Facebook is quite a big thing in this part of the world. Sure it's an American creation with more leverage toward the people in the States. But India, over the years, has become one of the top countries to boast a great connection to the social networking site.
The advent of Facebook has become such a big thing that the networking site is used massively for generating traffic for most other sites, promote advertisements, and even use it as a political podium.
However, all that love for Facebook hasn't gone to waste as Facebook's chief operating officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg is now in India to discuss the future prospects of the networking business. Apart from that, India's role in all this has also been brought to the front.
"India has the second-largest user base for Facebook after the US. We have invested heavily in India. India is one of the big bets for us. We are in the process of monetising here," Sandberg told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Keeping all those things into contention, what are the primary things that we learnt from Sandberg's visit to the country? We take a closer look at the top 5.
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg Says: India has a Large Base
According to Sheryl Sandberg, India has the second-largest user base for Facebook. In fact, after the US, with over 100 million users and 9,00,000 small and medium businesses (SMBs) on board, the site's one of the biggest traffic provider comes from the Indian sub-continent.
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg Says: Facebook Takes Privacy Seriously
In an exclusive interview, Ms Sandberg, who is visiting India, emphasized that Facebook takes the privacy of users very seriously.
"We communicated very badly on the emotions study... We hope users understand that we care about their privacy...We want to be transparent and give users control," she said.
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg Says: Politicians Should Use More of It
Sandberg said that the Internet can be a potent medium for politicians to communicate with the public.
"Politicians should use Facebook and share what they are doing. A perfect example is Narendra Modi, who has extensively used Facebook in his electoral campaign.
"His following on Facebook with over 18 million followers is only next to Obama. This is an important medium," she added.
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg Says: Site Cannot Control Emotions
While privacy activists and regulators in some countries have alleged that Facebook manipulated feeds to try and control users' emotions, Sandberg says "Facebook cannot control emotions of users. Facebook will not control emotions of users."
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg Says: India has a Lot of Potential
Sandberg says that India is its second-largest market and it has a lot of potential. "US is our largest market, but in terms of people on our network, there is a huge opportunity for us."
