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Yahoo eyes big picture as Flickr set for new launch

(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-03-18 11:41

Yahoo Inc said yesterday it plans to launch a Chinese-language version of its popular photo-sharing site Flickr.com this year.

The aim is to tap into demand from Chinese digital photo enthusiasts.

The development comes as Sunnyvale, California-headquartered Yahoo tries to localize and expand its services - such as bookmark-sharing site Del.icio.us, Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Groups - that center on user-generated contributions.

"The HK traditional Chinese interface of Flickr will be available later this year," a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman said in an email.

Online services, such as Flickr, Shutterfly Inc, Eastman Kodak's EasyShare Gallery and Hewlett-Packard Co's Snapfish, let users load digital pictures online, where they can be edited, shared with others, printed and mailed.

The new Website will target Hong Kong users and will offer all the core features available on the English platform, spokeswoman Pauline Wong said.

While the traditional version of written Chinese is widely used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the simplified version of the script is the standard in the Chinese mainland.

However, most mainland Chinese are able to read traditional Chinese, and vice versa.

After targeting Hong Kong consumers, Flickr's Chinese site will also focus on the Taiwan market, the spokeswoman said.

Yahoo's China business was absorbed by the country's leading e-commerce company, Alibaba, in 2005. Yahoo Inc also bought a 40 percent stake in Alibaba.

In 2006, Yahoo China had a nine percent share of China's online photo-sharing market, according to consultancy iResearch.

Netease.com Inc. took the largest share with 43.4 percent, followed by QQ.com with a 33.9 percent share, though other media companies such as Sina Corp. are fast catching up, iResearch said in a report.

China will have around 10 million new users of online photo-sharing services annually over the next few years. Most photo-sharing websites are still free of charge as they explore different profit avenues.