Based on the customer feedback, the astrology, Bollywood and cricket sections are more prominent with an easy to read news and prominent photo gallery. At the press of a button, the users can change the colour scheme of the portal. The changed look incorporates several new features and more content is now viewable on the first click.

Commenting on the new look of nine portals Mr. Vinay Chhajlani, Founder and Director, Webdunia.com said, “As pioneers in multi-lingual portals, Webdunia has introduced more intuitive interfaces and cutting edge technology for Indian language lovers. The 2-million plus users of Webdunia now have the facility of personalising the look and feel of their favourite portal.”

We have invested extensively over the last one year in introducing these features while painstakingly understanding customer needs and fulfilling them,” adds Mr. Chhajlani.

Industry estimates suggest that nearly 18 million users, representing about one-third of the total Internet users visit an Indian language site.

“The new features like Blogs give the users the ability to express their creative talent as they upload their writings, photographs and video content on the Webdunia pages. This allows them to share and engage with an ever growing community of Webdunia users,” addsMr. Pankaj Jain, Chief Operating Officer, Webdunia.

“Having grown the number of portals to 9 languages a year ago we wanted to reward our growing family of netizens so that a larger number of Indian language lovers could experience the magic of the digital world,” adds Mr. Jain.

The Webdunia portal attracts 2 million unique visitors every month. It has grown 6%-8% every month since June 2007 when it expanded the number of portals from 4 to 9 Indian languages.

The Webdunia team systematically created a virtual world where the non-English speaking netizens could get all the services available to their English counterpart. Starting with news and language email service, Webdunia has made the site more interactive and informative through a series of services that has a following among diverse age groups. These include Classifieds, e-greetings, Mail on mobile, Quest, and WAP.

Webdunia has created a robust platform that allows users to express their views and creativity in multiple forms. The users can create their own polls, discussion fora as well as audio and video galleries so as to network with their groups.

Mail on mobile in 9 languages
With a simple and easy to follow procedure Webdunia mail users can access mail on their mobiles in their preferred language. The application can be downloaded from wap.webdunia.com for free.

The user can send/receive their mails on the move, they don’t have to be on computer. Similarly those who do not have access to a computer can use this application for their mail requirements from any GPRS-enabled phone. They can register from their mobile and then start sending/receiving mails. Estimates suggest that most phones selling for over Rs 3,000 a piece have GPRS features.

Mobile services on 53434
Webdunia.com’s innovative Value Added Services on its interactive SMS platform are offered through 53434 short code.

The 53434 platform hosts services like Jokes and Quotations and offers advice related to Astrology, Vaastu, Feng Shui, Health and Beauty. Updates on Sports, Stock Market, e-greeting cards, Mobile wallpaper and themes can be downloaded on mobile phones across the country.

Other popular interactive services include dating, Bollywood tit-bits, cricket scores and picture messaging.

While the access on the Internet is free the SMS service on 53434 mobile platform is charged at Rs 3 per SMS.

Webdunia made available examination results on the site. By simply keying in the roll number on this website, the students can access their complete mark sheet and take a print out.

Webdunia pioneered the declaration of exam results of various School Boards and Universities in 2000 and has been growing this list as a free service with each passing year.

WAP Applications
When Webdunia launched its WAP applications on Webdunia in the last quarter of 2007 it became the first company in India to enable content in 9 Indian languages over WAP on handsets, including those handsets which do not support Indian language capabilities.

The WAP portal primarily consists of multilingual WAP content as well as Java based applications. WAP content covers several services like News, Astrology, Jokes, Health, beauty, home and childcare tips.

Webdunia has a tie up leading GSM and CDMA players like Airtel, BPL, Idea, Reliance and Tata to offer a variety of services over WAP as well as SMS. Many of Webdunia services over WAP like News, Jokes, Tips, Astrology and Cricket Score are available free for users.

Webdunia created a java based web application--Laxmi Pujan-- to allow users to perform Diwali Puja on mobile device along auspicious timings (Mahurat) for performing puja.

E-greetings
To celebrate a myriad of Indian festivals, unique to India, Webdunia has a bank of a few thousand cards for every festival. The greetings are unique as they use the local art form and flexibility to create in message in one’s own language. It also has a few hundred musical e-greetings. Webdunia is now planning to tie up with music companies and individual singers for vocals.

Webdunia is also looking at wireless applications so that its e-greetings could be downloaded on JAVA and GPRS-enabled mobile handsets.

MyWebdunia: Blog a reality in Indian languages
In yet another pioneering move, the portal has launched MyWebdunia.com, that makes blogging possible in regional languages. In its beta version, Mywebdunia.com enables users to blog as well as to create their own portals.

The user can decide to open the web pages to a select few friends or to the worldwideweb. The choice of 10 languages in which the users wish to express themselves is truly amazing. The user is truly the king in MyWebdunia.

All the users are linked so that there is a rating system for highest views. The best part is that all this comes absolutely free to the users.

Webdunia’s biggest motivator for launching MyWebdunia is not only to keep the passion of the language users alive but to fuel it. Webdunia founders firmly believe that as India globalizes as an economic power, netizens need to share and grow the richness of its native Indian languages, art, culture and above all its heritage using this modern medium.

Webdunia is mulling a revenue sharing mechanism with the bloggers, which will make it attractive for users to have their own web pages, using the MyWebdunia platform, in a language of their own choice.

Webdunia has also launched 'Quest', a platform for asking question and seeking answers. Users can ask queries, post answers and win points for doing so.

“Webdunia offers well-rounded entertainment and knowledge-based content. Our goal is to offer as many services in various Indian languages, so non-English speakers can leverage the power of internet to their advantage,” adds Jain.

Games portal
The games site, currently running on a beta version offers instructions in multiple languages - Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam.

Gamers have the option of choosing from several interesting games which are categorised in generic sections as well as groups like memory, arcade action and funny.

The gaming portal also offers games based on traditional Indian themes like archery. Other popular games include click mania, sling shot and space war.

The portal allows users to play games, keep a record of their scores and win prizes. The idea is to create an engaging and enjoyable pastime for young gamers. The instructions and the scores are made available in the Indian languages preferred by the gamer.

Language classifieds
Webdunia has also introduced a classified advertisement service in local languages. A professional, a businessman, a housewife, a job-seeker, a college student or a teenager seeking proficiency in spoken English or want to master yoga, can avail this service.

Apart from being totally free, it lets the readers post a classified ad in a language of their own choice, in their city, instantaneously. The users do not need a newspaper that is published out of their city. Nor do they have to wait for their newspaper to carry the to-let classified ad during the weekend.

The registration for the classifieds is simple and quick. It gives users the option to post an advertisement and receive responses on the email, phone or even by post. The Webdunia users will have a simple dashboard available online. They can edit the advertisement or change the asking price in case they find no takers for the old mobike that was cared for so fondly.

Unique Email in 9 Indian languages
Being early creators of language content and technology for global software majors has given Webdunia unmatched expertise to strengthen its email service. Webdunia email service now has a built-in ease of input in 9 Indian languages, seamless transmission and display on a recipient's computer screen. The email service is available in Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu

Interestingly, for sending an e-mail in any of the 9 languages the sender does not need a language key board or language software. Nor does the recipient need any language software.

About Webdunia
Webdunia, the first Hindi language portal, offers quality content to people of different religions, cultures and age groups. Nine Indian language portals offer channels like news from the world of politics, sports and human interest stories, Bollywood, Life-Style, Religion, Science, IT, Career, Astrology, Literature, etc. Live cricket commentary, ticker and Webdunia Poll are some other major highlights of Webdunia language portals.

Email service is available in 11 languages—Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.

Headquartered in Indore, Webdunia development centres operate from Chennai, Indore and Thiruvananthapuram.