china

THEM China is growing and we’re currently looking for a new Web Designer to join our team. This position is based in Beijing (China). Here is the job description:

Title of Position: 

Graphic/Web Designer

Company Overview:

THEM is a leading digital agency based in China (Beijing, Shanghai) and Russia (Moscow)  and specialized in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We offer a complete range of web services, from high quality web design and clean web development to professional SEO and SEM.

Our multicultural team is composed of high-level Internet professionals from Europe, Asia, North and South America.

Known for our fresh and brilliant ideas, we help our clients be visible on the Internet and keep their website ahead of the competition.

We also implement our know-how of web to develop internal projects, notably in the fields of e-commerce and ranking monitoring (SEO tools).

Job Duties:

The Web Designer is responsible for day-to-day website design and creation. His/her duties involve:

• Meeting clients and translating their idea/marketing/informational content into a design output adapted to their target market
• Providing clients with design advice, explanation and suggestions
• Designing web pages and websites appearance and User Interface (UI)
• Creating or editing images and graphics for website use
• Coordination with project manager and clients to ensure that goals and needs are met in the design process

Job Qualifications:

The Web Designer is required to have:

• Minimum 1 year experience in designing websites in variety of formats
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and/or Photoshop
• Creative, capable of creating something totally new e.g logos, modern, interesting, fresh web designs
• Methodological, capable of executing repetitive work and to do variations on an existing project
• Good communication skills with both internal and external contacts
• Web culture (must)
• SEO notions (plus)
• Oral and written English proficiency mandatory
• Other languages is a plus

Job Availability/Location/Salary/Benefits:

• Position: Full time, available from now on
• Job location: Beijing, China
• Salary: Depending on your experience
• Benefits: Visa & Medical insurance

Contact:

Please apply to this job position by sending your resume/CV to: jobs(at)them.pro

Other Job Positions at THEM China:

Looking for another job position within THEM China? We’re always looking for new talents to join our company. If you want to be part of a successful and productive team, feel free to send us your unsolicited application (web development + SEO).

Renren is firing people, should we be worried?

Rumors of layoffs and decreasing advertisement revenues could be the start of a slow decline for the once great Renren. 

Two problems face this company as of the end of 2012. An increasingly competitive environment with other platforms like WeChat and Weibo stealing the proverbial thunder from Renren. Apparently there can only be so many social networks out there before we get bored of some for not evolving at the speed of light. 

The other problem Renren is faced with is how to make money out of mobile advertising. This seems to be quite the pickle for more than one e-commerce/web company out there. In a bid to stay with the times, Renren's CEO Joe Chen has announced that there will be more management and higher investment geared toward the mobile aspect of Renren's products. 

Inevitably, another aspect of their decline is a general sluggishness of the economy and the sector they are in. But, because everyone suffers from that and it's not really a reason in itself to explain the situation compared to other companies. 

The end is nigh

These layoffs may or may not have been blown out of proportion. It sound like it could make sense as the company has seen decline in advertisement revenue and has openly acknowledged the strains of adapting to a world that has shifted to mobile. If they are downsizing for fears of the future then WeChat and Weibo will be rubbing their hands with glee. If, on the other hand it is not more than a little strategic recalculating then Renren will not be just another victim of China's social networking world. 

Renren's golden boys?

The company's gaming department is getting bigger and better. It was announced on the App Store China that Renren was the top publisher of games this year. On top of that, Nuomi which is their group buying service has risen and now accounts for over 10% of Renren's net revenues in the 3rd quarter. 

Layoffs due to a company worried for its future? Maybe. A definite and quantifiable decline of Renren group? Surely not. It is impossible to evaluate what will happen to this company but lets meet back here at the end of next quarter and talk about it. 

Hosting a website in China can be seen as messy, difficult and extremely confusing for most people but, in fact, the process is quite straight forward. With this guide, we aim to guide you through the whole registration process from the very beginning to the launch of your website in mainland China.

As we are a web agency based in Beijing and Shanghai, we are accustomed to this process and can assist you with the registration if you require assistance. Do not hesitate to contact us if you are facing any difficulties.

Internet Content Provider License: Definition

The Internet Content Provider License, also known as ICP License or 备案 (Bei An) in Chinese, is a permit issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry & Information to allow internet website to legally operate in China mainland. Each website hosted in China must have its own ICP license, but if your website is hosted in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan you don't need to apply for a license.

Compulsory Requirement

Without a proper license or a partnership with a Chinese counterpart, your website can be shut down by the China-based Internet service providers that you are using as it’s required to block the site if a license is not acquired within a grace period.

Moreover, each hosting company based in China is required to regularly check that all their clients comply with the regulation. If your license number is not displayed properly or your license number is not right (incorrect number), your hosting company can shut down your website without any prior warning.

Application Process: Procedure, Cost, Delay

The whole registration process is organized by the Ministry of Industry & Information which is part of the State Council. The MII is in charge of the manufacture of electronic and information products, the communications and the software industry. It is also involved in the promotion of the national economy and social services across China.

1. You need to create an account at http://www.miibeian.gov.cn (Ministry of Industry & Information) by entering your e-mail address and cell phone number in the form.

2. After the approval by the MII, you will receive a confirmation code on your both cell phone and e-mail account.

3. After receiving the code you have to login into the MII website, enter the code, and access your account. This step allows the MII to verify your identity and that you are the owner of the website.

4. After login into the MII Web site, you will have to fill out an on-line form with your name, mobile phone number, home phone number, home address, domain name, host provider, company name, and a description of your website.

You still need to have a partnership with a local company to apply for it if you are a foreign company. The processing time is about 3 weeks from the day you are starting the application but it can takes up to 60 days depending what kind of business you are doing in China. Take in consideration that national holiday can increase the delay of getting your ICP license delivered on time.

Keep in mind that there is no guarantee that your application will be accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What will happen if I don’t follow the regulation rules?

Many websites don’t have their own ICP license yet or haven’t started the process and are still online but as soon as their hosting company knows that they don’t have their own ICP License, they will shut down it and invite them to get one as fast as possible.

2. I’m working for a foreign company (not Chinese), should I still apply for it?

Every single website hosted in mainland China has to have its own proper license whatever is the owner’s nationality. But foreign companies have to set up a partnership with a Chinese company in order to register. You will not be able to obtain one if you go on your own without a local partnership.

Following the Ministry of Information Industry’s rules, all foreign companies which wish to register an ICP license must withdraw all foreign investments or hand over its service operations including assets, staff, domain name, trademark and clients to a local partner, and set up another company that is totally controlled by the Chinese partner.

THEM is able to register and do the whole process for you as we are a fully incorporated company under the Chinese law.

3. I don’t want to have a .cn domain name, should I still apply for the license?

As soon as your website is hosted in any datacenters located within the border of Mainland China you need to apply for it. The registration is compulsory whatever your domain name is.

If you are operating within China through a joint venture company with a local partner, then the foreign-owned shares must be kept below 50% of the total shares.

 4. What kind of sites can be hosted in China?

Any website which doesn’t violate Chinese law could get a license. The Chinese law prohibits the following topics: pornographic or promoting immoral behavior, websites offensive to the Chinese government, websites selling drugs or satellite equipment and websites that promote banned activities or organizations.

5. My website is an e-commerce platform not a corporate website. Do I still need to apply for the ICP?

As your website will be registered under the business category, you will need to provide additional information during the application process. You will be granted a business license (commercial license).

If you have any troubles, misunderstanding, questions, remarks about the ICP registration within Mainland China, you are welcome to contact us and we will be happy to help you.

The internet market is still growing at a very fast pace in China and it’s already the time for mergers and acquisitions here! We have learnt, few days ago, that the leading Chinese search engine Baidu was planning to acquire the second search engine Sogou earlier this year but failed to finalize the deal.

Sogou, a Not So Small Competitor

Sogou, the search engine owned by the web portal Sohu, is still a small player in the search engine field in China compare to the giant Baidu but it has been reported by Infodesk that Sogou would be considered the second player just in front of Google. In a very fragmented search engine market, where more than eight local and international platforms are competing, it comes with no surprise that some players want to gain time by choosing to grow externally and remove potential threats by acquiring some competitors.

Internet in China: A Now Mature Market

Earlier in March this year, the two video sharing platforms Youku and Toudu had announced their merge into one bigger company called Youku Toudu Inc. Currently Youku’s market share is about 25% while Toudu is about 14%, the deal is about US$ 1 Billion and will create the first video sharing platform in China with around 40% of the market share.

With all the acquisitions going on during the past months, it is very likely that the internet market in China is going to concentrate within the next months.