India is a big bet on Facebook timeline: Sheryl Sandberg

India has the second-largest user base for Facebook, after the US, with over 100 million users and 9,00,000 small and medium businesses (SMBs) on board. The world's largest social networking social networking website is in the process of monetising its business in India, according to Facebook chief operating officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg.

"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.

"India is our 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," Sandberg further said.

Globally, Facebook has more than 1.2 billion users. Sandberg added that about 900,000 SMBs have pages on Facebook on which they can advertise and reach out to potential customers.

"These pages appear in news feeds of users, which the company claims are personalised. Some percentage of these SMBs are paying for the page product. This explains lot of growth here. Business here contributes globally."

Sandberg further added the company wants to enable commerce- help small and medium businesses to find customers and expand their business in turn helping Facebook grow.

Sandberg also said 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."

Courtesy: Mail Today