Douban
 | |
Type of site | Web 2.0, Social network service, Online music, movie and book database |
|---|---|
| Available in | Chinese |
| Website | douban.com |
| Alexa rank |
 273 (February 2016)[1] |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | March 6, 2005 |
| Current status | Active |
Douban.com (Chinese: 豆瓣; pinyin: Dòubàn), launched on March 6, 2005, is a Chinese SNS website allowing registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, and recent events and activities in Chinese cities. It can be seen as one of the most influential web 2.0 website in China. [2]Douban also owns an internet radio station, which ranks No.1 in iOS app store as of 2012. Unlike Facebook and Renren, Douban is open to both registered and unregistered users. For registered users, the site recommends potentially interesting books/movies/music to them in addition to serving as a social network website and record keeper; for unregistered users, the site is a good place to find ratings and reviews of books/movies/music.
Douban has about 200 million[3] registered users in 2013.
The site serves Pan-Chinese users, and its contents are in Chinese. It covers works and media in both Chinese and foreign languages. Some Chinese authors and critics register their official personal pages on the site.
Founder
Douban is founded by Bo Yang. Yang had majored in Physics in Tsinghua University before he attended University of California at San Diego as a PhD student. After having received his PhD in computational physics, he worked as a research scientist at IBM. Later, he returned to China, becoming the CTO of a software company founded by one of his friends. In 2005, Yang started to create a web 2.0 site for travelling named Lüzong (驴宗), initially a one-man project at a Starbucks in Beijing. In a couple of months, however, the site was transformed to what is now known as Douban.com.[4]
Timeline
- Year 2005
- March 6, account registration was opened to the public
- March 8, Group (小组)[5] was released
- March 9, the first topic appeared in the Group
- July 6, the traditional Chinese version of website was published
- August 23, Douban Location (豆瓣同城)[6] got online to provide users to share and discover local events and activities
- December 8, English version of website was opened for public testing
Censorship
Douban has attracted a large number of intellectuals who are eager to discuss social issues. This makes Douban vulnerable to censorship by the Chinese government. Douban reviews all content posted on the website, preventing some material from being posted in the first place, and taking down other materials after the fact. [7]
In March 2009, Douban removed art paintings of the Renaissance on the grounds that they contained 'pornographic' elements.[7][8][9] This action led to a campaign called "Portraits: Dress up" in which internet users were asked to dress up images of famous renaissance nudes in a protest against Douban's self-censorship. The discussion about the campaign was then removed by the administrator.[7]
That year also saw the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and Douban has further extended its keyword list to ban any terms that are likely to relate to the incident. One notable example is the ban on merely mentioning the name of Victoria Park in Hong Kong where the memorial gathering for the 20th anniversary was held, in the fear that it may lead to sensitive discussions. Users also found that some discussion groups, like a Hong Kong cultural study group hkren were suddenly banned and all topics were removed without any notices. The action angered some members, causing them to move to other similar websites that employ less strict self-censorship policies.[7]
Its censorship department is a subsidiary company named Zhaowei Hulian(兆维互联) which is completely owned Douban. It is located in Tianjin.
Brand Video
On 16 February 2016, Douban released its first brand video My inner space(with English subtitle), which shows a young man's journey in first-person view through the different place of the world and eventually escaped to a litter shelter in outer space. The background music of the video is Sweet Little Hunter by David Gerard Lawrence. The introduction of the video by Douban said," it is a Visual Poem, and it also looks like a fable."They hoped the audience could watch it with the mood to read poetry.[10] Douban also put the advertisement posters with the same theme in Beijing Subway Line 14 Dawanglu Station and Line 1 at same time.[11]
References
- ↑ "Douban.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
- ↑ http://baike.baidu.com/view/306024.htm
- ↑ "豆瓣宣布月覆盖用户数达2亿 同比增长一倍". TechWeb.com.cn. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- ↑ "douban profile". crunchbase. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
- ↑ "发现小组". Douban.com. 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ↑ "豆瓣同城_上海". Douban.com. 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- 1 2 3 4 "泥马战河蟹 草根斗权威". BBC中文网. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ↑ "给大卫像穿衣抗议政府封网". BBC中文网. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ↑ "网友响应反低俗号召 给名画"穿上"衣服". 信息时报. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ↑ "豆瓣说，希望这里成为你的精神角落评论". 麦迪逊帮. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ Vicky (16 February 2016). "为什么豆瓣等了11年才出了第一支广告？". 广告门. Retrieved 16 February 2016.