VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS HO ANH DUNG A STUDY ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITES MARKETING
THE CASE OF GOONLINE.VN

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION THESIS
Hanoi – 2010

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS HO ANH DUNG A STUDY ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITES MARKETING

7. SIGNIFICANCE 3
8. RESULTS 3
9. THESIS STRUCTURE 3
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL FOUNDATION 5
1.1 BASIC OF SOCIAL NETWORK SITE MARKETING 5
1.2 HISTORY OF SOCIAL NETWORK SITES 6
1.3 TYPE OF SNS 9
1.4 FUNCTION OF SNS 11
1.4.1 Share 11
1.4.2 Show 12
1.4.3 Socialize 12
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1.4.4 Advertising & Sale 12
1.5 OVERVIEW OF SNS MARKETING FROM THE SITE MASTER PERSPECTIVE. 13
1.51 Steps in SNS marketing 15
1.5.2 The way to interact with users 20
1.6 HOW TO GET BENEFIT THROUGH SNS 27
1.6.1 Create website 28
1.6.2 Virtual Shop(e-commerce) 28
1.6.3 Speculate the domain name 28
1.6.4 Send spam 29
1.6.5 Read advertising news 29
1.6.6 Hack account 29
1.6.7 Play game 30
1.6.8 Selling virtual property 30
1.7 CORE FACTORS FOR SUCCESSFUL SNS 30
1.7.1 Social Object 31
1.7.2 Relationship & Privacy 32
1.7.3 User Interface 34

2.7.6 API 61
2.7.7 Evolution 61
CHAPTER 3: SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE GOONLINE.VN 64
3.1 SOLUTIONS 64
3.1.1 Social Object 64
3.1.2 Relationship & Privacy 64
3.1.3 User Interface 67
3.1.4 Community Management 67
3.1.5 Collective Intelligence 68
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3.1.6 Application Programming Interface (API) 68
3.1.7 Evolution 71
3.1.8 Solution to get more benefits 71
3.1.9 Other solutions 72
3.2 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 80
3.3 CONTRIBUTION OF THE STUDY 81
3.4 FUTURE OF THE STUDY 81
CONCLUSION 83
REFERENCE 84


COST PER MILE CPC
:
COST PER CLICK CPA
:
COST PER ACTION FPT
:
FPT CORPORATION
VC CORP
:
VIETNAM COMMUNICATION CORPORATION

VNG
:
VINAGAME CORPORATION

VTC
:
VIETNAM TELECOMMUNICATIONS JOINT STOCK COMPANY

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1. Timeline of the launch dates of many major SNS and dates
when community sites re-launched with SNS features 8
Figure 2.1. Bounce rate of Facebook 40
Figure 2.2. Daily Traffic Rank Trend of Zing.vn 42
Figure 2.3. Daily traffic rank trend of GoOnline.vn 51
Figure 2.4. Time which users spend on GoOnline.vn 54
Figure 2.5. Time which users spend on Facebook.com 54
Figure 2.6. Bounce rate of GoOnline.vn 58

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. However, the
effectiveness of using SNS as a social marketing tool for users/subscribers is
still an issue. VTC Online is one of the leading companies who first develop
SNS– GoOnline.vn – and to do business with the site. Though making some
achievements, VTC is still finding ways to effectively promote their SNS
GoOnline.vn and from that to gain more benefits from the site. That are
reasons I choose to study SNS marketing with the case of GoOnline.vn.
2. Research objectives
The main objective of this thesis is to study SNS marketing – focusing
on the case of GoOnline.vn. By analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the
site by comparing with other SNS, the author proposes some solutions to
improve the SNS GoOnline.vn.vn and from that to explore effective ways to 1
Link

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Link
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Link

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create more value for both subscribers/users and VTC Corporation (the owner
of the SNS GoOnline.vn).
3. Research questions
Based upon the research objective, the main question for this study is
―How can VTC Corporation improve the SNS GoOnline.vn to add more value
for both subscribers/users and itself?‖ In order to answer this question, the

booming in Vietnam in next few years, companies or individuals can benefit
the result of this study for business.
8. Results
First, the thesis delivers a systematic review of SNS marketing.
Secondly, the thesis studies the case of GoOnline.vn Portal and proposes
solutions to improve it.
9. Thesis structure
Apart from introduction, conclusion and reference parts, this thesis
includes three chapters. Chapter 1 reviews SNS and the use SNS as a
marketing tool and, thereafter, discusses the way to get benefit from SNS.
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Chapter 2 explores the case of GoOnline.vn, the way they interact with users
and utilize the SNS GoOnline.vn to make money. Chapter 3 proposes some
solutions to improve the SNS GoOnline.vn

Chapter 1:
Theoretical Foundation Chapter 2:
The case of GoOnline.vn Chapter 3:
Solutions to improve GoOnline.vn

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CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

1.1 Basic of Social Network Site Marketing

According to the definition above, the first recognizable social network
site launched in 1997. SixDegrees.com is typical example. It allowed users to
create profiles, list their Friends and, beginning in 1998, surf the Friends lists.
Each of these features existed in some form before SixDegrees. Profiles
existed on most major dating sites and many community sites. AIM and ICQ
buddy lists supported lists of Friends, although those Friends were not visible
to others. Classmates.com allowed people to affiliate with their high school or
college and surf the network for others who were also affiliated, but users
could not create profiles or list Friends until years later. SixDegrees was the
first to combine these features.
―SixDegrees promoted itself as a tool to help people connect with and
send messages to others. While SixDegrees attracted millions of users, it failed
to become a sustainable business and, in 2000, the service closed. Looking back,
its founder believes that SixDegrees was simply ahead of its time‖ (A.
Weinreich, personal communication, July 11, 2007). While people were already
flocking to the Internet, most did not have extended networks of friends who
were online. Early adopters complained that there was little to do after accepting
Friend requests, and most users were not interested in meeting strangers.
The next, ―From 1997 to 2001, a number of community tools began
supporting various combinations of profiles and publicly articulated Friends.
AsianAvenue, BlackPlanet, and MiGente allowed users to create personal,
professional, and dating profiles—users could identify Friends on their
personal profiles without seeking approval for those connections‖ (O. Wasow,
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personal communication, August 16, 2007). The next wave of SNSs began
when Ryze.com was launched in 2001 to help people leverage their business
networks. Ryze's founder reports that he first introduced the site to his friends—
primarily members of the San Francisco business and technology community,
including the entrepreneurs and investors behind many future SNSs
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for those terms or for the video title. People can comment if the video owner
allows. Like other forms of social media it allows for a more personal look of
the actual user.
Professional: Networking has long been touted as an asset in
professional circles. Networking allows the person to connect with people and
by those connections meet other professionals that person knows. Professional
social media allows for that type of opportunity online. Thus if user move
away from user’s home town user can still remain connected to user’s ex-
coworkers and others in user’s profession. Linked In is one of the top
professional social networking sites.
Social: After user have worked with people a while, they may become
user’s friends. Then user have friends from church, from user’s school, and
friends user have met in a wide variety of ways. Social networking sites are
about being social, so there are sites purely for allowing users to stay in touch
with people whom they know. While MySpace was the leader, the current
leader is Facebook. It is growing around the world.
Bookmarking: The major purpose of these social networking sites is the
sharing of information. If user read a web page that is interesting, informative,
or inspirational user may choose to bookmark it. By doing this user are saying
that user like it. Your friends will learn what user liked and can choose to read
it. Pages that many people bookmark become popular and drive others to that
page as well. Digg, Delicious, and StumpleUpon are very popular
bookmarking websites.
Other formats: There are other types of social networking sites out
there, some are very similar to the ones mentioned here. Many sites have a
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major form of socializing and then use the other types as a other ways for
users to interact. People love to socialize and interact, so this is a growing
field with ever more sites.
There are other types of social networking sites out there, some are

Feature: Users can upload a user’s image to represent on the social
networking website. The other users can view them.
Benefit: The social community can put a face with user’s name, and
come to recognize on user’s user’s avatar.
1.4.3 Socialize
Communication on SNS is one important function. Each SNS has aslo
this one. Through this funcetion, user can talk with the others user (in one
SNS) about what ever they want, what ever they want to talk…
Feature: Communicate with text-based comments. Many social
networks allow user to communicate with friends either by private e-mail-like
correspondence, public message board-like posts, or both.
Benefit: Stay in touch with contacts, reach out to new people, and show
the community which users care about company-to-client communication!
1.4.4 Advertising & Sale
Social networking Web sites, including providing tools that allow
people to share such information with each film and website website interact
online with each other in many ways such as comments, connections, an
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internal Retweet content, blog or Web page. Currently, the tools on the social
media advertising are known as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
Advertising on Social Media concepts to refer to forms of social media
systems for marketing, online sales, PR or inquiries by customers.
One thing in particular that of social media content titles, customer
group or a group website that is created by people who actually use the
Internet, not the member's direct suppliers. For example, large photos on
Flickr are user uploaded and shared with other users through the website
Flickr, Flickr is not done by staff.
Other companies use forms of advertising on social media is to make
use of social media tools promote their brand,increase visibility of their
website on social media-systems.

customer focused message. In the traditional marketing communications
model, the content, frequency, timing, and medium of communications by the
organization is in collaboration with an external agent, i.e. advertising
agencies, marketing research firms, and public relations firms. However, the
growth of social media has impacted the way organizations communicate with
their customers. In the emergence of Web 2.0, the Internet provides a set of
tools that allow people to build social and business connections, share
information and collaborate on projects online.
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Social network marketing programs usually center on efforts to create
content that attracts attention, generates online conversations, and encourages
readers to share it with their social networks. The message spreads from user
to user and presumably resonates because it is coming from a trusted source,
as opposed to the brand or company itself.
Social network has become a platform that is easily accessible to
anyone with Internet access, opening doors for organizations to increase their
brand awareness and facilitate conversations with the customer. Additionally,
social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to
implement marketing campaigns. Organizations can receive direct feedback
from their customers and targeted markets.
1.51 Steps in SNS marketing
1.5.1.1 From User
They are using these sites because they are popular and fun, but they do
not have a clear written plan to help them use social networking effectively.
There are ten steps user can take to change that for user and to make sure that
user do have an effective social networking plan in place.



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