By the end of 1990s, social networking services began to proliferate worldwide. In the United States, Facebook dominates and has few if any true rivals. In China, there is greater competition. TechRice.com, an English-language tech blog in China, rates the top 15 as of March 2011, covering real-name-registered social networking systems, micro blogs, dating and gaming sites.

   iPartment   (愛情公寓交友網)

 

iPartment

iPartment is an avatar-based dating site launched in Taiwan in 2003. It features an online virtual apartment where young adults, especially urban youths, can move in and live together. In 2004, iPartment entered the mainland where it boasts over 20 million registered users as of March 2011, with 1.2 million active users. The site's revenues come from advertising, virtual goods and e-commerce, and Alexa CN ranks it as the 514th most popular website.