Dreamville pioneers SNS in RP

First there was the instant messenging craze brought on by rudimentary chat programs like ICQ and MIRC. Then came the text messaging boom of the cellphone era. For many technology analysts, the next evolution in virtual social interaction is SNS or social network services.

The core offerings of SNS are mini personalized homepages combined with avatars, an online house and lot, message boards and forums, and other online community applications, including popularity ratings and friend trackings, that link people of similar interest and kind.

SNS, in its present form, was born from online communities in Korea. Korea’s Cyworld, for example, has snared more than 10 million users – a quarter of the country’s population – since launching in 2004, which has led Web critics to dub it "Friendster on steroids."

The first SNS of its kind in the Philippines is Dreamville, which has drawn favorable comparisons to the massively successful, pop cult hit Cyworld. Its licenser is IP Interactive, the gaming and entertainment business of publicly listed firm IPVG, which also operates e-Games.com.ph, the country’s free-to-play gaming portal, and top-ranked games O2Jam and RAN Online.

"Filipinos are inherently sociable people. One proof of this is their fiery response to community-based online games like RAN Online," says Steve Tsao, president of IP Interactive.

"We at e-Games are aware of their need to stay connected and are responding accordingly by continuously providing the public with alternative media of communications. We believe SNS in the form of software like Dreamville is that alternative," he adds.

IP Interactive is banking on Dreamville’s pioneering SNS status to redefine social online networking for the Filipino culture. The portal is an integration of existing Internet technologies such as blogging, instant messaging, and website generation.

The objective of users is to express themselves through virtual alter-egos represented by avatars. Members can dress up these avatars, modify their personal homepages, buy and trade goods, send out comments and opinions, maintain an online diary, upload photos, create artworks, invite friends, and much more.

Heidi Mendita, Dreamville product and community manager, sees a strong take-up for SNS in the Philippines.

"Even during closed beta, our Dreamville portal experienced a sustained influx of Internet users who wanted to join Dreamville whether or not they were gamers. We see Dreamville as the ‘melting pot’ for gamers of all kinds, both hardcore and casual, as well as the everyday Internet user," she says.

Like Cyworld, Dreamville’s mini homepage services are free. However, personalizing and decorating the pages with digital items and accessories such as effects, skins, wallpapers, themes and other animated characters will cost real money in the form of e-points. Pets and accessories, for example, cost anywhere from three to 15 e-points, while backgrounds and effects are priced slightly higher. e-point cards, the only source of e-points, are available at Internet cafés and will be made available to card dealers nationwide.

Tsao says, "Dreamville’s flexibility allows the user the freedom that MMORPGs and casual games lack. Users can search for their friends and create virtual ‘bonds’ with other members. It also has other unique features that online users, particularly the youth, find attractive."

Dreamville is currently in open beta and can be accessed at www.dreamville.e-games.com.ph . IP Interactive expects to more than double Dreamville’s subscriber base before the end of the year.