If you have never heard of Mixi (pronounced Mikushī)…don’t feel bad. Created in 2004, Mixi is one of the most popular social networking service sites in Japan with over 30 million users when measured back in July 2010. Mixi works much like Facebook except it’s almost exclusively Japanese and of course does not offer an English version.
What makes Mixi different than Facebook, or any other social network? Not so much! Mixi provides groups and assorted communities assistance for linking up and talking about common interests. Profiles all include a wall where friends can comment and write notes to one another. Journal features allow users to post their latest travels, events and share photos. Users can also skin their profile which gives the page a little MySpace feel to it.
Though familiar, Mixi is no Facebook replica. Friend limits for users are capped at 1,000 – unless they’re a celebrity and have a special account that allows unlimited friends. The site also provides a feature called, ashiato (footprint) allowing users to see everyone, who has viewed his or her profile during a given time.
Applications are big with users on this social network. One of the first was created in June 2006, when Mixi Station was created. The application can detect a song that is being played in iTunes or Media Player and will post the song in a community within the music category. Mixi Apuri (application) is the section of the site that holds all the applications. The majority of them are games, match makers, and other fun things, but when it comes to online marketing and having brands connect with their fans- it doesn’t really happen.
Unlike Facebook where it’s relatively easy to find your friends, Mixi is a little different. Users do not have to post their real name. So unless you know your friend goes by “MilkTea” or NekoCHUUUU” it may be a little hard for you to connect with someone. Even with photos it can be hard to recognize you’re friend because often users post photos of something ‘cute’ like a kitten in a basket, or perhaps their favorite sweets. A user is limited to only 3 profile pictures so unless they actually have themselves in 1 of them it can be nearly impossible to tell who it actually is.
Signing up is relatively easy. In the past users could only sign up for the service if they were invited by a friend. Now things have changed and one can only sign up if they have a valid Japanese phone number, keeping the user base within Japan, or at least those who have lived in Japan.
One can wonder if Facebook will try to kill off Mixi in the near future. Facebook has roughly 1.38 Million users in Japan, so clearly Mixi is still dominating. Perhaps the bells and whistles that Facebook offers do not really seem appealing to the Japanese marketing. Perhaps the Japanese enjoy more of the privacy that Mixi has to offer.
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I really like the idea of a footprint. It makes total sense and would be useful in may situations. Facebook, you listening?
Tonight I’ve put on my hat that copywriting teacher hat. \
This is the third blog entry I’ve read from Content to Commerce.
All very copy intensive.
Get to the point quickly and succinctly.
I feel like I’m reading a high school or college student’s minimum 750-word essay.
Your topics are relevant but lost in the blog.
Good luck.
Maybe you’re not aware that Mixi is used here in the United States.
Hey…and regarding the criticism.
Please note it’s constructive.
Not disparaging.
Too much hatin’ out there.
N.B.
Hootsuite is a social media dashboard.
With it you can manage multiple social networks.
Hi Mary Ellen – thank you for the constructive criticism. Users need a Japanese mobile or email account in order to sign up for Mixi. I became a Mixi user back when I was a university student in Japan. I know there are tons of Americans that would love to connect with friends in Japan that cannot use Mixi because of this reason.
And thanks for reading!
Mixi IS available in the U.S.
Mixi is accessible to Americans.
Yes…fluency in Japanese big plus.
Being Japanese is not a prerequisite.
Glad you found out about this social network when you went international.
But you don’t have to be an American overseas to access it.