Does Facebook repeat the fate of IBM?

Absrtact: In 2012, in the timeline of Facebook itself, Instagram and Snapchat were two turning points. If the year-long follow the rules of Silicon Valley to buy photo sharing boss Instagram, meaning that Facebook is finally aware of its own mobile crisis, then the end of the 12-day speed

In 2012, Instagram and Snapchat were two turning points in Facebook's own timeline. If the year-long follow the Silicon Valley law to buy photo sharing boss Instagram, meaning that Facebook is finally aware of its own mobile crisis, then at the end of the 12-day rate of plagiarism photo-sharing Nova Snapchat, then put Facebook to the crossroads: Will it become Tencent? Facebook will become uncertain in 2013.

Two interesting phenomena

There are some very interesting phenomena.

Instagram in the early days of mobile Internet (iOS October 2010) turned out to filter as a sharp tool in the field of photo sharing quickly gathered a large number of young users. Snapchat rise in the mobile internet during the outbreak, to "Burn after reading" mode, is sought after by young users, even known as the "Instagram killer."

If Instagram threatens the traditional PC powerhouse Flickr, leading the trend of photo sharing on the mobile side, then, in the light of Instagram, Snapchat can also innovate in the field of photo sharing, which is also very rare. This shows that the mobile Internet is a very revolutionary industry, but also the field of innovation can be burst at any time. This can also put a lot of pressure on entrepreneurs and innovators, because if they don't innovate, they can be quickly replaced.

Facebook also Instagram with Snapchat, and a completely different two-way is also very interesting.

Facebook's position is delicate before it Instagram income by $715 million trillion. To put it simply, Facebook does not yet have a pure mobile internet gene, but is still moving its PC products to mobile platforms, such as Facebook clients, Facebook Messenger, and so on. This is a reflection of Facebook's lack of a mobile internet, too-heavy and innovative, and the possibility that Instagram could threaten Facebook if it continues to grow. Simply understood, Facebook started out as a photo shoot. Thus, at that time, the imagination of Instagram future space is enormous. In August this year, the average number of active users in Instagram reached 7.3 million, surpassing Twitter for the first time.

Facebook, however, did not appear to be impatient, or was tackling various IPOs, so it offered a deal. In fact, the acquisition of Silicon Valley is more recognized and followed the "fish" approach. Surprisingly, after acquiring Instagram this April, Facebook launched its own photo-sharing application camera one months later.

However, after the takeover of Instagram, and even the IPO, Facebook has not yet clarified where the centre of gravity of the mobile internet should be placed. Eager to cash in? Photo-sharing community or instant messaging? However, it is important to acknowledge that Facebook has made a strategic mistake in HTML5 , leading to a bungled opportunity.

Time will not wait for you, innovation will not leave you do not turn. Just as Facebook was still wandering, the July 2011 iOS online Snapchat to burn mode, cut into photo sharing, a year in a rush to red. At the end of October, Snapchat claimed to share 20 million snapshots a day, while Snapchat's investors, Matt Cohler, who had invested in Instagram, were on the list. As a result, Snapchat was once thought to be a Instagram killer: younger and more obsessed with young people.

Facebook, after buying Instagram, is under pressure to get out of the way. At the end of the year, for example, the toll service agreement was designed to expand advertising. The merger problem is already at Zuckerberg's desk. According to AppData in Friday, the number of Instagram active users (who connect the Instagram account to Facebook) has been reduced from 16.4 million a week ago to 12.4 million. Is Instagram still a product that used to be labeled with innovation?

The potential and unique value of Snapchat the pain-free Facebook. Panic, the composition of chaos. Beijing time December 18, poke in the App Store, the day after the peak of the app store free top. A momentary global attention. However, the controversy is not Poke's quick list, but it is actually a Facebook full shanzhai Snapchat launched. More news is that Poke's development took only 12 days, and Zuckerberg personally took part in the code, including the dubbing of tweets himself.

Initially, Facebook's strong public-relations skills, and media curiosity, flooded the poke with a discussion of its complementary value to Facebook, such as the TechCrunch columnist Dru Olanov, a whisper of private communication in the limited hours of poke, Worth more than the roar of public places. Facebook wants to track this important social signal by not technically being read, viewed, or heard in private whispers. ”

However, before and after Christmas, foreign media on the plagiarism of Facebook discussions and accusations began to erupt. In response, Poke's ranking in the App Store country fell to 50, far below Snapchat. This is an affirmation of the Snapchat of innovators, and a mockery of Facebook.

Stand at the Crossroads

TheNextWeb, after Poke's release, commented that this could mean a change in Facebook's competitive strategy in the mobile internet era: instead of buying at a high price, instead of following up on development, Poke was the first to test. And a netizen is ridiculed, Facebook finally found that copying other people's ideas is far cheaper than buying other people's ideas-and this is what Tencent has been doing since the birth.

Tencent in China to get micro-mail ticket, but Facebook is in the United States Silicon Valley, this is undeniable difference.

Facebook is in fact breaking the game-playing method of Silicon Valley giants-a big company that is copying the ideas of entrepreneurs. If Zuckerberg thinks it's the only way to catch up with mobile internet innovation, it may be wrong. And don't ask if Silicon Valley eats this, Facebook's lack of innovation and questioning of its ability to innovate are enough to hurt 1000 of its own 800, such as the brand crisis, no longer an innovation company, the loss of talent, and, more seriously, those who have looked to Facebook for their ideal job, Would like to join.

In addition, compared to 2012 Google and other companies continue to launch new applications. If camera and Poke,facebook released only one iOS app this year, or to B instead of to C, the cumulative only 5 iOS apps.

Facebook has come to the crossroads.

Snapchat co-founder has teased Facebook: "Sincerely welcome Facebook" (Welcome, Facebook). Seriously). This is the same as Apple's 1981 paper in a Wall Street Journal, the full version of the ads, the day the headline is "Sincerely welcome IBM" (Welcome, IBM. In less than 6 years, IBM's personal computer seriously.

Does Facebook repeat the fate of IBM? Hope will not be foretold.