My Romantic Relationship on Renren.com
In June 2010, Renren.com launched a new application for sweet couples on Renren.com: Couple Space.
Renren.com always encourages people to put real information on Renren.com, such as real personal profile pictures, real name, real academic backgrounds and etc. So now, Renren.com started to encourage users to “show off” their relationship online.
Let me tell you this firstly - What is Couple Space?
Renren.com always encourages people to put real information on Renren.com, such as real personal profile pictures, real name, real academic backgrounds and etc. So now, Renren.com started to encourage users to “show off” their relationship online.
Let me tell you this firstly - What is Couple Space?
- Boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife can get access to their couple profile page using their own Renren.com accounts. It's easy to manage.
- Each can post anything on this profile page, like sweet words on love board and pictures
- Every couple profile page has a "love tree", which needs them to water it and harvest the fruits now and then. Also, it is a metaphor for the relationship. In other words, can they be with each other and harvest their love?
- Interaction with their friends: when the couple create their couple profile page, they can send a quest to their friends to ask them to follow this page, which means anything updated will be publicized on the News Feed.
- Privacy setting: couple can easily change the privacy setting to protect their privacy. For example, on Love Board, viewers could be allowed to view the post but not allowed to leave any comments. Or the couple could set it up as only to be viewed by themselves.
Echo & Joe's space
Word-of-mouth referral is one of the most important ways that how users started to create couple's profile page. They saw the update from other friends on their news feed.
I'm curious about how would this profile page on virtual world connect with the real relationship in real world. Echo and Joe told me that, "besides photos uploaded, one of the interesting functions is their love trees. Only when both of us water them together every day, it can grow up. Otherwise, it's pointless." However, some couple do have this page together, but they don't really care it that much. As Xiaoyu and Bo, who are another couple of users and just got married last summer, said, "we don't care it very much, but still more positive impacts than negative ones."
I'm curious about how would this profile page on virtual world connect with the real relationship in real world. Echo and Joe told me that, "besides photos uploaded, one of the interesting functions is their love trees. Only when both of us water them together every day, it can grow up. Otherwise, it's pointless." However, some couple do have this page together, but they don't really care it that much. As Xiaoyu and Bo, who are another couple of users and just got married last summer, said, "we don't care it very much, but still more positive impacts than negative ones."
Xiaoyu & Bo's space
Personal profile pages need privacy, so do couples. The couples I have interviewed all indicate that their friends are not eligible to view their love boards. But they do upload their pictures on it. They also allow comments and messages from friends.
Some of them might invite other friends as followers. But it's all their own choices. Xiaoyu said "I never invited anyone to this space. The followers right now may just find it my own homepage. They are usually our mutual friends."
We always say, relationship is just two people's business. It doesn't work all the time if you are on couple's space.
Overall, Renren.com's couple space is still under development, way behind the development of personal pages. How long will it go? When will you be ready to "show off" your love and stories among your friends? Or the role of coupled space is literally a space for just two of you?
Some of them might invite other friends as followers. But it's all their own choices. Xiaoyu said "I never invited anyone to this space. The followers right now may just find it my own homepage. They are usually our mutual friends."
We always say, relationship is just two people's business. It doesn't work all the time if you are on couple's space.
Overall, Renren.com's couple space is still under development, way behind the development of personal pages. How long will it go? When will you be ready to "show off" your love and stories among your friends? Or the role of coupled space is literally a space for just two of you?
