Indiablogwatch is trying its best to cover the emerging trends in the Indian Blogosphere and to give a fillip to this idea we’ve invited Raj - the man behind SixerTV - a newly launched social networking site exclusively based on cricket. SixerTV offer everything an ardent cricket fan hunts for connecting global cricket community and giving them a wonderful platform to discuss and express their views on the game.

Here comes Raj with his valuable insights...

Vikas: You have been spotted as the upcoming “MySpace of India”. Where do you think you stand in this respect?

Raj: I am not sure if it’s a fair comparison. Those were the views of the writer (Ms. Rashmi Bansal). It’s a tall order for any site before its launch to be compared as upcoming MySpace of India. I am not sure if My Space business model would work in India today.

We focus on cricket fans. Web2.0 is a new concept in India and it will take a couple of years for any company to see the growth that is going on in the U.S.

Vikas: Sixer.tv is an “online platform to connect global cricket fans”. What exactly Sixer.tv wants to achieve by this and how far it have been successful?

Raj: Sixer wants to enable cricket fans to connect with other fans around the world and share their love for cricket, cricket memories, moments etc.

• We are only a two-day old site. In first two days of launch
• We had more than 500 members join Sixer site in less than two days
• Over 2000 ‘Runs’/views of articles posted on the site
• We have over hundred articles/pictures/videos posted
• Over hundred invitation to friends to check out the site from joined the member
• Two articles had more than 400 Runs
• One out of every three members who joined our site has invited friends that’s a great achievement

A sports journalist from a leading media house, whose article was submitted on our site, was amazed by the pull of Sixer site and the ‘Runs’ scored by his article. His article was read by more than 300 fans within few hours.

We haven’t done any marketing of the site in India. So, from the initial traffic point of view we were successful. But we believe we have long way to go as several fans don’t understand what a social networking site is. They are not internet savvy yet. We are also challenged by slower internet speeds in India.

Vikas: The whole Internet, of course, as a media, is moving towards Web 2.0. How far do you think the phenomenon has emerged successfully?

Raj: There is lot of hype and unproven business models that are going after markets that don’t exist. They are being built for hit and run (build a company that can be sold in few months or within a year).

Look at what has happened in the travel portal space. It’s crowded, in the end these sites are in the travel agency business. It’s a wrong comparison, the point I wanted to make is there are lot of companies/investors getting in without doing their homework.

Sixer is going after cricket fans that love to connect with other fans. The game (cricket) is becoming bigger everyday with new countries joining ICC and the number of games being played by each team.

Vikas: What is the main idea behind linking of clubs and metros?

Raj: A Sachin Tendulkar fan would love to connect with other Tendulkar fan. Likewise, a fan would love to check out other cricket fans in their city and do cricket and non-cricket related things.

Vikas: You have restricted your users at various fronts, such as they are not allowed to vote and comment on a story. Don’t you think it is totally against the phenomenon of social networking?

Raj: No it’s not a restriction. From day one users can comment and rate pictures and videos posted at Sixer site. We decided to hold off the comments and vote functionality on ‘News’ section for few weeks so the users can explore the site. As you know it takes only couple of programming hours to integrate comments and vote on the ‘News’ section of the site. In next few weeks our focus is to see what users are doing at the site and not have every bell and whistle on the site.

Vikas: What are your future plans with respect to Sixer.tv? Where do you see Sixer.tv in the next five years?

Raj: We want to take Sixer content to mobile space. May be sponsor a Sixer Cup or event. In next five years, Sixer should be a leading online brand with presence in several countries and satisfy or exceed the expectations of cricket hungry fans.

Vikas: Finally, we would like to have your thoughts on the Instablogs Network and its all related sites. Which are your favorites?

Raj: Great Network. The growth you guys seeing is truly amazing. Celebrities and Gadget blogs are my favorites. I hope you guys continue growth at the same pace.