Will Face Book become more popular in Japan?

My opinion of this week(711)

Since last fall, world famous SNS Facebook has been increasing their users very much. It is said that Face Book keeps now total 600 million users worldwide. Number of members of Face Book reached to 2.1 million now. Whenit comes to SNS, however, Mixi is No.1 in terms of users accounts keeping 20 million members in 2010. The question is how soon will Face Book will catch up to Mixi by increasing their membership. Many critics on net world and mass media questioned how Face Book would increase their membership in Japan as other countries in the world. Many present some negatives views on it.

This is because of the policy that Face Book applies when applicants register
their names for membership. While many other SNS and net services such asTwitter and BLOG accept nicknames and some other sorts of handle names, Face Book request all applicants to use real name rather than nick name in registration. They even promote to present some photograph at top page of all members. Many critics on net world and mass media said such policy of Face Book will not be well accepted by Japanese users. Mixi and other SNS services in Japan are not concerned with the use of real name at all at the time of registration.

While I keep writing some article almost everyday to Yahoo BLOG and enjoy exchanging comments on several themes with many Yahoo bloggers, I spend only little time on SNS although I am a member of Mixi myself. So I really had no much interest on Facebook although it became more and more famous those days.

But I decided to register to become members of Face Book at the end of last November just to learn contents of their services. I was very curious about their system and the reason why they have been so successful so far.

At the time of registration, I have no hesitation at all to use of real name.
I have almost 20 years of experience to exchange messages and various opinions on various matters including political and social issues with people in net ommunities. I enjoyed such net communication even before the development internet today. They are, for example, many sort of forums in Nifty PC communication network. I ontinued to enjoy such net communications since internet service become more popular and convenient including BLOG, Twitters and so on.

In any of those services, the use of nickname is all right. I write all of my articles signed by my nickname, tad. But I use my real name when I put any of those opinions at my home page. It is because I think it is necessary and established social rule to say something to open world. I think it even a kind of responsibility in net world.

Many critics and mass media writers point out the danger to use real name in net world. Some even mentioned the importance to protect privacy especially in such open space of net communities. I don't agree with any of those views.

The use of real name in any of net world including SNS and some other net services is the minimum requirement in any means. I understand the policy of Face Book in this respect.

I am sure that time will come when more and more people will participate in such opened SNS such as Face Book even in Japan. I am looking forward to increasing more activities in new net society of Face Book in next days to come.

2011/2/12
Tadashi HAYASE