Facebook seems to be everywhere these days: it reached half a billion users in July, its value is soaring and the inevitable film is coming out in October.
While the site has become synonymous with social networking in the US and Europe, the story is very different in Brazil, where Google’s Orkut is king of the hill. But as Brazilians become more globally connected, Facebook is making inroads into Latin America’s largest economy.
“If you’re in Brazil and you’re not on Orkut, you’re nobody”, says Alex Banks, managing director of Brazil and vice president of Latin America at web research firm ComScore. “It’s incredibly popular, incredibly well used, and it is the Brazilian social network.”
Orkut drew 28.9m visitors in July, according to ComScore – more than three-quarters of Brazil’s internet audience, and more than the combined number of visitors to Facebook and Twitter that month. ComScore estimates that Brazilians spend 14 per cent of their total time online on Orkut, and the average user visits the site 37 times a month. (more…)
about Brazil, Paraíba and João Pessoa
A fire destroyed the landmark “Incógnita” nightclub in Rua Coração de Jesus, Tambaú, on Wednesday evening (21) at about 20h30.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, neighbours had already gained access to the club and were fighting the fire with extinguishers.
The club’s owner, Humberto de Tarço Costa, told the firemen that the fire started when an employee forgot about something that was on the cooker. Investigators are looking further into the cause of the fire.
There were no injuries because the club was empty. The case is also being investigated by the 10ª Delegacia Distrital.
Paraiba Paradise
about Brazil, Paraíba and João Pessoa
The Prefeitura of Cabedelo has pulled the plug on the big pop events at Praia do Jacaré, organized by Jacaré Pop, Solar das Águas and Golfinho. The measure is intended to preserve the ambiance for tourists and the protection of the environment. The Prefeitura feel that the natural beauty of the area has to be protected and the infrastructure was never able to cope with these big events.
It was also felt that even though there was a local committee to help protect the area, there was a conflict of interests amongst those involved.
According to the Secretary for the Environment of Cabedelo, Walber Farias, the shows brought too many problems such as interfering with access to the main tourist area, causing disorder and creating a lot of rubbish. He goes on to say that during the last show a gunshot was fired in the air by a noise pollution monitor to scare off some of people causing problems.
For the moment, concerts will still take place, pending discussions with the authorities and the local businesses. No date has yet been given for a meeting where the problems of the park will be discussed.
Paraiba Paradise
about Brazil, Paraíba and João Pessoa
The project Paths of Flavor (Caminhos do Sabor), promoted by the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel), is betting on the improvement of business management and on providing training to out-of-home food industry professionals.
The goal is to increase the competitiveness of Brazilian tourist destinations . So far, eight destinations have already undergone training, and another 33, in 23 different states plus the Federal District, are receiving training. The goal is to target 55 destinations and train 11,000 people by 2011.
Aside from entrepreneurial training, the project also focuses on involving the public sector, businessman and the civil society in order to establish a governance group that will increase the competitiveness of destinations and add value to typical regional foods.
To businessman José Lyra, 50 years old, who owns restaurant Canoa dos Camarões, at Manaíra beach, in the city of João Pessoa (capital of the state of Paraíba), since 2004, the project is a great opportunity to prepare for a market that is growing, and cater to increasingly demanding consumers. (more…)
about Brazil, Paraíba and João Pessoa
