Rediff Unveils New Social Media Platform

Rediff India has unveiled its new social media platform that combines a forum for questions and answers, along with a space for networking. Launched a little over a week ago in beta, the Rediff’s new website allows users to post questions and answers on the platform, discuss issues, comment on other users and vote for the most relevant answers. The votes then translate into points for the users and the top ten Rediff users are highlighted on the 'Rediff’s Hall of Fame'.

All users of the Q and A forum are entitled to a profile page wherein, all questions, answers, user comments are displayed. The profile page also includes a scrapbook, a message center for discussing forums, to help users interconnect and network further. Moreover, any changes made in a user’s Rediff Connexions profile page will automatically show up on the Q and A page.The profile page also features tags that help people to find relevant topics quicker.

Manish Agarwal, vice president, Marketing said, "Indians have started to use the internet in a participatory mode now. Moreover, web 2.0 has put user generated content in the forefront, making users more expressive online. Rediff wants to make use of this technology to help people reach out to each other, answer each others’ queries and network online, especially since more users prefer first hand knowledge instead of bookish advice." He added, "Users on social networking site tend to get saturated after a while. What does one do after making friends on line and messaging each other? Theres nothing else one can do, to keep up the interest. Now Rediff’s new social media platform integrates the Q and A forum a social network in such a way that users have a common context to interact with each other, at all times. The Q and A platform is an entry point that helps people to search and connect with each other."

The Q and A site is open to unregistered users, but if users want email alerts for answers to their questions, they are required to log in to their Rediff accounts. Also, Rediff users may opt for an SMS alert for their answers via email.

The USP of the site appears to be its distinct local flavor. The Indian content makes it a lot more friendly and relevant for users here, unlike competing Q and A sites, which have global content.