit and watched countless hours of soccer to prepare for launching in Brasil. So, we are pleased to announce the HootSuite Dashboard in Brasilian Portuguese.
Along with the new Portuguese web dashboard, we also updated and released fully-translated versions of HootSuite for iPhone / iPad, Android and BlackBerry.
Among the dozens of practical tools, HootSuite allows you to schedule your posts, save drafts, manage multiple accounts, and measure the success of your social media powered campaigns.
Localization means more than just translation. With this in mind, we asked Brasilians where and how they hang out on the social web. The overwhelming consensus? Orkut, which will be integrated in the HootSuite App Directory.
It’s almost ready to go (still needs a bit of polish)! Sign up and be the first to know when it’s integrated:
Long before Google+, Wave or Buzz came Orkut… And it’s wildy popular in Brasil with over 34 million visitors monthly! Orkut is a place to share “scraps” (think status updates and messages) and pictures amongst this social-savvy country. The social network also allows companies to set up communities to outreach to fans, giving them an outlet to share their thoughts.
We’ve joined in on the fun with a new community on Orkut where you can view discussion forums and loads of other information: Orkut HootSuite Brasil
Brasil is on a roll! Not only is Brasil hosting the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, but Brasil was revealed as the 2nd biggest Twitter market and the world’s 6th biggest economy.
With over 40 million mobile phones in Brasil, social networking fever isn’t only limited to computers. 6.8 million of these are also equipped with 3G Internet connections.
We’re proud to be in on the Carnival fun and are celebrating Brasil with a HootUp in São Paulo a week after the festivities on Feb 28th at 7PM at MyJobSpace. Be sure to attend to win special treats, including 2 new Owl stickers special made to celebrate Brasil’s two most famous things – Football and Carnival.
Sign up at: HootUp – Let’s meet in São Paulo, Brasil
Can’t make this HootUp? Learn how to organize a fun meet-up in your city starting with this HootUp Guide in Portuguese.
As we’ve worked to learn about the Brasilian audience, we’ve enjoyed help from some true Owls. Special thanks to the contributors to the crowdsourced translation project and HootUp: Alvaro Beckerig, Hugo de Melo (@hdm), Leonardo Muniz, Mayra Paiva (@MayraPaiva), Matheus (@Matheuselemesmo), Thiago Leite (@thiago_leite) and Maria Carolina (@mariacarol).
No matter where you are, stay connected and on top of your social world. Now that HootSuite has arrived in Brasil, you can enjoy an efficient and practical way to manage your media on the web or on the go with all your favorite networks in one dashboard.
Sign up now at www.hootsuite.com and join the revolution!
Wise owls stay current with the news via @HootSuite_BR – use this profile to get the latest news, share your thoughts, learn handy HootTips, and even contribute your favorite owl photos!
NOTE: After asking locals, we chose to use the traditional spelling of “Brasil” rather than the common English variation of “Brazil.”
E as corujas voam rumo ao sul com o lançamento do painel líder no gerenciamento de mídias sociais, HootSuite em português, para web e dispositivos móveis, além de integração com Orkut.
Após finalizar seu curso de português, arrumar uma fantasia para o carnaval e ficar fera no futebol a coruja está pronta para criar seu ninho no Brasil, por isso é com muito prazer que anunciamos o Painel HootSuite em português.
E não é só a versão web que vem com tudo. Em versão definitiva, lançamos HootSuite para iPhone / iPad, Android e BlackBerry, todos em português.
O Painel HootSuite permite a você agendar suas publicações para quando for conveniente, assim como salvar rascunhos de mensagens padrões, gerenciamento múltiplo de contas, além de poder medir o sucesso de suas campanhas nas redes sociais.
Localização é mais do que uma simples tradução. Com isso em mente, nós perguntamos aos brasileiros onde e como eles gostariam de interagir nas redes sociais. O que mais escutamos foi, Orkut! Sendo assim, decidimos integrar o Orkut ao Diretório de Aplicativos HootSuite.
O aplicativo está quase pronto (só precisando de um polimento final), mas registre-se hoje mesmo para ser um dos primeiros a saber quando a novidade for lançada. Para se registrar, clique no link a seguir:
Muito antes do Google+, Wave ou Buzz, veio o Orkut… Rede esta com mais de 34 milhões de visitantes ao mês no Brasil. Orkut é um lugar para compartilhar os famosos scraps e fotos, pelos quatro cantos desse país tão fissurado pelas mídias sociais. O Orkut também permite a empresas criarem comunidades para atingirem seus fãs e estabelecer um meio de comunicação com os mesmos.
E nós já estamos no Orkut, com a comunidade HootSuite Brasil. Visite para fóruns de discussões e mais informações!
O Brasil está com tudo no cenário internacional – não somente como o anfitrião da Copa de 2014 e das Olimpíadas de 2016, mas também foi apontado recentemente como o 2º maior país do Twitter e a 6ª maior economia mundial. Não é brinquedo, não!
E a febre das redes sociais não se limita somente à tela dos computadores. De acordo com a Anatel, são 40 milhões de celulares no Brasil, sendo que 6,8 milhões desses celulares são equipados com tecnologia 3G para rápida transmissão de dados.
Nós também temos prazer em anunciar e celebrar o Brasil com o HootUp São Paulo, no dia 28 de fevereiro às 19 horas, no MyJobSpace que com certeza será o primeiro de muitos. Faça seu registro em: http://www.meetup.com/hootup/Sao-Paulo-BR/197451/ e ganhe nosso HootKit, que vem com os dois novos adesivos da coruja, feitos especialmente para celebrar duas das maiores paixões nacionais: Futebol e Carnaval.
Perdeu este HootUp? Saiba mais com nosso guia de HootUp em português e até mesmo faça um em sua cidade.
Trabalhamos arduamente para traduzir milhares de palavras e entender o que o brasileiro quer. E este trabalho não seria completo sem a ajuda de nossas corujas. Gostaríamos de agradecer especialmente a organizadora do primeiro HootUp no Brasil, Maria Carolina (@mariacarol), assim como nosso time de corujas tradutoras que doaram uma parte preciosa de seu tempo ao Translation Project, são elas: Alvaro Beckerig, Hugo de Melo (@hdm), Leonardo Muniz, Mayra Paiva (@MayraPaiva), Matheus (@Matheuselemesmo) e Thiago Leite (@thiago_leite).
Não importa onde esteja, o brasileiro quer se manter conectado e estar a par de tudo o que acontece e é por isso que chegamos com tudo no Brasil, para proporcionar a você um serviço mais prático e eficiente no gerenciamento de suas mídias, na web e em plataformas móveis, integrando todas as suas redes num só painel.
Acesse www.hootsuite.com e faça parte dessa revolução!
As corujas mais espertas ficam atualizadas através do nosso canal especial no Twitter, o @HootSuite_BR – use este perfil para saber das últimas da coruja, assim como compartilhar seus pensamentos, aprender com as HootTips e até mesmo compartilhar fotos!
Obs.: Nos posts em inglês, adotamos Brasil com “s” como mais uma forma de carinho a você, usuário brasileiro.
The post Bom Dia Brasil! ~ HootSuite Releases Portuguese Dashboard appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.