Tuenti
Encyclopedia
Tuenti is a Spain
-based, invitation-only private social networking website that has been referred to as the "Spanish Facebook
." Tuenti, pronounced in Spanish, sounds like Twenty in English. The name, however, actually comes from "tu enti[dad]," meaning "your entity." The site is targeted at the Spanish audience, and is currently accessible only to those who have been invited.
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.
Now 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, and Alexa Internet
ranks the site as the sixth most visited in Spain. It is currently estimated that there are more 12 million users, making it the country's most popular social network. Zaryn Dentzel
, one of its founders, stated that they intend to focus on Spanish users more before possibly expanding to other countries. The site targets users in specific regions to improve its click-through rate
s, which have reached as high as 40%.
, Kenny Bentley, Joaquín Ayuso de Pául
and Adeyemi de Ajao worked together to bring Tuenti to what it is nowadays . Tuenti was acquired by the major communications group Telefonica
on August 4, 2010 for a total of 70 million euros. Telefonica now controls 85% of the company. .
Dentzel, CEO, and Bentley, the lead programmer, came to Spain after having worked in social networking in the United States. 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.
The organization now has employees from countries around the world, including Spain, the U.S., Germany, Poland, the UK, Sweden and Portugal.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
-based, invitation-only private social networking website that has been referred to as the "Spanish Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
." Tuenti, pronounced in Spanish, sounds like Twenty in English. The name, however, actually comes from "tu enti[dad]," meaning "your entity." The site is targeted at the Spanish audience, and is currently accessible only to those who have been invited.
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.
Now 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, and Alexa Internet
Alexa Internet
Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...
ranks the site as the sixth most visited in Spain. It is currently estimated that there are more 12 million users, making it the country's most popular social network. Zaryn Dentzel
Zaryn Dentzel
Zaryn Dentzel is the founder and CEO of Tuenti, Spain's largest 'invite-only' social network with over 12 million users.Dentzel originates from Santa Barbara in California and had his first go at social networking aged 21 when he co-created the political social network Essembly in the US...
, one of its founders, stated that they intend to focus on Spanish users more before possibly expanding to other countries. The site targets users in specific regions to improve its click-through rate
Click-through rate
Clickthrough rate is a way of measuring the success of an online advertising campaign. The clickthrough rate of an advertisement is defined as the number of clicks on an ad divided by the number of times the ad is shown , expressed as a percentage. For example, if a banner ad is delivered 100...
s, which have reached as high as 40%.
History
Tuenti was founded in 2006 by a group of friends in Spain. Felix Ruiz, Zaryn DentzelZaryn Dentzel
Zaryn Dentzel is the founder and CEO of Tuenti, Spain's largest 'invite-only' social network with over 12 million users.Dentzel originates from Santa Barbara in California and had his first go at social networking aged 21 when he co-created the political social network Essembly in the US...
, Kenny Bentley, Joaquín Ayuso de Pául
Joaquín Ayuso de Pául
Joaquín Ayuso de Paúl is the co-founder and ex-CTO of Tuenti, a Madrid-based invitation-only private social networking website that has been referred to as the "Spanish Facebook".He acquired a degree at Instituto Católico de Artes e Industrias in Madrid and officially founded Tuenti in 2006 as the...
and Adeyemi de Ajao worked together to bring Tuenti to what it is nowadays . Tuenti was acquired by the major communications group Telefonica
Telefónica
Telefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
on August 4, 2010 for a total of 70 million euros. Telefonica now controls 85% of the company. .
Dentzel, CEO, and Bentley, the lead programmer, came to Spain after having worked in social networking in the United States. 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.
The organization now has employees from countries around the world, including Spain, the U.S., Germany, Poland, the UK, Sweden and Portugal.
External links
- Tuenti home page
- Zaryn Dentzel - Conference
- Zaryn Dentzel - Conference
- Zaryn Dentzel interview
- Zaryn Dentzel keynote address at IE UniversityIE UniversityIE University is a private university, owned by for-profit business firm Instituto de Empresa S.L., whose main campus is located in Segovia, Castile and León ....