Reinventing the Millennium

"Read" is an important feature of Penguin Letters.

As one of the two major products in today's mobile communications market, this is also a distinguishing feature that Penguin promotes at considerable length.

From its launch to the present, it has indeed had some complaints and negative reviews. Otherwise, the public relations department would not pay attention to this aspect of maintenance.

However, judging from the overall feedback, the vast majority of users can get used to it and even like it.

Ma Huateng's own feelings are not important, the feelings of the general office executives are not important, and the feelings of the R\u0026D department are not important. The most important thing is the feedback from thousands of users.

However, there is a problem with the mechanism for making adjustments based on user feedback...

So how far off is this result?

Facts have proven that whether you have read it or not, Penguin can use its own traffic to increase the number of software users to tens of millions. So, as long as you continue to increase the scale, this feature will not become a big problem.

But the premise of all this is that there is no Yike who is watching eagerly, and there is no Yixin launched by Yike.

In fact, since Letters is now lagging behind and catching up, we should pay more attention to user reputation.

Last year on National Day, Yixin was launched. At that time, there was a widely circulated saying on the Internet - "I didn't have a choice before, but now I have to choose Yixin."

As long as there is no choice, no matter whether it has been read or not, Penguin is confident that it will also produce a communication product on the mobile side, allowing users to adapt to themselves.

But now it's an option, they don't have to adapt to this different function.

This is terrible!

And Yixin, which originally had the leading number of users, said that their active user ratio is very high. How high is that!

Looking back...

At the earliest, Yixin announced that it had conducted a small-scale test and would launch the "read" function on a large scale. At that time, the YMS software store received positive reviews.

Including Weibo, there are also positive reviews from Yishui!

Look now, that is really "one water"!

It is precisely because of Yixin's foray in the front that Laixin, which is eager to catch up on the mobile terminal, has carried out micro-innovations and promoted the "read" function.

Similarly, the letter has also been well received by the YMS software store.

As the most active gathering place for smartphones, the user reviews of the YMS software store have always been the benchmark for software products. Outside of it, Weibo and Zhihu have always had extremely high-quality feedback.

Looking back now, around the "YMS store, Weibo, Zhihu", and then spreading to the portals, forums, major brand app stores... I'm afraid not all of them have been public relations.

The Internet is big, but tracking the reviews of a piece of software is small.

As a giant deeply involved in the domestic market, Yike obviously has a strong ability to commit crimes.

However, the most paradoxical thing is that the "read" status of the letter is a result of hard work and micro-innovation, and is an imported product from TMD.

This left Ma Huateng speechless.

Returning to reality, now it’s just four words, that’s it…

Go or stay?

Is "read" really that bad?

What is the attitude of the vast majority of users who wrote in to this function?

The discussion at the General Office meeting did not yield a clear result.

Ma Huateng even felt that underneath these fierce arguments was a weakness that could not be concealed.

There is a problem with everyone's confidence in this product.

Everyone’s judgment on current and future competition has also deteriorated.

If people from the public relations department hadn't discovered the problem, would this "third party" have been helping Penguin with free public relations?

The General Office meeting is over, and major issues involving letters will continue to be discussed the next day.

Ma Huateng returned to his office, took his mobile phone, clicked on the incoming letter, and then clicked on a dialog box and saw "Read" on it.

He was a little confused.

When this function was first launched, I felt a little strange, but after using it, I felt that it saved communication costs very well. Is this an illusion?

Even if you see it but don’t reply, everyone should be able to understand it tacitly. I understand that you have read it, and you understand that I have read it and cannot reply.

Ma Huateng put away his phone blankly.

As a user, no matter how you feel, you are only one person. Even if all Penguin employees are added together, they are far less than the 34.69 million users.

Perhaps, let the user decide directly? Initiate questions directly in the software to decide whether to retain or retain functions?

Will this cause a crisis in public opinion?

Or just remove it silently?

Gan, the eager Yike will never miss the opportunity to expand public opinion.

Messy thoughts were swirling around in my mind.

When Xu Chenye from the Penguin Five walked into the office, he saw Pony staring at the ceiling quietly with his neck raised.

He had rarely seen Pony's body language like this, and he couldn't help but be surprised.

"Pony, you said this letter thing is really difficult to handle."

Xu Chenye used this sentence as the beginning of the communication. However, he did not get a response from the leader.

He thought for two seconds and said, "Mr. Fang called me."

Ma Huateng immediately sat up straight and looked over: "What is he going to do again?"

"Just kidding, he didn't fight." Xu Chenye smiled, "I'll stimulate you."

Ma Huateng: "..."

It's not funny.

What's even less funny is that I was actually stimulated.

He stood up from the table and walked around: "I really didn't expect that Yike would actually do something like this, and would do something like this a long time ago. Do you think this Yi Xin has never used the read function from the beginning to the end? ?”

Could it be that there is no such thing as so-called small-scale testing?

This function is easy to reproduce. I learned it too quickly when I first started, and Yixin’s feedback was very natural. I didn’t expect any traps at all.

It's completely unclear now.

"Who knows? It doesn't matter now." Xu Chenye shook his head and said, "I understand now that making products calmly and in a hurry are two completely different states."

The timing of Yixin's launch was too good. It occupied the commanding heights during the 3Q battle. The public opinion was huge, and it was supplemented by Yike's resources. This made Penguin eager for success at that time.

Step by step like this, the letter looks like what it is today.

The letter of 34.69 million can be regarded as a success, but it is still far from Penguin's requirements.

Penguin, which is No. 1 in PC communications, cannot be No. 1 in mobile. This is a failure.

"Yes, we were in a hurry." Ma Huateng had to admit this and added, "But it's hard for us not to be in a hurry."

Because the Penguins faced Yike this time, but unfortunately, the opponent's timing of entry was extremely tricky.

"Yes, it is Mr. Fang after all." Xu Chenye said with a smile, "I have calmed down now. My opponent is Mr. Fang, and anything can happen. This is just another one of his tricks. I can't tell you what the letter is. It needs to be discussed. Since it is competition, let’s learn it till the end. Yixin does not need this function, so we will remove it now.”

Ma Huateng was silent, which was too ugly.

Can't you boost your own confidence?

He said slowly: "I always feel that 'read' does not have no room for survival."

"I'm afraid there won't be time for it to survive now." Xu Chenye said unceremoniously, "The pressure on Yi Xin is getting bigger and bigger. It's not shameful to learn from those who are running ahead."

He felt that there should be no more quarrels. Since Yixin is number one, regardless of whether this function is an important factor, he should stick to the traffic + learning strategy.

"If we directly disable this function, what about the user habits we have cultivated? Will we lose some users again?" Ma Huateng said, "Yike will never miss this opportunity."

"We can roll out the offline functions in batches." Xu Chenye said as he planned, "What other questionnaires and market assessments should we do? We have to admit now that Yixin is doing well and Yixin is the benchmark in this industry. .”

What he said was what was discussed before by the General Office.

Xu Chenye's attitude is very resolute. Just correct your mistakes in time. The enemy is so determined to help you defend it. What else do you want to think about? If it's so good, why don't Yi Xin use it? If the advantages really outweigh the disadvantages, why doesn't the person named Fang get the job?

Ma Huateng sighed: "34.69 million."

What he saw was that decisions should not be made based on 34.69 million, but based on other factors and competitors. Penguin is the communications overlord...

"Winner or loser, this decision does have a certain cost, but the cost will be higher in the future. Now is the time to stop the loss." Xu Chenye said seriously, "The situation of the letter is already very dangerous, and the second half of the year is critical. , if we can replicate Yixin’s rapid progress in the Spring Festival Gala last year, we can continue to play, but if not..."

He cautiously made his final suggestion: "The only way is to let QQ benchmark."

Xu Chenye also saw the circle of friends of the head of Yike, and also believed that there would be an inflection point in competition.

34.69 million users sounds good, but active users are the real thing.

If Yixin further distances itself, those active users will coerce and fission into a giant.

By then, Penguin will only have QQ, the last card left.

Xu Chenye is actually more radical. He has long mentioned using QQ directly for benchmarking, but there is always some hope for users who have written in to catch up.

Ma Huateng frowned and nodded, and directly asked QQ to transform, which would declare the complete failure of the letter. This was undoubtedly painful, but it seemed to be increasingly becoming an urgent choice.

Yixin uses an electronic red envelope to realize the user's transition. If you send a letter, you can also jump once...

This year's Spring Festival Gala, Penguin is increasingly determined to win.

Ma Huateng thought for a long time and responded to another suggestion from Xu Chenye: "In early November, if CCTV fails, we will promote QQ."

CCTV will announce the bidding results in early November, which is less than three months away. However, if the company wins the bid, it will have to wait. The Spring Festival Gala is still an excellent opportunity to catch up.

Xu Chenye said "hmm" and suddenly said: "When I heard about Yike's public relations today, I really didn't feel angry at all. On the contrary, I became more and more curious about Fang Zhuo's mental state."

He continued: "Tell me, if I call him, will he admit that it was his handiwork?"

"Don't call him, he will piss you off if you talk to him." Ma Huateng said with great experience.

Xu Chenye smiled and said: "I have already adjusted my attitude toward him. I just want to ask him what he thinks."

Ma Huateng stopped talking. He was torn between not wanting Xu Chenye to fight and expecting him to fight.

Xu Chenye took out his phone, looked through his address book, and pressed Fang Zhuo's number.

Beep beep beep, connected soon.

"Hey, Mr. Fang, it's me." Xu Chenye greeted.

Fang Zhuo: "Who are you?"

Xu Chenye guessed that Fang Zhuo had deleted his number, and said patiently: "I am Xu Chenye."

Fang Zhuo repeated: "Who are you? I only talk to Pony."

Xu Chenye almost threw the phone away with trembling hands.

He took a breath: "Mr. Fang, something happened to you."

"Which one are you talking about?" Fang Zhuo replied subconsciously, then insisted, "I only talk to Pony, who do you think you are."

Xu Chenye's ignorant karma suddenly burned from his heart to his brain...

When Ma Huateng saw this, he stopped listening, took the phone directly, and asked: "There is a public relations company doing the public relations for the letter, it's you again, right?"

"Hi, Pony, so I said that it's useless to block people on the phone. There needs to be a dialogue mechanism between companies." Fang Zhuo greeted him and raised his voice again, "Mr. Xu, don't blame me, it was your Pony who pulled the phone first." Hack me, oh yes, what did you just say?"

Ma Huateng repeated his question.

"Public relations company? Letter?" Fang Zhuo asked cautiously, "Are you spreading negative news about the letter?"

Ma Huateng wanted to say something about the situation, but suddenly felt that it was hard to explain. The public relations company was the one who sent the letter! It’s still free!

He pointed directly to the core: "Fang Zhuo, stop pretending, it must be your Yike!"

Fang Zhuo explored a possibility: "Pony, it's not just Yike that competes with Penguin. No matter what you say, do you think Alibaba is doing something about it?"

Ma Huateng was in a daze for a moment, and then immediately said: "Fang Zhuo, the phone has come to my door, what are you still talking about?"

Fang Zhuo said gently: "Okay, then do you want to make up for the public relations expenses?"

Suddenly he admitted it in an understatement.

Ma Huateng was quiet for several seconds before he recovered. He had no intention of questioning Fang Zhuo today, but since Mr. Xu's call was connected and the person on the other end insisted on speaking by himself, he just ignored the matter.

He was confused and helpless and said: "Fang Zhuo, you are really not tired every day, so you just opened a public relations company to deal with us, right?"

"Is it just your PR?" Fang Zhuozheng said solemnly, "The bandits can go, so can I."

Xu Chenye who was listening was speechless. Who is the bandit?

"Do you think you can't do it after reading it?" Ma Huateng asked.

Fang Zhuo assessed the information on the phone and said simply: "It can be done, why are you calling me now?"

He asked curiously: "How did you find out?"

This matter was actually the work of Yike’s public relations department. What’s more interesting is that some of the people who were targeted by public relations obviously knew something was wrong, but they accepted the money silently.

Ma Huateng did not answer the question: "Fang Zhuo, even if Yixin uses all kinds of tricks, there are almost 40 million users of letters."

"You have it, you have it, then why are you calling me?" Fang Zhuo wondered.

Ma Huateng was silent for two seconds. He already had a tendency to deal with the incoming mail function and said, "Your little trick has failed."

"Oh, so what? Do you need me to tell you the number of users and active users of Yixin?" Fang Zhuo asked, "It's amazing to have 40 million letters?"

As soon as he said this, Ma Huateng and Xu Chenye raised their eyebrows in unison. Yixin has always kept the ratio of active users secret. If you know it, it can be used as an important reference.

Ma Huateng thought: "How can it be better than the letter? Our diversion speed has already exceeded that of Yixin."

"Is Mr. Xu here? Does Mr. Xu want to hear it?" Fang Zhuo raised his voice.

Xu Chenye was thinking about how to reply, and finally pretended not to hear the question.

Fang Zhuo didn't hear the response and said regretfully: "Forget it, Mr. Xu doesn't want to hear it, so he won't say anything anymore."

Xu Chenye had no choice but to say, "Tell me about it."

"Ah? Mr. Xu wants to hear it? Then I can't say anything." Fang Zhuo laughed.

Xu Chenye wants to buy a ticket to Shanghai! Want to buy now!

Fang Zhuo stopped joking: "Pony, whatever you want is your letter, Yi Xin is just doing his best."

He added: "Are you going to remove the read function? Then I will criticize your product next. Well, a failed product is too close to traffic and too far from users."

Ma Huateng sneered and was about to hang up the phone. This was just expected.

"Pony, why do you think Letter is lagging behind Yi Xin now?" Fang Zhuo asked again.

Ma Huateng responded with silence, intending to listen to the other person's opinions before hanging up the phone.

Fang Zhuo sighed and said, "This is because when a gentleman changes his appearance, he becomes a noble man, but when a villain changes his appearance, he becomes obedient and obedient to the king."

"With all your tricks, can you still be called a gentleman?" Ma Huateng couldn't help but say, forget about everything else.

"It depends on who you compare with." Fang Zhuo said, "In the early years, Mr. Xu communicated with me on Zhihu. People said that compared with you, I am pure and pure, and you can't hear the voices of the masses. ?"

At the beginning, Xu Chenye was communicating with Fang Zhuo on Zhihu about Penguin micro-innovation.

"Do you think Yi Xin is stable?" Ma Huateng finally said.

Fang Zhuo smiled and joked: "Pony, this is not a stable matter. When we make products, we must be able to accept opinions with an open mind. Why don't you come over and I will write an inscription for you. You can take it back and think about it carefully. Just write... …”

Before he finished speaking, the call was disconnected.

Fang Zhuo held the phone and estimated that the special functions of the incoming mail would really have to be removed.

If this is the case, only Alibaba on the market uses this read, but don’t mention it, Alibaba’s tone is quite suitable.

He put down his mobile phone and thought about Pony and Penguin in the distance. He felt that CCTV's bidding performance this time would really reach a peak.