Technology is an accelerator, but what matters is not a technical repost.

Technology is an accelerator, but it is not important.Post

(1)

 

A few years ago, I had a student working in a small software company that worked as a "workflow engine. He encountered some trouble.

What is "workflow engine "? To put it simply, it is a work element that can automatically execute the process: After you set the basic parameters, the component can go down according to the preset work steps and business processes.

It sounds cool and looks pretty good.

The trouble for students is that the company's products are poor, developers are not enough, and personnel are uneven. In general, there are many technical issues that companies do not pay much attention.

He asked me what he should do.

I said: Actually, this is not a technical problem. It is because the company's strength to enter such a niche market is completely incapable. There must be a market for high-end "workflow engines", but they are all done by many IT elders. Low-end applications require personnel relations instead of automated software. This is not related to technology.

Technology is a good idea, but it does not take root. From the perspective of business and personal investment, there is no commercial value.

The advice I gave him was to leave and do something else.

 
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I have worked in the software industry for more than 10 years. I know that technical personnel may have a common problem at a certain stage, that is, taking technology too seriously.

What should I do? That is to say, we always consider the problem from a technical point of view and think about what we hope to happen, instead of looking at the reality from the perspective of an ordinary person.

Understanding technology is a good thing. You can quickly imagine the future and see a trend. However, you must understand that this trend may also be an illusion.

Technology is an accelerator. But you don't know whether this is a successful accelerator or a fast-moving accelerator.

From the technical point of view, if you put a wrong position, it will often become a cognitive obstacle. What you think you see is important. In fact, people do not need to live in the way you think.

Technology is a process of alienation. When you think you are a professional, you may also forget what they feel as ordinary people.

 
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I often walk around the community. I saw a variety of small shops running in great enthusiasm. My favorite is a noodle shop. The business of these stores is different, but they all share the same thing: they have nothing to do with my profession. That is to say, they are all small and good businesses away from the Internet. Such as laundry, cake room, and small supermarket.

I know that, at least when I am alive, I cannot download a bowl of noodles from the Internet. This idea always reminds me to be humble in the face of great traditional industries.

Looking at 2-3 people, 10 people started a hot small business. I was thinking: what kind of business is a good business? A business that can survive is certainly good. These businesses should also have the following features:

[1] There are a wide range of demands, no cognitive impairment, and simple application skills, such as eating and dressing. This is what everyone needs;

[2] The market is huge, not just a few companies, but also convenient. Requirements are cyclical and repetitive;

[3] The product categories that meet your needs are unique or rich;

As a technology Internet, how has it changed the traditional market?

Advantages:

[1] The technology spans regional restrictions, accelerates information, and aggregates requirements;

[2] information flow is faster, user contact increases, and consumption becomes evaluable;

[3] The marketing method has undergone a fundamental change

Disadvantages:

[1] high trust costs;

[2] high cost of product accessibility;

[3] The conversion rate from demand to consumption is not high;

In this case, we can easily understand the fact that there are many people looking at the Internet business, but it is not cheap at all. Moreover, it is not easy to survive. It's no wonder that so many people have been fooling around with venture capital.

What else do venture capitalists do if they can make money on their own.

 
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Any successful Internet project or product should have at least such basic features:

[1] A good business first.

As mentioned above, the nature of business has not changed, whether it is the technology of the moon or the technology of Mars, business or business.

[2] Find a business form or business model that matches the business:

There are many people. People are doing well, but the cost is high. In addition, the wider the area, the fewer the essence.

Any commercial system is a neutral system and cannot be a perfect system. Therefore, long tail is a romantic term. The correct understanding of long tail should be: if the traditional system can do five features. At present, the long tail can be expanded to 10 or 15 at most.

If 80/20 of services exist first, the long tail of the Internet will look very elegant. If no, the long tail is equal to zero.

Therefore, for those websites whose blogs and albums are called Web 2.0, they must be: Facebook ). At the same time, if the Community that meets the two conditions above or what the website is called, it will live very well.

I believe the basic point is that when everyone talks about business models and money. They all need to go back to the most fundamental question-where is the business demand coming from? What is the scale? What kind of breakthroughs can technology provide on a specific platform, how can we provide products and services to meet these needs.

Although some communities are not dead, I am still optimistic about such a type of websites: The dating market, such as the century jiayuan market, and the parenting market, such as the treasure tree.

Such a website has an infinite market space first, and the content of the website is closely integrated with the business. As long as you do not make a big mistake and stick to it, such a business can not only make a lot of money, but also continue to do so for a long time. Because many existing traditional businesses have proved to be good businesses.

I have always believed that the development of Web 2.0 websites is a battle point for e-commerce popularization. A lot of cannon fodder will make e-commerce tomorrow. I bet: people who survive are not very concerned about whether they are 2 or 1.

Finally, I would like to mention Douban, the pioneer of Web 2: although many people have started to grow and many features have been added, its own characteristics are also lost. Douban has given itself too many missions. I think it is better to be humble. I like Douban as a reader, not as a dating tool. It is followed for a while, and it is a friend for a while. Broadcast and diary.

If there are too many features, you can only be overwhelmed. The wider the area, the fewer the essence.

The first sentence of my favorite "Toy Story": focus, speed!

My understanding is: focus to speed.