User-centric Why is the watercress a good product?

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Luo, author of the Tiger Sniffing network, published in the journal Global Business Classics

Remember the first contact with Watercress is 2006 years. At that time I was a young graduate of engineering students, I have network dependence of most of my free time in the room. Busy campus life, always feel that life is missing something. Until a bored rainy day in the engine room, found a look rough site-watercress. It took me 10 minutes to feel like I was missing this thing.

At that time, there was no such fashionable word as social networking, hormonal socializing. My watercress friend for a long time only a literary girl. But I think the watercress is very good. Because of its thorough solution I discovered the movie, the book demand, then solves my loneliness. I love it in my heart. For obsessive-compulsive disorder + perfectionism, there are not many products that have such status.

Watercress in the next few years placid, it is difficult to detect a large version of the feature upgrade.

Color has always been its creator Yang Bo originally selected green yellowish elegant color, a large number of text-only links, borders, background, and a small picture. Be sure to find the changes, then the recommended movies, books and articles are more and more in line with my taste. The use of watercress will have an illusion that only Yang Bo a person in accordance with the habit of developing watercress, continue to maintain it remotely at Starbucks.

In fact, Watercress is already a company with more than 300 people earning nearly billion a month. 300 people in internet companies are no big deal, but the flow ranking of China TOP20 and still rising is an incredible achievement. Even more incredible is that watercress has the most loyal users. These users are willing to create content for watercress, maintain the atmosphere of watercress, protect the ecological environment of watercress. Externally, they spared no effort to allow more congenial people to join the online community.

All this achievement, not rely on a strong operation to promote, because watercress advocates the user from the operation and word of mouth, also not rely on advanced technology threshold, because watercress never preach they have superb technology, although it has the domestic top algorithmic engineer team, and the creation of the 2005 began with a rare domestic python. The popularity and growth of watercress has only one secret: a temperament has the quality of a good product personality.

So, watercress this product is good where? It is a difficult question to answer. In fact, the loyal users of watercress, especially some enthusiastic and interesting people have already had a lot of praise to the watercress. I have been asking myself over and over again these days: Why do you think the watercress is good? If there is a second product similar to watercress, would you give it up? Will the watercress be kept in such a good state? Now, I think of some answers.

A watercress is a strong atmosphere of a unique virtual society

In fact, it is more appropriate to say that watercress is a product group. From the initial reading, music, film, group, and city, to the beans, radio, nine, Alpha City, Reading, FM, things, as well as the upcoming travel, and then to mobile Internet 10 or so app group, they have no exception with watercress temperament, with a consistent watercress-style experience, useful, easy to use, interesting. This product group forms an eco-circle around watercress, you can think of the biosphere as a cultural encyclopedia, you can think of it as a community of interest, and you can think of it as a discovery and referral engine, or a choice engine or even a decision engine.

Like the social kaleidoscope, thousand people face, some people love to read and amuse themselves, some people like to travel, some people are keen to make friends. Watercress through different products to meet the needs of different people, these products may be permeated with each other, may also be unrelated to the fragmented. It satisfies the desires of different people and satisfies the various levels of Maslow's needs: physiology, safety, social intercourse, respect and self-realization. Watercress formed an atmosphere through the user. This atmosphere makes loneliness no longer lonely, let impetuous quiet, let cold enthusiasm, let boring interesting, let quiet active.

The watercress ecosystem was built by the user spontaneously. Content, order, update mechanism, UGC (user create content) This kind of words in the watercress in the introduction of the inside out, but the watercress since the beginning of the station to promote the user to participate in the WEB2.0 and UGC model samples. Watercress do, that is, in the user's perception of the situation, do a good job of basic support and atmosphere maintenance. Users feel, is their own organization and management of the content of the convenience, to participate in the decision content weight of the fun, become a star in the station's sense of achievement. Although there will be no material return, the star of the station outside the watercress no one knows, but they are still willing to their time, passion, talent dedicated to the watercress, and then more people into this circle.

Unlike other UGC communities, watercress people are born equal and always equal. Users can score people and things, such as music, movies and books. However, the user itself has no ratings, no ratings, and no plus v. Watercress will not set up opinion leaders, no experts, no representative users. Although doing this is simple: according to user activity or the number of times the comments are liked, on the home page to show the "watercress talent" such as the usual operating tactics. But, watercress does not. Everyone is equal, even if you do not create any content. For watercress, for its 78 content to create users and new users today, there is no difference.

In this free, democratic, simple and equal virtual society, to make friends with the city activities brought about by the potential opportunities, like-minded to gain the respect, the sense of identity brought about by the achievement of the realization of content creation, Maslow All levels of demand is fully satisfied, It is impossible for Doubaner to be satisfied in the real world and in any other community.

b The temperance of watercress is the lack of this society and other products

This is a materialistic society. The choices we face are growing. Whether it's the selection of items or the choice of self action. But man is lost. The choice of phobias and sequelae is growing.

Watercress from the "discovery" to solve our problem of choice flooding. Through your friends ' recommendations, you can help you choose a more suitable "object" or narrow your selection through what you used to do in the watercress. Music, movies and books are all things. Last year watercress generalized this "thing" to all things, such as a color TV set, an app.

We will be from the watercress "things" this one product cut, see how watercress is to "control", it can be said self-control.

Waited eight years to "find something." The origin of watercress is to help people make the most effective choice, even to meet like-minded, but also to make a better choice. If you must put labels on watercress, not social networking sites, but a community based decision engine, discovery, referral, social is to help users make decisions. From music, reading and film into about eight years later, Watercress finally decided, it is time to build this system applied to all things, return to Yang Bo beginner "Find different things, and suitable for themselves."

Watercress uses a seemingly simple decision logic. Start with you, evaluate and mark a thing (x, in X, Think x, like, useful). These tags help you manage the records of movies, books, music, and will be recorded in watercress, become the watercress algorithm depends on the data and display to other users of the data, and then affect others decision-making, but also affect the next watercress to your recommendations and search results. The more feedback you give to it, the more useful it will give you feedback. The connection between you is becoming more and more intense in this process.

The "things" in watercress are no different from the essence of watercress reading, film and music. But why did the watercress endure so many years before the launch? To know, in the watercress to do "things" before, the Shanzhai, both do vertical such as food found beans fruit net, application found cool Ann, there are also around the business such as watercress, such as specialized in watercress movie online to see some websites. Watercress think that they are not ready, even in the face of these shanzhai followers, can restrain their own panic or worry, it is not easy.

Product features never follow suit. After 8 years of development, watercress has undergone several upgrades in the background, but from the "things" this product interface look, basically no major changes. The current industry popular metro, waterfall flow, automatic loading next page, such as "popular" style, in the watercress can not find. Almost all the search boxes in the industry are already proud to join the voice microphone, all the sites are in the micro-letter two-dimensional code label, the watercress still unmoved. Even watercress and Yang Bo their own microblog, in the Douban station can not find links.

The benefit is that the user's habit of training is not due to the new version of the abrupt and painful, in the use of products in the process of frustration in the watercress has never existed. A negative example can look at the QQ4.1 version of the Spit slot is indeed quite a lot.

Some people will have doubts, watercress if nothing change, can keep up with the pace of user needs? Instead, watercress knows what the user really needs. A large part of this is the same as the nature of demand 8 years ago. Instead of spending your energy on some fancy gimmicks, why not concentrate on doing what you should do? for example, optimization of algorithms. Watercress did do the same. At the same time, Watercress's interface is also improving, but only the smooth evolution of the user is not even aware of. The recent revision of the big version has almost remained the same.

Watercress clearly knows who you are, what users need, and what they don't need. Which is the floating clouds which is still dull after leaving the "real material". Not impetuous not to follow the follow is its constant characteristics. Do not follow the popular, but the watercress has been kept in vogue.

A self-operating strategy that has never been changed. Watercress advocates the user from the operation. It claims to have no editorial writers, no special articles, or even official classifications. For content, watercress advocates the creation of users. The "Find something" channel is no exception.

Product promotion watercress advocating word of mouth socialization of the way of communication. Note that this social communication method is different from the current micro-blogging. Before Twitter, watercress was already a beneficiary of social transmission. In the watercress has the mass flow and the user, this route has not changed. You can not find any of the promotional traces of its own products in the watercress, most quietly add a hyperlink on the homepage. Other websites commonly used large banner even pop up or pay for a conference, watercress will not.

After the "things" on the line, watercress carefully, to maintain the greatest restraint. Despite the self-confidence of their own products, but the watercress still do not want users to rush. This is the best product status, confident, but not content. Never think of yourself as a perfect product. Saw too much to make a point of the product of the complacent, but also saw too many of their own not confident blind version of the disorderly operation of the product.

In the internal content operation and the promotion of external operations, watercress is worth learning restraint.

C truly user-centric products

Yes, it's true. The most indispensable thing about China's internet is the flicker. How many products play the banner of the user as the center, claiming that they have achieved the ultimate product experience, and even through the shape of the Star product manager to promote their own products for the king, their own user-centric.

In fact, the products that rape users are everywhere. Some are product managers blind to understand, some product managers self-righteous toss users, more is the product manager know is wrong, but because of corporate strategy, commercial objectives and other business objectives, and then rape user experience. They will prepare a set of seemingly correct logic, such as this bad use is to subvert is to do better in the future, such as commercial profits have income to be able to do a better product. In fact, I know only one point: the principle of user-centric, by their own hypnotic type of understanding or forgetting.

But the watercress did. In addition to the smooth problem feedback channels, watercress products can hardly find any abrupt commercial traces. Take "I like things" for example, a lot of outsiders see this is the watercress currently particularly imaginative business. For example, add a display ad, put a thing into the content of the implant or purchase links, and even someone has to help the watercress think directly to do the shopping mall. But watercress did not do so. In fact, this way is not appropriate, the user found that the choice of goods is not fair, contrary to the beginner of watercress. Everything to be useful, useful, the object is the user. What watercress wants to do is to help the user choose, not force the user to select or induce the user to choose. Therefore, the watercress now gives people the feeling is still clean.

Watercress does not exclude commercialization, just have their own insistence. They have their own definition of the commercial bottom line. At present, it appears that the user of the commercial level of watercress is agreed. Watercress in the process of treading on thin ice, afraid of destroying the watercress atmosphere, hurt the user. The annual income is nearly billion, many of which come from book purchase and brand display advertising, interactive advertising. But who can advertise in watercress, in what form, all is watercress to decide. If the Advertiser and watercress temperament does not match, watercress will be incomparably arrogant dour no. For the impact of the user to use the watercress experience of the dynamic map, flash and even pop-up and other rich media advertising, has been resisting. A page of advertising can not be more than one, this is the moderation of watercress. If you make a change, it will increase the income of watercress.

More valuable is the watercress around the user, but not flattering users. The user's demand is multifarious, the watercress cannot 100% satisfy. Watercress and the user is a two-way choice. It does not expect all users to be satisfied, it only want to be selected by it is really belong to the watercress user satisfaction, do not like to vote away with their feet. This kind of two-way selection also ensures loyalty.

Where is the future of D watercress?

Watercress to protect the user experience, control the number and content of advertising to reduce revenue. Refusing to follow suit so there is no bubble, its route is always clear. Then the industry may be concerned about the future of watercress where? Will investors tolerate such a product being kept clean?

Perhaps watercress to their own moderation is about to get a return. The original revenue model is still there and will be stronger as users and traffic grow. Watercress reading and watercress FM is due to the trend of the legitimate, users for good content and service payment habits of training, usher in opportunities. If there is a digital content ecosystem like Amazon or itunes store in China, I think the core of this ecology is probably watercress.

Watercress low-key operation of "find like" things left a lot of imagination space. Any item can be easily found on this channel, surprise users and help users make decisions, which will solve the user pain points. And the profit model is guessing outside. There are display ads, click on the purchase of ads, content sponsorship, app distribution, or even watercress their own way to open the mall. Whatever it is, in time, "Find what you Like" will be another important source of income for watercress.

Watercress has been financed by a tricycle. If the investor has no patience, may again put on the watercress purchase event. How to docking capital and avoid being controlled by capital is a sharp problem that enterprises must face. I don't want to see watercress being acquired. I do not want to see a tangle of watercress, is in the state of today's independent, free, clean, democratic watercress. I believe that, with the restraint of watercress and Yang Bo of the fixed force, watercress must be with a watercress user ushered in the spring of watercress! At that time, watercress or today's watercress.