enjoyebooks Chapter 52 Reaching In
Chapter 52 Reaching In
In the fierce competition of the internet, one misstep can lead to eternal regret; being one step behind can mean being ten steps behind.
The previous version of Sohu Weibo didn't launch until April 2010, a full eight months later than Xinlang.
During those eight months, Xinlang used a star-studded strategy to acquire most of the territory. By the time Souhu entered the game, there were no good cards left on the table.
Zhang Chaoyang later spoke about this matter on numerous public occasions, his tone always filled with deep pain.
It's not that he can't see Weibo, it's that he looks down on it.
What kind of trouble can a 140-character thing cause?
But by the time the waves really started to rise, Souhu's ship had already run aground.
Later, with the rise of video streaming services, the decline of portals, and the mobile internet revolution, Sohu was always a step behind at every crucial juncture.
Zhang Chaoyang has gradually degenerated from a leading figure in China's internet industry into a "retired entrepreneur" who talks extensively about health and philosophy in public.
But in this life, because Ren Pingsheng, like a butterfly flapping its wings, caused the launch time of Sohu Weibo to be moved up by four months.
Are four months enough to catch up with Xinlang?
do not know.
But that's enough to make others uneasy.
……
Shenzhen, Penguin.
Pony's voice rang out in the conference room, "Sohu is going to launch a Weibo account, and Charles is personally leading the team. What do you guys think?"
The product managers present exchanged glances.
Tencent does have its own Weibo-like product; several months ago, "Taotao" was already undergoing a version upgrade.
However, its priority has never been high.
QQ's user base was enormous, with its concurrent online users just exceeding 80 million. At that time, the total number of internet users in China was only 300 million, meaning that one in four internet users was online at the same time.
What truly kept Ma Huateng up at night was Fetion.
On PCs, QQ is undoubtedly the dominant player.
However, in the newly emerging mobile internet era, China Mobile's Fetion, with its free SMS service, became a Damocles' sword hanging over Tencent's head.
"What I mean is," Ma Huateng paused for a moment, "that Weibo is a product primarily focused on defense."
Ma Huateng finally made the final decision.
"Have the Taotao team speed up the process, just follow the new Langchao, and protect our QQ base, that's the primary goal."
Faced with the choice between preserving existing territory and expanding its reach, this prudent leader of Tencent habitually chose the former.
……
Guangzhou, the internet is booming.
Ding Sanshi sat with his legs crossed, holding a product report in his hand.
NetEase was one of the first to adopt Weibo.
But today, San Shi called the product team over again, saying, "Take a look at this."
He turned to a page in the report and pointed to a line of data.
"Mobile visits to Xinlang Weibo have reached 18%."
At the end of 2009, the penetration rate of smartphones was less than 15%, and most people still relied on PCs to access the internet.
The 18% mobile user share indicates that a significant portion of Weibo's users browse the platform on their mobile phones.
"Has the SMS channel with the operator been opened?" Ding Sanshi asked.
"It's connected. China Unicom and China Mobile have reached an agreement. Users can send a text message to a designated number, and the message content can be directly published as a microblog."
"Does Xinlang have this feature?"
"no."
Ding Sanshi threw the report on the table and leaned forward.
"Where is the mobile app development progressing?"
"It is expected to be submitted for review in mid-February."
"End of January."
The product manager's face froze for a moment.
"Mr. Ding, the Spring Festival holiday..."
Do you think people in Xinlang will take a holiday for the Spring Festival?
No one spoke anymore.
"Short message on Weibo is our trump card. Right now, eight out of ten netizens are still using feature phones. Whoever can get feature phone users to use Weibo will capture the largest incremental market."
He turned around, his gaze behind his glasses cold.
"The client application will be launched at the end of January, and the SMS channel experience will be further optimized."
The course of history has already deviated.
The person who caused all of this had just hung up a phone call.
It is the melancholic Gu Yongqiang.
On the phone, Gu Yongqiang's voice was so excited it was almost overflowing.
"Mr. Ren, congratulations! Did you see the data for episode 3 of 'Report to the Boss'? It broke five million views over the weekend! It's completely crushing Sohu's 'Loser 2'!"
"Mr. Gu, you're too kind. It's all thanks to the platform's support," Ren Pingsheng said politely.
"Not at all, content is king. Your 'Report to the Boss' is already a phenomenal project on our platform this year. I had a meeting with the team, and everyone agreed that we can deepen our cooperation in the future."
"How do we go deeper?"
"For our next project, Youku wants to be a co-producer, not just a platform buyer. We will contribute funding and resources to co-develop the project."
as expected.
The three episodes combined have already garnered ten million views; it's impossible for Louis Koo not to be tempted.
But Ren Pingsheng did not answer.
"Mr. Gu, this is only the third episode. There are still seven episodes to film. It's too early to talk about the next one now."
"Mr. Ren is worried..."
"What I'm worried about is that if the last seven episodes aren't filmed well, it'll be a slap in your face," Ren Pingsheng chuckled. "Let's finish what we're doing first, and then we can talk about the next step."
"Okay, then, for the subsequent filming, if there's anything Youku can help with, just let us know."
"must."
The phone hangs up.
Bai Ke listened to the whole thing from the side, and once again had a look of disbelief on his face.
"Brother Pingsheng, why did you refuse Youku's offer to invest in us?"
"It's not a refusal, it's just that there's no rush," Ren Pingsheng stood up, took out an A4 sheet of paper from the drawer, and handed it to Bai Ke. "Let's get down to business first."
The paper listed more than a dozen brand names, with contact information and brief notes next to them.
Bai Ke glanced at it, and the first line was a name he had never heard of before.
Guevara Life Network
What kind of company is this?
"I bought the movie tickets for you."
Bai Ke still looked bewildered.
Ren Pingsheng patted him on the shoulder.
"Go and contact them, tell them that the fourth episode of 'Report to the Boss' is going to parody a Lunar New Year movie, and ask if they are interested in being our first product placement partner."
"How much money can a movie ticket website offer?"
Ren Pingsheng did not answer, his gaze falling on the hazy Beijing skyline outside the window.
Gewara is currently just a startup, but in a month, when Avatar is released, it will become one of the pioneers in the domestic online ticketing market and an indispensable channel for all film marketing.
What he had to do was to reach into the market before anyone else understood the path forward.
Bai Ke handed the list to Xiao Ai, and the two squatted in a corner to start making phone calls.
Ren Pingsheng sat back down at his computer and opened eName's trading backend.
The latest inquiry was from this morning.
From Xinlang.
Asking price: five million.
Close the page.
The situation is now clear.