Upon MySpace's platform, local technicians construct programs & applications specifically for that market, known in Mandarin as “Ju You” (“meeting of friends”).

Shanghai – July 22, 2008 – The social networking portal MySpace.com, which has begun expansion into Asia's four principal markets, China, Japan, South Korea and India, has reached 10 million users in Asia's largest market since its launch just eight months ago.

China already possesses the world's largest number of Internet users (221 million last February, surpassing the United States' 215 million), and “social networks are growing rapidly at the moment,” said Efe Sung Lee, vice president of MySpace operations in Asia.

“In the last six months the number of users in China has increased 364 percent, which is an astonishing rate,” added the South Korean director, which assured that MySpace's growth strategy “is much more aggressive” compared to the other social portals in Asia, such as Facebook, Tagged and Hi5.

In Japan, mobile technology is currently being developed in alliance with Softbank. Launching in India and South Korea just three months ago, the South Koreans are taking advantage of their bandwidth's far reach. In China, MySpace possesses a completely autonomous portal, MySpace.cn. widespread reach of its bandwidth.

“Each country is very unique and has its own needs, requiring distinct necessities and strategies,” said Sung, describing the Chinese portal as an “independent entity”, operated by local specialists that are familiar with the market and in which MySpace has invested its brand and technological platform.

Upon MySpace's platform, local technicians construct programs and applications specifically for the Chinese market, where the portal is known in Mandarin as “Ju You” (“meeting of friends”).

In China, where the Internet is government controlled and local networks and servers rarely provide a speedy connection, a different portal has been created in order to adapt to these circumstances and the users' distinct habits, explained Efe Tan Xiaosheng, chief technician of “Ju You”, or MySpace.cn.

While Western users are accustomed to finding friends on MySpace based primarily upon the colorfully decorated personal data of their profile, photos and possible interaction, the Chinese are more “timid” and choose to read blogs and their images, often communicating via comments, said Tan.

Pearman explained to Efe that “each market possesses its own challenges”, and that, given Asia's potential, they have organized a videogame competition for the continent's four markets where they currently have a presence, with hopes to apply it successfully worldwide.

Lastly, Pearman said that MySpace is making “great efforts” regarding their Spanish language portals, from the Latino” version of their American version to Spanish, Mexican and Latin American versions, since “it will be an important area in the next five years, with regards to the number of users and development potential.”