Photo Gallery StudiVZ vs. Facebook
Surfing the Internet in a Düsseldorf cafe: Until recently, social networking platform StudiVZ was one of the few German success stories on the Internet.
The VZ networks include the college student-oriented StudiVZ, SchülerVZ, which is aimed at school students, and MeinVZ, a platform for non-students.
Clemens Riedl is managing director of the VZ networks. "We want to be clear as well as easier to understand and use," he says. He hopes that this will enable the social networking site to reach target audiences for which Facebook is simply too complex.
Facebook, which has already set its sights on Google in the battle for Internet dominance, is causing serious problems for its Teutonic competitor. This photo shows Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg, 26, is the most prominent face of social networks, which makes him a hero for the industry and users -- an image that rubs off on his product. StudiVZ lacks a comparable celebrity figure.
