Attack of the Pinterest Clones, as Qihoo Rolls Out Its Own

Qihoo 360 (NYSE:QIHU), the Chinese anti-virus vendor, has made yet another move into social media with its launch today of a Pinterest clone called ‘I Like.’

Just like the original, the site is for sharing and ‘liking’ random images that people post, which tend to be ones related to fashion, gadgets, and showing off what individuals own.

It’s the second such Pinterest-like site from a major Chinese web company just this month, following hot on the heels of Renren’s (NYSE:RENN) new Plaza. But whereas Plaza users seem obsessed with linking to items that they’re selling on the Taobao e-commerce site, the peeps on ‘I Like’ seem to be more laid-back and with no set agenda.

I’ll admit I’m not at all a fan of such sites – especially as the sole premise for a new startup – since they’re just glorified and prettified BBSes/forums. A number of Chinese startups have already launched localized social pinboard sites, with Huaban.com emerging as the most prominent independent service. But for established web players, it seems to make a fun addition to a social platform.

Qihoo’s other big social push came last summer with the launch of its group messaging app, Kouxin.