臉譜與騰訊：兩大互聯(lián)網(wǎng)巨頭的交鋒

Facebook’s hefty US$19 billion purchase in cash and stocks of WhatsApp has stunned Silicon Valley， but could it be that the 1）acquisition was partly motivated by the stunning rise of Asian messaging apps like China’s WeChat？

From fake iPhones to pirated DVDs and imitation architecture of the Sydney Opera House， China is a nation notorious for its 2）copycat culture. But WeChat， a messaging app by Chinese Internet giant Tencent， may be an example of the innovation that exists within this culture.

Inspired by messaging apps like WhatsApp and Japan’s Line， WeChat has since evolved into a mega online platform — part Facebook， part Instagram， a mobile news platform， mobile wallet and e-commerce store. It even comes complete with its own online mutual fund. Facebook’s announcement to buy WhatsApp， combined with its $1 billion purchase of photo-sharing app Instagram last year， may have been influenced by the rise of mega-platform messaging apps across the Pacific.

Facebook and WeChat appear to have distinct business models. In a Facebook release， founder Mark Zuckerberg said “WhatsApp will continue to operate independently within Facebook.” Similarly， when Facebook purchased Instagram， Zuckerberg noted that the two platforms were “different experiences that complement each other...we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.”

By contrast， WeChat provides a centralised 3）smorgasbord of experiences. Users can post and view their friends’ feeds， filled with status updates， photos， videos and news articles. There’s a “hold to talk”4）walkie-talkie function， group chats， and individuals can literally “shake”their phone to find fellow users in the 5）vicinity. On the eve of Chinese New Year this year， 10 million messages were sent over WeChat each minute.

Over the Chinese New Year period， 40 million virtual “hongbao” were sent by WeChat users to friends and family， a smartphone spin on the Chinese tradition of exchanging red packets of money to celebrate festive occasions.

The genius behind this was that in order for WeChat users to give and receive these red packets， they had to bind their bankcard to their WeChat account. This is a huge win for WeChat， which is hoping to become a mobile wallet and one-stopshop for users. Already， WeChatters can buy movie tickets， pay taxi fares and make purchases at vending machines scattered throughout Beijing’s subway network.

And it’s not just large companies hedging their bets on WeChat’s online sales. There have been plenty of books written on how individuals can turn their WeChat account into an e-commerce 6）hub. This Valentine’s Day， WeChatters could buy chocolates， roses and even rent wedding dresses through the app. Taking orders via WeChat， university students have turned their dorm rooms into fruit stores.

Facebook has been blocked in China since 2009 and may be hoping that WhatsApp could be a way into China’s enormous online market. This will be difficult because WeChat already has a critical mass of Chinese users and has fine-tuned its products to their tastes.

“Social media is deeply connected to the people using it， so Chinese social media is very much tailored to the Chinese market and Chinese users，” explained Wei Wuhui， a technology expert at Shanghai Jiaotong University， speaking to The Interpreter over 7）Skype. “While inspiration for WeChat may have come from messaging apps like WhatsApp or Line， today WeChat has evolved into something very different from those apps.”

WeChat reported 272 million active monthly users last year， up 124% from the previous year. This is still a ways off from WhatsApp’s 450 million monthly users， with 70% active on a given day. But the competition is heating up and WeChat’s sights are set overseas. The company spent $200 million in overseas advertising campaigns last year， with LeBron James and Lionel Messi involved in their international marketing.

If WeChat’s parent company Tencent is successful in its overseas expansion of the app， WeChat could have a valuation comparable to WhatsApp. Then these two Internet giants， Facebook and Tencent， really would be locked in a global， head to head battle.

臉譜網(wǎng)以價值190億美金的現(xiàn)金和股票高價收購WhatsApp震驚了硅谷，然而引起這一驚人之舉的原因會不會在某種程度上是因為亞洲即時通訊應用的崛起，比方說中國的微信？

從偽造蘋果手機到盜版DVD，再到模仿悉尼歌劇院的建筑，中國因其“山寨”文化而聲名狼藉。但是微信，一款由中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)巨頭騰訊打造的即時通訊應用，或許會是證明在這種“山寨”文化中還有創(chuàng)新存活的例證。

受到如WhatsApp和日本的“連我”等即時通訊應用的啟發(fā)，微信如今已發(fā)展成一個功能強大的在線平臺——囊括了臉譜網(wǎng)和Instagram的部分功能，既是移動新聞平臺，又是移動電子錢包和電子商城。它甚至還配備了自己的在線共同基金。臉譜網(wǎng)宣布收購WhatsApp，以及去年以10億美金收購圖片分享應用Instagram的舉措，很可能是受到了太平洋彼岸那些即時通訊超級應用平臺的崛起的影響。

臉譜網(wǎng)和微信看上去具有截然不同的商業(yè)模式。創(chuàng)始人馬克·扎克伯格在一個臉譜網(wǎng)的發(fā)布會上表示：“WhatsApp在臉譜網(wǎng)內(nèi)將繼續(xù)獨立運作。”同樣地，在臉譜網(wǎng)收購Instagram時，扎克伯格指出：這兩個平臺是“不同體驗的互補……我們要注意保持住Instagram的優(yōu)點和特性，而不僅僅是嘗試把一切都融入臉譜網(wǎng)?！?/p>

與之相反，微信則是在做一鍋糅合了所有體驗的大雜燴。用戶可以發(fā)布和查看他們朋友的各種信息，包括狀態(tài)更新、照片、視頻和新聞消息。應用帶有“按著說話”的對講機功能，群組聊天功能，還支持個人用戶如文字所言“搖一搖”他們的手機來尋找附近的用戶。在今年中國的春節(jié)除夕夜，每分鐘有多達1000萬條信息在微信上傳播。

在春節(jié)期間，微信用戶發(fā)出了多達4000萬個虛擬“紅包”給他們的親朋好友，中國人節(jié)日交換紅包的傳統(tǒng)在智能手機上玩起電子版新花樣。

讓微信用戶送出和接收這些紅包背后隱藏的真正天才想法是：用戶們必須將銀行卡與微信賬號捆綁到一起。這對于微信來說是一次巨大的勝利，因為這能夠推進實現(xiàn)用戶的電子錢包功能和一站式消費服務。如今，用戶已能夠通過微信購買電影票、支付出租車費，以及在北京地鐵網(wǎng)絡沿線分布的自動販賣機上進行消費。

而且不僅有大公司在微信在線銷售平臺上押賭注，還有大量的書籍教人如何將他們的微信賬號變成電子商務服務站。今年情人節(jié)的時候，微信用戶能夠通過該應用購買巧克力、玫瑰花，甚至租婚紗禮服。通過微信下單，大學生們已把他們的宿舍變成了水果店。

臉譜網(wǎng)自從2009年起就被中國屏蔽，如今或許寄望WhatsApp能成為一條打入中國龐大在線市場的通道。但這會相當困難，因為微信已經(jīng)累積了關鍵規(guī)模的中國用戶群，且已將產(chǎn)品調整至符合用戶偏好。

“社交媒體與正在使用的人群關系非常緊密，所以中國的社交媒體完全是為中國市場和中國用戶度身定做的，”上海交通大學的技術專家魏武揮通過訊佳普上的翻譯器如此解釋道?！半m然微信開發(fā)的靈感可能來自如WhatsApp和“連我”這樣的即時通訊應用，但如今的微信已經(jīng)發(fā)展成一款與它們完全不同的應用了?！?/p>

微信報告稱去年月均活躍用戶數(shù)達2.72億，較前一年增長了124%。這與WhatsApp月均活躍用戶數(shù)4.5億，單日活躍人數(shù)達70%的成績還有一定的距離。但兩者的競爭正在升溫，微信目光已經(jīng)投射到了海外。騰訊公司在去年投放了2億美元在海外廣告活動上，勒布朗·詹姆斯和萊昂內(nèi)爾·梅西都參與了他們的國際市場營銷。

如果微信的母公司騰訊能夠成功地實現(xiàn)海外擴張的話，那么微信的估值將與WhatsApp有得一比。而這兩大互聯(lián)網(wǎng)巨頭，臉譜網(wǎng)和騰訊，則免不了要在全球范圍內(nèi)短兵相接硬碰硬。

小鏈接

全球App大比拼

隨著臉譜網(wǎng)以巨資收購WhatsApp，越來越多的人開始關注網(wǎng)絡即時通訊應用?，F(xiàn)在我們就來了解一下現(xiàn)實網(wǎng)絡混戰(zhàn)中鼎立的幾大“英雄”：

美國WhatsApp

成立時間：2009年 用戶數(shù)量：超過2億

特點：支持iOS、Android等多個系統(tǒng)平臺，簡易，個性化，沒有廣告，以傳送文字為主，亦可傳送圖片、錄音、影片，并且支持離線訊息傳送，以及顯示對方已經(jīng)收到消息以及查詢好友最后在線時間。

花邊新聞：四年前WhatsApp創(chuàng)始人到Facebook應聘遭拒，四年后Facebook卻要以190億美金的代價收購WhatsApp，草根成功逆襲。

韓國KaKaoTalk

成立時間：2010年3月 用戶數(shù)量：1.33億

特點：除一般的即時通訊功能外，更是提供個性化的主題、背景、付費表情等多種選擇?！癎ift服務”，用戶可以在應用內(nèi)購買咖啡或巧克力等小商品的優(yōu)惠券發(fā)送給朋友，朋友憑借這些優(yōu)惠券到線下實體商店中兌換。

日本Line

成立時間：2011年6月 用戶數(shù)量：超過3.5億

特點：界面可愛，可愛的表情多，隨時隨地免費享用無限制的通話和短信，拍照、游戲、音樂等關聯(lián)應用眾多?；ㄟ呅侣劊簾岵ロn劇《來自星星的你》中，叫獸和千頌伊對話中的可愛聊天表情讓Line名利雙收、盆滿缽滿。

中國WeChat

成立時間：2011年1月 用戶數(shù)量：6億多

特點：支持一對一交流、群組聊天、分享音頻、圖片以及視頻。同時還有按鈕錄音，啟動對講機模式，以及“搖一搖”尋找好友功能。提供叫車、為手機充值服務，甚至還可投資財富管理產(chǎn)品。