Google Talk has released a new test version, but is seems they are only spreading the word through viral marketing. Through this link you can download the latest version (no April Fools Day joke, by the way).

New in this version:
– buddy icons (put your picture or avatar next to your name)
– chat themes
– contact card: when you move your mouse over a contact you see his/her details

(source: marketingfacts.nl)

Spill Group Asia today launched game.com.cn, our second gaming casual website in China. Youxi.cn is now online for about two weeks and is seeing a healthy growth in traffic.

The next launch of a site in China is planned for mid-April. And then it’s time to start with sites in other Asian countries outside China. Things are moving forward, and that’s a good feeling!

Coca-Cola is one of the very few multinationals in China that seem to understand the market. Although it is a foreign product it is known and accepted by almost every Chinese, and it’s available all over China. It might be the only foreign product that can really reach all China’s 1.3 billion customers. I follow their branding and marketing activities, and also there they seem to have a good nose for trends. Last year they partnered with The9 to promote World of Warcraft in China. Coinidence or not, WoW is now the most-played online game in China.

CCTV International today announced that Coca-Cola set up a strategic partnership with Tencent. In case you don’t follow Chinese internet companies, Tencent is the biggest player in the instant messenger and online gaming market here. Their IM client QQ has a market share of about 80% (!) in China, and because of that they can reach almost every Chinese person who goes online. I think the interaction between the online and the offline world will continue to increase, and Coca-Cola is very smart to make this step. I hope this won’t further increase QQ’s market share though: Tencent is also active in online gaming and therefore a competitor of youxi.cn and the other gaming sites that we plan to set up in China.

The China Daily (yes, I sometimes read it…) writes that Minsheng Bank is offering a credit card with a monthly overdraft facility of 3 million RMB. This is already quite some news, because the official maximum overdraft in China is only 50,000 RMB. But even more interesting is one of their main target groups for this diamond credit card: senior government officials.

Outside China this would not raise too many eyebrows, but a vice-minister level official in China only earns about 3000 RMB per month. This means that even after working for a lifetime he or she could not have earned 3 million RMB. The only other way to get so much money is by being corrupt and taking bribes. So if the government really wants to do something about corruption, they now have an easy way. Just compare the list of succesful applicants for this card with a list of all government employees!

I have a nice apartment in Shanghai, but certainly not as luxurious as the expat compounds that I used to live in while working for DaimlerChrysler. So to my surprise I noted a Maybach that was parked right in front of the entrance to my apartment building. Did one of my neighbours win the lottery?

Just came back from a meeting at the Four Seasons hotel, next to the China Bay office. Outside two TV crews were waiting (Shanghai TV and Oriental TV) and at the entrance a new Bentley was parked (very nice car by the way). I was observed by three doormen while walking in, and inside several staff with ear pieces were nervously walking around.

I wonder what famous or important guest is staying here. Even in October when Michael Schumacher stayed here and in December when Tom Cruise lived here, there was less security around.

My RSS reader automatically picks up stories on the internet that are related to online gaming in China. This morning I saw a headline that said “Online casino tips for Chinese players“. Because online casino’s are banned in China I was curious about the article and clicked on it. And to my big surprise I see an article about youxi.cn in which I am describing the game portal as an online casino!

I have no clue what happened here. I do interviews every now and then, but I have never used the words gambling or casino in relation to youxi.cn. Youxi.cn is a pure casual gaming website, with free games that you can play whenever you feel like it.

Maybe an editor was in desperate need for a story about China and decided that by rewriting the youxi.cn press release he could have some sort of a scoop? Or an overactive intern misinterpreted the press release and added some spice to it? In any case they did not do any research, because one click on youxi.cn would have shown them that it is something completely different from an online casino.