Anonymous social burn after the "knockout"

Ma Weimin correspondent from Beijing every time

Anonymous social relationships can be divided into "strangers anonymous social" and "acquaintance anonymous social" if they are divided by relational dimensions.

Why anonymous social products market? One practitioner summarized it as: the value of anonymous social products, from the content creators, in the anonymous state, it is easier to achieve a deeper, more real emotional expression; for the viewer, mainly to meet people Curiosity psychology.

Anonymous social products are still burning money stage, there is no clear profit model, the next step how to develop?

The next micro-level market?

Wang Xiujuan, CEO of the street network that launched the anonymous social product Toast, told Daily Economic News reporter that the essential reason for the rise of the anonymous social model lies not in the "anonymous mode" but as a result of the phased transformation of the user's social form . Because social networking has gone through generations, from Myspace to Facebook to Secret and Snapchat, it actually represents different phases and different forms of social life, from the social relationships of hobby aggregation to the social acquaintances of acquaintances and now into Turn acquaintances into strangers' social relations.

"Before Facebook, users stayed in light social situations such as phone calls and text messages, but with the feed model, users could comment on each other. Therefore, turning an acquaintance into a stranger is actually a shift in social patterns to a new one Stage, but also more in line with the needs of the crowd, essentially to meet the search for morphological changes. "

In fact, these micro-innovations in the field of anonymous socialization can be regarded as some new forms of exploration both in the "conference call" and the "good friend impression." The pain points of the demand in the anonymous social scene have not been exhausted. Still on the road to constant exploration.

Regarding the future pattern of the anonymous social market, Wang Xiujuan told the Daily Economic News reporter that anonymous socialization is closer to platform-based products. Therefore, there must be no coexistence of dozens of states. At present, each family is still in the early stages of development, so in the future there will be A gradual integration process.

In the interview, anonymous social has been treated as the next micro channel level market.

However, some people are not optimistic about the prospects of anonymous social. The above-mentioned century good edge executives told the "Daily Economic News" reporter said that from the enterprise development point of view, science and technology enterprises IPO, it is difficult to "negative energy" logic products to sprint, but no classified products as "negative Energy "logic products.

Although the future is unknown, but the giants have begun to tentatively enter the industry: Tencent "two-handed" involved in this market, on the one hand the latest version of its qq space launch of small secret function, anonymous friends positioned friends; the other hand, May Mid-around, Tencent invested Whisper's latest round of financing, and there is news that Tencent intends to invest 15 million US dollars. Another giant Alibaba's contacts, has launched an anonymous called "strawberry" get together.

With the participation of Tencent, Alibaba and other giants, there are currently three forces in the anonymous social market in China: giant companies represented by Tencent, startup-type companies represented by no secrets, Secret and other international companies represented by.

Burn stage will continue

Anonymous social in the controversy, the same commercial prospects.

Opponents such as the above-mentioned century Jiayuan executives believe that the product from the commercial point of view, similar to non-secret products, users basically just as a Tucao platform, it is difficult to carry out extended business development, such as hard to imagine, Someone will play games on secret products.

However, in Lin Fan's opinion, if the anonymous social product user stock is large enough, it is entirely possible to play a game intermodal like a street unfamiliar game because of the large cash flow of the game and clear profit model. For products that rely on traffic for commercial realization , Transition game is a good choice.

However, the game interoperability requirements for the user's viscosity is high, if only relying on the blazing gossip to guide new users, will result in lower retention rate of the entire APP user, as well as secondary access to the higher cost of the user, "to put it plainly, or see anonymous Social products are strong enough user stickiness, "Lin added.

An industry source said in addition to the game, anonymous social can also choose native ads (NativeAds) model, native advertising last year, the concept of advertising is very hot, and traditional banner difference is that the native advertising model of advertising into content In part, to strike a balance between media features, user experience, and advertiser performance. In addition, similar to the development of QQ related to value-added services and trading model, can be used as a reference business development model.

Daily Economic News reporter found in the survey, the current interest in the outside world are more concerned about the commercial and commercial issues, and more concerned about user access issues. After all, anonymous social networking is still in its infancy, and competition for users is, in a sense, a key indicator of its performance. An entrepreneur who did anonymous social products admitted to reporters: "In the Internet world, with users, with traffic, business model is not a problem.

In addition to the above visible patterns, some invisible patterns may also be optional. For example, when an anonymous social product precipitates a large amount of user information, the text itself may also be a valuable data product for development.

In this regard, Wang Xiujuan said that on the one hand, some products do require data precipitation, and the deeper the precipitation, the greater the value. On the other hand, products that are not able to sediment data are valuable, and it is valuable if a product meets some of the core needs of the user. In the past as a community, operators always emphasize the value of information precipitation, but now it is fast food culture, all look forward. Wang Xiu-juan, for example, said that for example, "Is there any value for Snapchat as a product that is burned after reading?"

In communicating with many anonymous social product frontline operators, the Daily Economic News reporter deeply felt that for the profit concerns of the outside world, they are currently hardly on the agenda. Mainly due to two points: First, the current anonymous social business is still in the initial melee stage, is about to usher in a knockout, prior to that, to enhance the user experience to find a way to live is the most important; Second, in the Internet logic, as long as users, commercialization has never been a problem. For the foreseeable period of time, the focus of the industry in the anonymous social sector will continue to be product differentiation at a burn-in level rather than commercial development. Only when the stickiness of users in this market is proved sustainable and the competition in the industry forms an oligarchic pattern after the ebb and flow of waves will the commercial development become the focus of competition in the industry at that time.

Anonymous social feast: a user, business model is not a problem?

Ma Weimin correspondent from Beijing every time

If microblogging makes strangers become acquaintances, WeChat make acquaintances more intimate, then no other anonymous social products such as secrets, let the acquaintance again "stealth" as a stranger.

The popularity of anonymous social products reflects the strong exchange of desire and curiosity of the people in the Internet society, and also causes various worries to the outside world. By broke the news and anonymous gossip, allowing users to stay for long? What is the value of such products in the end? How to achieve commercial operation? However, these are not problems for entrepreneurs because they firmly believe that "in the Internet world, with users, with traffic, business model is not a problem."

No secret (formerly known as the secret, hereinafter referred to as no secret) red, quickly ignited the Chinese anonymous social market. There are currently over 20 anonymous social products on the market.

Entrepreneurship, the controversy followed: Proponents believe that anonymous social networking is the next platform-level market; skeptics think the anonymous social product is difficult to form lasting stickiness, plus the "negative energy" content may be Become a time bomb of the fall of this industry.

Journalists at the Daily Economic News found in the interview that current entrepreneurs are almost unanimously found to belong to the anonymous social sector of the blue ocean industry. Their competition has rapidly changed into the Red Sea. Due to the high concentration of natural products in the social product industry, Next will be a round of industry knockout. For the follow-up business development concerns that concern the outside world, these entrepreneurs believe the point: as long as there is enough users, business model is a matter of course.

Subdivided products have been introduced

In an office building in Beijing's 798 Art District, Xu Chaojun and his team are in the process of developing the next version of Ravens.

"About half a month later the new version will come online." Xu Chaojun told Daily Economic News reporter.

Xu Chaojun is an entrepreneur, has introduced a "little" and "pops" two products. In the absence of a mystery, Xu Chaojun quickly adjusted its direction and developed new anonymous social products internally. In a month or so, it launched an anonymous social product named "Crow" by the end of May.

Compared with the earlier anonymous social applications such as no-secret, crows emphasize the concept of the circle. When they log in to the application for the first time, the user needs to fill in the name of the unit or school in which they live.

For their own product positioning reasons, Xu Zhaojun, "Daily Economic News" reporter, said: "Some users have used some anonymous social software and found that the content inside the taste is too heavy, many users delete it after using it. Of the products easy entertainment, closer to life.For example, how to break up peace, graduate which should choose a mentor, a company canteen food is not good, etc. "After a pause, Xu Chaojun added," Our products are more similar The Google + + circle. "

Looking back, the real anonymous social craze in China detonated, is called a "no secret" APP.

No secret is based on a phone book contacts anonymous social software acquaintances, the user download, you can see the user's address book friends and friends in the above Tucao and broke the news, and Facebook, QQ and other real-name social products is different, No secret is a completely anonymous product, the entire APP interface does not have any way to identify the author, all without the secret or comment without the author's name, avatar, each without a secret comment will randomly assigned avatar.

In the product design, in order to ensure the absolute security of information, to prevent extreme users by comparing the address book by means of cut out "broke" out of blame, identityless use of "remove traces (that is, delete the contents of the release)" and the introduction A small amount of non-friend information to reduce risk.

With the convenience of the spread of social networking sites, no secret rapidly in the online world. No mysterious hot, also led to a variety of anonymous social relations have sprung up, pop team "Raven", the main street network "toast", YY's "secret circle", the original clap team to do "Oh" and so on.

It is reported that the current number of anonymous social APP on the market has more than 20 models. Since May this year, at least 8 anonymous social products launched.

In the wake of the emergence of similar products, competitors are beginning to seek segmentation to achieve differentiated survival. Such as pulse is a social network based on workplace social networking applications, "workplace gossip" is one of the sub-sections, this section allows users to anonymously release information on the company's boss, the industry insider comment and broke the news, and No risk and responsibility. Toast launched a different theme broke the news compilation, no secret in the WeChat public account launched the "hold a press conference" feature that allows users to ask questions, friends can anonymously answer.

In an interview with the "Daily Economic News" reporter interviewed, founder Lin Fan reluctantly shook his head: "I think the domestic style too serious."

It is noteworthy that China's anonymous social prototype is mainly the United States Secret and Whisper, the former is based on anonymous social acquaintances, which is based on the privacy of strangers to share.

For product differentiation, Northern Light Venture Partner Jiang Haotian pointed out that the segmentation of the company, the logic is that by taking root in the subdivision, and then find a platform for expansion, is a typical "live before Zhang" train of thought, Because of the social characteristics of the product is the more users, the higher the viscosity and activity.

In other words, the related anonymous social products that are subdivided into segments are faced with the challenge of platform expansion in growth. It can be expected that in the evolution of platform-based growth, many products are bound to be trampled on the road.

Risk one: the user sticky sustainability

Anonymous social turned out to be very popular in a very short period of time, but many people use it for a period of time, the curiosity began to fade, activity rapidly reduced, and even because of some malicious slander indignation and unloading. As a result, there has been a more widespread questioning in the marketplace, where the debate has centered on the "sustainability" of anonymous sociality vis-à-vis users.

Lin Fan, a practitioner, has similar worries: "Users who are not really good at pure anonymous sociality will eventually get bored after using them for a while." He explained: "The content of social products can be divided into two kinds, one Kind of content is high quality, one is not high quality but it is around friends, relatives hair content.If the social networking site friends name, identity and other labels thrown away, leaving only the content simply is actually very boring "

In Lin Fan's opinion, anonymous social networking is more similar to the current "drawsomething" and "crazy guess idioms" and other mobile games. In fact, it is a product that makes use of human curiosity. "The problem it faces is that users can not have a lifetime In the consumption of anonymity and low quality content, those seemingly high quality content, such as some industry broke the news, but also face the authenticity of the problem, this is actually a very touching bottom line.

Lin Fan has been working in Sogou for 7 years, served as Sogou CTO, then joined the street network, by the end of 2012 to leave the street network officially started.

For mobile recruitment and workplace applications, the biggest problem is that the dot open rate is too low, because the job search is not a high-frequency event, the user sticky enough, often after use will be abandoned, the cost of pulling back users is too high, increasing gossip Function, can effectively improve the user's frequency of use and usage. Therefore, through the "workplace gossip" to increase user stickiness, thus opening up the flow of the entire job market, forming a more complete closed-loop, this is the vein of business logic.

However, with Lin Fan on the purely anonymous social products more concerned about the sticky viscosity is different, CEO Wang Xiujuan Street Network said: "An ordinary person, life is nothing less than daytime work, rest at night, so in the workplace for 8 hours, is a very The main scenario in which the dynamics of the company, problems encountered at work, and communication with the leading colleagues can all become important factors that influence the quality of emotions and their presentation, so this need is very large. "

It is noteworthy that, after the workplace social media company LinkedIn was introduced into China, as the hometown of the social areas of the nuggets, the main street network is also seeking a restructuring, not long ago launched the concept of "live social", the main relaxed, rejuvenating Career social routes. Wang Xiujuan told the Daily Economic News reporter that the reason for the transition does not mean that such a serious workplace socialization market such as Linkedin does not have a market but because China has a huge population base and users have different needs for workplace social networking, Most people's workplace social needs.

Wang Xiujuan further explained: "The degree of informatization in the United States was earlier and education developed. The age structure of users in Linkedin was larger. The main job market in China is about 30-year-olds, which is different from that of the United States in user groups. "

In addition to these differences, there are workplace cultural differences. China does not have the U.S. mail culture and Party tradition. As the age of the work-life tends to be younger, Chinese users are more likely to complete their workplace work in a simpler and lighter way. "One thing may Two or three sentences have been negotiated on WeChat. "

Risk two: negative information trap

In addition to user-sticking sustainability issues, the most criticized anonymity is the "negative energy" of content.

Due to the anonymity of the content, the identity of the content publisher is strictly protected. Some anonymous social products even introduce various means to reduce the risk of anonymous exposure, but this also to some extent contributed to the growth of negative energy content.

Without the secret of the popularity on the social network, there was a quick out-of-control situation in the content: a large number of sexual topics, pornography and slanderous smells under the banner of the unmasked gradually occupied the mainstream of information. Those who have been viciously sacked have nowhere to complain and can only vent their anger over anonymous social products.

The rumor has no threshold and the authenticity of the information is illegible. Coupled with the turbulent sexuality issue, the entire anonymous social field presents a barbaric picture of distorting violence before the user.

The quality of the content on social products will ultimately be the fundamental determinant of user retention. At present, practitioners in the anonymous social field have realized that the content-side crisis has begun to attach a whistle-blow button to each anonymous content. However, relying solely on the user is obviously difficult to accomplish the self-purification of information in the anonymous social ecosystem. Lin Fan told "Daily Economic News" reporter, the next version of the vein, will support the real name rumor, the user can rumor about a false information. In product form, may be closer to the microblogging rumor.

Although anonymous social products can anonymously release information, but the corresponding laws and regulations, there are still strict rules.

The Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Security in Internet Security stipulate that if social platforms are used to insult or slander other people, it shall not constitute a crime. Public security organs shall make administrative penalties against them according to law. If the circumstances are serious, it may constitute an insult or defamation.

Therefore, even if anonymous social software users anonymity, still have the corresponding responsibility.

In order to regulate the content of production, Xu Chaojun told the "Daily Economic News" reporter, Crow and a yellow pages have had cooperation, so the company's data is more comprehensive, the main crow is the culture of the circle, through contacts and company where these two dimensions, The content is divided and screened to encourage users to produce "positive energy" content.

A century of good edge executives as one of the biggest risks in the industry for the negative energy content of anonymous social products at the content level. The executive believes that similar negative energy products, it is easy to offenders around the ecological circle, leading to a great crisis of growth. In addition, the negative energy of the content level, it is easy to bring the relevant risk exposure policy level.

However, Wang Xiujuan believes that Internet products are essentially the true reflection of offline life. If there is a discussion about the demand for peach news in the offline market, then online will inevitably exist. "In fact, it is a problem of degree. If there is a malicious slander, users can report, The relevant operating mechanism can also be controlled. "

Jiang Haotian also attributed this to an anonymous social product in the growing stages of the problem. Jiang Haotian believes that in the history of the development of social products such as BBS, Weibo and other products, they encountered similar problems during the growth stage. "The core of social interaction lies in the mechanism. Anonymous social networking is now in its infancy and inevitably exists Various loopholes, I believe entrepreneurs will try to control the negative information. "