Ukraine has decided to block social networks “Vkontakte” and “Classmates”, in addition, providers must close access to Mail.ru, Yandex and another ten sites of the aggressor. In the “doghouse” was the most popular in Ukraine accounting program “1C”, Kaspersky and several hundred Russian companies. The website “Today” found out who in Ukraine may lose jobs as a result of sanctions and how they will work forbidden sites and businesses.
The prohibition of “Vkontakte”: someone will have to look for a job
“Vkontakte” (VK, VK) is the most popular in Ukraine social network, according to TNS, its coverage reached 80% of the total Internet audience. After the decision of banning the VC situation, as experts predict, will change dramatically. “Loyal” users will find a way to circumvent the ban, but the lion’s share of Ukrainians will look for other platforms.
Most large companies, sales offices, and sports clubs has already opened its official page in VK. For them, the social network is a way to find new clients. “We opened the sports complex in 2015. Tried to page, but the result was not. Then he turned to a professional SMM Department. The budget we had eight thousand a month and several thousand on advertising in the VC. They held competitions, doing targeted advertising, our ads are seen by those who are interested in sports, healthy lifestyle and who lives in our city. For the first month of web experience, our sales increased by 30%,” – told in one of the fitness clubs of Zaporizhia.
Now SMM-specialists (professionals who are engaged in promotion of brands in social networks) continue to take orders from Ukrainian companies to the advancement in “Vkontakte”, but how will develop the situation on the market, it is difficult to predict. “It all depends on what happens next, how to act the ban. We don’t yet understand,” – said in the Kharkov office of the company Seo Solution.
Photo: pixabay.com
In the capital, I’m sure SMM-specialist Dana Ludina, the situation is dramatically different from regions. “Vkontakte” uses to embed the image pages, and advertising budgets for several years to spend mainly on Facebook. “Vkontakte” really benefited from advertising five years ago. Now 90% of SMM providers earn on Facebook. There are brands. Page in VC are in the image format without a lot of exhaust. For sales of “Vkontakte” not so interesting” – sure Ludina.
Online stores that distribute their goods including via VC, go into Facebook, but entrepreneurs are using the social network as the only platform, risk to remain without any income.
“I shop 2014. I was still a student, when I started to order the goods in China and sell through the group in “Vkontakte”. I tried to buy advertising at other communities, unraveled her. Now I have 30 thousand participants. That’s a lot! I can earn a living. What will happen after the closure of the social network, I don’t know. To send the goods to Russia is long and expensive. It’s just not profitable to order from here and sell there. We are still with a friend just in shock,” says krivorozhane Lena.
Its customers after the closing of “Vkontakte” may lose zaporozhane Elena Yaroshenko. For several years she owned a wedding Agency, most clients found her on the social network. After the decision of the Council about the blocking online, she opened a community on “Facebook” and stated that starting a business almost from scratch.
But the Kiev office of “Vkontakte” close is not currently collected. Press-Secretary in Ukraine Vlad Legotkin after the decision on the blocking of the site, said that every month visit the resource 16 million Ukrainians. “We, the Team of Vkontakte, always avoided party politics. We believe that the Internet inherently has no boundaries. We have defended and will defend the interests of all our users and partners,” he wrote on his page on the social network. The message with the same content and instructions on how to circumvent the blocking of providers that it’s all network users registered in Ukraine.
By the way, how do you predict social media experts, young people can find the replacement of “Vkontakte” among the messengers, for example, Telegram, at the same time, older people are likely to “meet” with “Facebook”.
How you will operate the company under sanctions
The company Mail.Ru Group (it includes the “Vkontakte”, “Odnoklassniki”, My world, messaging services ICQ and Agent Mail.Ru e-mail Mail Mail.Ru), which also came under the sanctions, said that it will continue its work in Ukraine and plan to fulfill all obligations before the Ukrainian staff and partners.
“We are convinced that the Internet has no borders. We never participated in politics. We have not broken any laws of Ukraine. Everything we do and continue to do, is a convenient services”, — stated in the message of the company.
All Ukrainian users Mail.Ru sent a letter with information about what the company will attempt to preserve the access of Ukrainians to the mailboxes. As in the situation of “Vkontakte”, to the letter attached links with information on how to circumvent the ban.
But the anti-virus company “Kaspersky Lab” has closed its Ukrainian office a few years ago. For the first time the company has imposed penalties in 2015, but in the “Kaspersky Lab” claim that not a few years ago or now, the sanctions significantly on their work will not be affected.
“Kaspersky Lab products are still sold on the territory of Ukraine through distribution channels. The new sanctions will not have a significant impact on the situation,” the company said.
At the same time, the Ukrainian “1S” at the moment, do not understand how to work under sanctions. The company “skyline software”, which deals with the distribution of products “1C”, now waiting for clarification from the Ministry of economy to find out whether the limitations of mutual settlements with Ukrainian contractors. The Ukrainians, who have already bought the 1C, and of about 300 thousand, will receive regular program updates, but a new product cannot buy.
Experts suggest that the developers of the program, as the leadership of the social networks, will look for ways to circumvent the ban. As the General Director “Baker Tilly Ukraine” Alexander Pochkun, the government imposed sanctions on Russian companies, and not on the software product. That is, the Ukrainian company will be able to get permission to sell the same software code.
“They can use the same code, but without the developer. Maybe just give the rights of some Ukrainian companies. I don’t think somehow possible misuse of this product. Purchased product, it works, it operate. “1C” is not going anywhere, likely to change the legal rules of interaction”, – says the expert.
Will it work “Yandex.Ukraine” – unknown at this time. In a press-service of the company said that the decision of the NSDC “nullify all long-term efforts of our team.” “Yandex is developing its services to Ukraine since 2005. More than 12 years we’ve been making Ukrainian search, maps of Ukrainian cities, navigation, educational projects and several dozen different projects”, – said the press service. Thus, in contrast to Mail.Ru Group, “Yandex” did not send its users with instructions on how to circumvent the ban.
Loss of “Yandex” from the Ukrainian sanctions can be about 7 billion ($124.4 million at the current exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation), or more than 9% from last year’s revenue, writes Russian Forbes.
