Tuenti

Tuenti Technologies, S.L
Type Sociedad Limitada
Founded 2006
Headquarters Madrid, Spain
Founder(s)
Services tuenti
Owner Telefónica
Website www.tuenti.com
Type of site Social networking service
Registration Required
Users active-users-and-15-million-registered-users
Available in Spanish, Basque, Catalan, Galician, Brazilian Portuguese, Portuguese, English, Italian, French, German, Dutch, Slovak, Czech[1]
Launched 2006
Current status Active

Tuenti is a Spain-based tech company, that integrates telecommunications and social communication services with its own app to provide multi-platform cloud experience to their clients and whose social networking service was referred to as the "Spanish Facebook."[2] Though the name sounds similar to the English word twenty, it actually comes from "tu [id]enti[dad]," meaning "your identity."[3] The service was targeted at the Spanish market, but since 2012 is growing globally.[4]

Tuenti features many tools common to social-networking sites. It allows users to set up a profile, upload photos, link videos and connect with friends; recently a chat application has been added. Many other utilities, such as the ability to create events, are also offered. Unlike similar social networking sites which feature banner advertisements, Tuenti has opted out of these traditional forms of "noisy" and obstructive advertising.[5]

Google Zeitgeist's 2009 listed Tuenti as the third fastest-rising global search. Google's 2008 Zeitgeist report listed Tuenti as the year's fourth fastest-rising global search term,[6] and Alexa Internet ranks the site as the eighteenth most visited in Spain.[7] It was estimated that there were more than 15 million users, making it the country's most popular social network in 2012.[8] Zaryn Dentzel, founder and current chairman, stated that they intended to focus on Spanish users more before possibly expanding to other countries. The site targets users in specific regions to improve its click-through rates, which have reached as high as 40%.[9]

From 2012, the corporate strategy and business model have been completely refocused from the initial social network model. In recent years, Tuenti has invested in innovation and technology in order to carry out a major transformation and position mobile in the center of its operations. Tuenti is developing the first international telephone carrier that stands out from the rest by integrating their own communication app, for line management and value-added services such as VoIP calls, all comms integration or cloudphone services. A mobile carrier that is focused on the segment that makes the most use of mobile Internet, young people. Tuenti has a global model and from the latest months is already present in Mexico, Peru and Argentina. A model in which innovation and proprietary technology, developed by their own engineering, product and design teams, are the primary differentiating elements. From the perspective of their business model, its revenues have been diversified. Years ago they were primarily from advertising, while currently they are mostly from the mobile operator service. In 2013, the cell phone carrier business grew by 240% in Spain, while the company attained a global turnover of €17 million, 21% more than in 2012.[10]

History

Tuenti was founded in 2006 by a group of friends in Spain. Zaryn Dentzel, Félix Ruiz, Kenny Bentley, and Joaquín Ayuso de Pául worked together to bring Tuenti to what it is today.[11] Dentzel, CEO, and Bentley, the lead programmer, came to Spain after having worked in social networking in the United States.[12] Bentley is credited with coding most of the original platform from a small office in the north of Madrid in the spring of 2006, while Dentzel led the project and was involved in much of the design and strategy.[13] Zaryn Dentzel has recently chronicled the story of Tuenti in a book called El futuro lo decides tú.[14]

Tuenti was acquired by the major communications group Telefonica on August 4, 2010 for a total of 70 million euros. Telefónica controlled 85% of the company [15] and 100% by the end of 2013.[16] The organization has employees from more than 20 countries around the world, including Spain, the U.S., Germany, Poland, the UK, Sweden, Portugal or Ireland.[17]

Tuenti launched its service as a mobile operator app in Mexico, Peru and Argentina in 2014. Operating in early 2015 in 4 markets such as telephone service , with a proposal focusing on developing data and communication services and account management in the cloud through its integrated mobile application. Tuenti has grown from a social network to become a mobile operator.

References

  1. ↑ "Tuenti in your language". 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
  2. ↑ Jiménez Cano, Rosa (2007-12-10). "Tuenti, ¿el Facebook español?". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  3. ↑ "Tengo una pregunta para Tuenti" (in Spanish). 2008-11-27. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  4. ↑ "Tuenti in your language". 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
  5. ↑ Tesón, Nuria (2008-04-10). "Una red social española compite con Facebook entre los estudiantes". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  6. ↑ Ahmed, Murad. "Palin beats Obama in Google's 'zeitgeist' rankings". The Times. 2008-12-09.
  7. ↑ "tuenti.com - Traffic Details from Alexa". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  8. ↑ http://corporate.tuenti.com/en/blog/a-huge-thank-you-to-our-10-million-active-users-and-15-million-registered-users
  9. ↑ MacMillan, Douglas (2009-01-12). "Facebook, Meet the Locals". BusinessWeek.
  10. ↑ http://corporate.tuenti.com/en/blog/New-challenges-for-2015-Lets-go-for-it
  11. ↑ "Un camino por recorrer, un nuevo socio". 2010-08-04.
  12. ↑ Sabate, Jordi (2008-04-10). "Zaryn Dentzel, director ejecutivo de Tuenti, la mayor red social online en castellano". Consumer Eroski (in Spanish).
  13. ↑ Elola, Joseba (2008-12-14). "O estás en Tuenti o perdiste el tren". El País (in Spanish).
  14. ↑ "El futuro lo decides tú (You Decide the Future)".
  15. ↑ "Telefónica compra el 85% de la red social Tuenti por 70 millones de euros".
  16. ↑ "Telefónica se hace con el 100% de Tuenti".
  17. ↑ "Jobs at Tuenti". Tuenti.

http://www.muyinternet.com/2010/02/24/tuenti-traera-novedades-para-primavera/

External links