Watercress had to "slow" 9 years is "feelings" or encounter bottlenecks?

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Guide: March 2005, Douban on-line. Now, the watercress is getting closer to its 10th year. The community, once recognized as a typical UGC (user-produced content), was challenged by the industry in the run-up to the mobile venture: Has it gone too slowly, and is there a problem with its business model?

Perhaps to 10 birthday, suddenly there will be some media out, seize the time node to do a variety of interpretation and interviews. We are not deliberately to wait for that time node, is purely a whim, the intention in this is not what anniversary of the moment, to think about the watercress thing.

We have no access to northern Afghanistan, as the head of the "light, slow, quiet" company, he showed unparalleled low-key, and we also wanted to find some parties, but found that they have been in a different form lurking in the past, but only left a few scattered figure.

In view of our own is from the ignorant start to explore the fact of the watercress, from the topic to the present one weeks inside, we try to make up a lesson, also can not say how much of their awareness of watercress may progress. So plainly, this may be an essay that is not objective, biased, mixed with ignorance and conjecture.

Watercress founder Anto (Yang Bo)

However, if in the past 9 years, is reading this article you have more or less, directly or indirectly by the site, and its impact on the people, then we feel that you should be interested in with us, caught in the past of the watercress meditation.

2011

Watercress has been in existence for more than 9 years, but it has not achieved the kind of outbreak that some analysts and Seers predicted.

Looking forward, I found that 2011 was a year worth saying. This year, watercress is at its all-time high.

In Alexa, watercress's ranking has dropped from 2011 's 172th place to 2014 's 314. Google in 2011 listed the world's 1000 most visited sites, ranked 172th in the watercress rankings or even higher than the century Jiayuan and Jingdong Mall.

Founded in early 2011, know, in August this year Alexa ranked 143, has surpassed 157 people net, in the world, know also is gradually entering the world's top 1000.

Or in 2011, a north (Yang Bo) in Watercress official blog wrote an article, called "Watercress's original intention." Today, we are looking for more content on watercress, but a lot of it is found in the know. Know the shell, fried eggs, acfun/bilibili and other sites together, is redefining is originally by the watercress definition of a group of people after--80? The youth of literature and art? Anyway, these people, they are separated from a single watercress, diverted to a new Exchange site.

Before the talent show, "Miss" the author of the song Song Dongno active in the Watercress music station.

PhD in applied psychology, known as "motives in Hangzhou", the user once wrote:

If you use an ideal identity to represent these three sites, watercress, nutshell, and know the corresponding distinction is: "Literary and Artistic Youth", "scientist" and "thinker"; if one word is used to represent the core content of these three websites, they correspond to "emotion" (the essence of literature and art is emotion), "knowledge" and "viewpoint"; accordingly, The motivations they inspire are "emotional exchanges" (No wonder they become YP shrines, YP are also emotional needs), "knowledge dissemination" and "opinion sharing".

Only, these three kinds of people in 2011 that time node, once was gathered in watercress. Three different kinds of people are not so different from each other, in the outside world seems to be the same crowd, because they are the same age group after the characteristics of--80.

In these people, there are excellent folk book reviews, film critics, music critic, there are direct creators, there are latent chef, Café Shop chief and scout. After the "group" opened, more people on the basis of hobbies, to themselves affixed to the walk of the live label.

Since 2011, this is not a node of the year to now, different groups of people according to interest, spread to the other emerging stronghold, watercress less a professional, less a point of opinion leader, only the cloak of "literary youth" coat, the first to be attracted by watercress temperament users, still stay there. and to "group" as one of the core of watercress, peremptory become the spiritual home of these people.

Group: lively but not profitable

Born from the birth, watercress has not been how to promote the making of the worry. "Waitan pictorial" reporter in describing the scene of the initial period of watercress, said:

Yang Bo did not make any promotional plans for watercress, because if there is no difference in the spread to those who do not like reading, music and film users there, "will cause waste." However, Watercress has a power, does not show the Mountain Dew but can let people for it fascinated.

Later, the watercress or really did a back ad. December 2013, Watercress released a promotional video, the first animation in the form of watercress, users and watercress each product line has a fairly interesting introduction. In addition, it emphasizes the characteristics of watercress as an interest marketing platform.

In this video, books, movies, music and groups are listed as the core features of the site, and these functions are the core users of the site. This is true, but unlike the book audio and video, the team is in fact unable to as a watercress to show off the wealth of advertisers. Watercress Group is created by a user spontaneously formed a closed-loop communication space, watercress difficult to obtain from these users how much benefit.

The exchange of books, movies and music, and the accompanying database, allow watercress to successfully use them, provide manuscripts to the cooperative media, and combine marketing with content producers. The transformation of the writing resources created a watercress reading, and the discovery of music spawned the Watercress FM.

But compared with them, the lively ecology of the group has not been converted into the value of watercress itself. The things and small stations that want to replicate the successful path of the Watercress FM are not particularly successful.

Compared to other user communities that need to operate, the Watercress group is so self-organizing that officials have little opportunity to intervene. In the group, the user has a set of mature interpersonal communication and market trading mechanism. Administrators, the exchange of members between the few Baidu bar like the explosion of the chaos appears, very few opportunities need to intervene in watercress official. The authorities have done more to stop the groups that might challenge censorship on the grounds of "breaking the Rules".

Almost every big city has its own "rental" and "second-hand" groups, and more than one. In the watercress for second-hand transactions and rental, the biggest advantage is not to spend any additional cost of the real name certification, this is 58 fairs and anything from the product design point of view. A user long-term use of watercress, its personality characteristics can be a glance through the personal homepage, its hobby can be intuitive from the group name reflected in its affiliation. In the watercress trade, you can feel that the person is living, not the data in dialogue with you.

Like "Eat and drink in Beijing" such a super large group, even made a separate mobile phone application. These spontaneous organization of the real availability and the value of the source, has long been listed in the U.S. stock market 58, search House as a representative of the classification of information on the site reflected out, but watercress officials are powerless, difficult to meddle in the world. Rather, if the official involvement leads to the disruption of the spontaneous trading within the Watercress group, it also dispels the significance of the group's existence.

The same is aware of the content can not make money, Baidu Bar and QQ space to choose from the sale of virtual goods profit, the content itself is not within its consideration. QQ Space Virtual goods business from needless to say, Baidu's stick beans business, is starting from this year's World Cup, gradually detached from the beta stage, began to the 00, after the "fans" circle of money.

However, in the watercress sell virtual goods, the end will only be very miserable-even in renren sell a skin, will have just entered the university gate of the big children flock to, but I can be sure that the use of watercress users could not be invisible to see the virtual identity is tempted. And in the purchase of physical goods, services, group buying and so on, they will be as low as possible prices, committed to crush the profits of sellers.

"Things" product director Zhang Yajie said, "As of June 2013, Watercress has about 72 million" resident population "(registered users), as well as about 200 million per month of" floating population "(access to users). Most of them come from China's one or two-line cities, with 86% of users aged 18-35. "These people are not people who like the iphone or the ipad, but the film cameras, the Baolilai, the black vinyl players, the limited postcards." ”

Watercress user group in the whole population of the income is indeed relatively high, but their pursuit of lifestyle, or more than their original consumption capacity, so that they are in the most focus on "cost-effective" busy stage. At this stage, the purchasing power of people in either case is actually weak.

"Watercress Department"

There was a news in August 2012:

According to incomplete statistics, in the past three months, watercress a total exodus of a product Vice president, five Director-level senior engineer, but also a number of managers resign, a total of up to 12 people; to Peng, Shangwenhuan as the representative of the Watercress core technical team, are in the early days of watercress has joined the core technical force, they participated in the community including watercress, Watercress said, watercress book audio-visual, watercress Radio, all the most core products watercress.

At that time, said North, "in 290 of people's companies, a small number of staff changes in the phenomenon is normal, and recently left some of the staff are mainly entrepreneurial ideas." ”

In the past, such affiliated enterprises as "Lei system" and "Baidu department" could be the result of personal capital investment or the natural replacement of the company after the shift of center of gravity. However, watercress is a "light Company" and "slow Company", the staff is not so much, so with the Giants similar to the probability of running away, may be bones, also triggered the industry's speculation and discussion.

According to the dynamic point of inquiry public information, has designed watercress reading Shangwenhuan is now Tencent's senior designers, has said that the entrepreneurial Peng seems to return to the watercress, Jianjun is difficult to find information. Peng's microblog mentions a recent position change: Technical director Shu (ID: Wind) joined the developer Service Platform Gitcafe and led the establishment of the Beijing branch.

In fact, watercress has not caused a "watercress department."

2010, "Advertising Door" website visited Douban office. The article wrote, "The first time I saw the company front desk also equipped with Apple computer."

By this topic, we also interviewed a former staff of watercress, he told us how to work in the watercress how to feel.

In the watercress work for a few years to bat and other domestic super large internet companies work, a lot of reaction said that the company's atmosphere is not good for watercress, back to the work of the watercress people are there. Overtime, in the Internet company has become a normal, but in watercress, overtime is only occasionally.

Watercress will allow employees to make their own in a certain node to complete a task, but there is no strict assessment system. If the task is not completed at a certain time node, the watercress employee submits a percentage. After all, many projects are long-term.

Watercress employees are mostly watercress users, even the depth of the user, brush three or four times a day, occasionally on top of the company's products spit. Company colleagues are also mostly called watercress name, or other nicknames, rarely shouting name.

Compared to other Internet companies, watercress staff will be more literary and artistic. Many people like movies, books and so on. Every Thursday watercress will organize yang and other people's films, and some colleagues will also make film explanation. Watercress even has the internal guitar class, because in the watercress, many colleagues around another layer of identity is watercress reds, rock musicians, writers.

The working atmosphere of watercress is also better. Weekly watercress will also organize a play, before 2013, the North also often participate in the weekly play game. Even if you leave from watercress, we will regularly organize football and dinner. Even the former colleagues of the same period have heard of each other. People don't talk about the company when they're in a private party, they talk about where to play, the movies. Leaving the watercress business is also a companion venture.

The North Ball is good, he will first look at the situation before playing, will not like some people to get the ball just to play.

There's nothing special about this, is there?

It can be said that watercress "light" and "slow" implied a sense of mystery, which let its employees leave business, even if not because of resentment of the company, but also enough to cause a certain speculation and excessive interpretation. But at the same time the watercress has no intention of enlarging the enrollment. At present, watercress in the official website hangs out of the recruitment of a total of 33 (did not find the number of qualified positions).

Douban.net

Watercress has always been the source of profit, is considered to be the share with the book sellers, film promotion costs, and the division of the hospital line, as well as brand display ads, interactive advertising. According to public information, watercress 2010 years of revenue nearly million, mainly selling books and advertising. It is said that in 2010, watercress advertising revenue growth rate of 100% per quarter. By the end of 2012, a single "buy a book" a product on the book site to bring 200 million of annual book sales.

In 2006, Watercress completed the first round of financing, the investment side is a joint venture source, the amount of 2 million U.S. dollars. At the end of 2009, Watercress was awarded the second round of investment by Zhi Xin Capital and the total number of joint venture sources. 2011 (That is, the node is not node), Watercress completed the third round of 50 million U.S. dollars of financing, the investment side is Zhi Xin Capital, Sequoia Capital and Bertelsmann Asia Investment Fund.

So, what did the watercress do with the money?

Watercress in 2012 launched a lot of paid projects, such as the pay e-book business watercress reading, watercress film launched online selection function, as well as Watercress FM pay version. In these profitable projects, advertising has become a bright spot. Watercress first big cooperation brand is converse.

Converse as the first business partner of watercress, and watercress launched a long-term cooperation, through the music and watercress users to establish a deep emotional connection, Converse also took this became the "most watercress" brand. ”

However, these projects are not all brilliant. Watercress FM and watercress reading is subject to the entire market of online music and e-books downturn, the United States Regiment's "Cat's Eye film" emergence, robbed the limelight of watercress.

Special user groups determine the quality of watercress, watercress film comments and ratings, although in the film review industry gradually has a reference value, but it has pulled up the difference between the real box office. As a result, the American Regiment, which sells films as goods rather than works of art, does seem to have a better say in how to make money simply.

These are in fact also good, other projects in the same period will eventually be difficult to escape the fate of the closure.

The former Watercress employee who interviewed above said: "Watercress at the end of 2012 because the introduction of a lot of products, the expansion of many people." After some new projects stopped in 2013, the people who were concerned with the project chose to leave, and now the watercress still maintains the size of about 300 people in 2012 years. ”

The process of the watercress in the moving end also walks very slowly. It is said that the north at last year's annual watercress to admit that watercress missed three years of time, because of the product and technical ability too self-confident. In the past three years, Watercress has launched a dozen mobile applications, such as watercress group, Watercress said, watercress films.

A north to watercress period is a number of sub-station composed of clusters, so he stubbornly believe that all the sub-station should have their own independent app, he has more than once to the media said there will not be a "watercress" application. However, the "watercress" app finally came online in August. In the announcement of the product, wrote:

In the past few years, the main web channel of watercress have their corresponding app. In this way, each app uses a clear, useful and experienced space for continuous improvement, and users can get what they want. But today, when everyone on the phone faces tens of thousands of app choices, the app that works but doesn't open much is a tangle of all the people. An experience that is not opened is actually the worst experience.

In the exploration of the new road blocked, mobile internet missed opportunities, more people sigh, is the watercress should have been open the international route.

"A watercress parcel is being transported from Georgia State to San Jose, California." The expected arrival time is China's next Tuesday. "This mysterious blog post is a hint that the north will push watercress into internationalization." December 2005, the English version of Douban to start testing beta.douban.com domain name, and later converted to douban.net.

2008, the north in and move Point founder Lu Gang Chat, the internationalization showed a strong interest and confidence. But the English version of the Web site has not been done, now the Web site has been unable to access.

Watercress English version and Chinese version of the same layout, but we can not find the screen at that time.

Now if you want to ask "have a foreign website similar to watercress," there will be some examples: goodreads,librarything,anobii. But if the watercress insists on doing things abroad ... Think about it, the question is the same as asking "why the public comments are not early internationalization" is the same.

In July 2011, Time Magazine wrote about the status of Chinese LGBT people, which said that watercress was "an online platform welcomed by China's growing gay community". Watercress in the world's first show, so fixed in this position.

End

People have been called watercress as a slow company, behind the title, is that it may be thick in the future, the development of the giant's hope. But has been to the mark of ten years, watercress still follow the original rhythm. In my opinion, it is easier to understand that it is encountering a real bottleneck, leading to a maximum of just such a few people, without the means to enlarge the scale. This cannot be simply summed up in the "feelings" of the north.

is about to enter the tenth year of watercress, should not sadly accept the dead or dismembered the outcome of the acquisition. But the size of the awkward business could be haunting it. In recent years, the Giants from the original Shanzhai plagiarism, gradually converted into small and medium-sized enterprises, so that some of the small scale of the start-up companies have to move, bat faction increasingly clear. In this case still insist on independent companies, may be more difficult to have swing space. Do not exclude watercress in the future to accept the three big one of the financing, and with products and services in depth integration.

It can be said that if in all the independent start-up companies, Watercress is the last one of the three camps, which should be regarded as a successful independent operation in the past few years a great success.