Graphomania post. Free idea for "Vkontakte" and "My World"
We are all human and we all make mistakes. I do them all the time. In any case, he did not make any effort to avoid them and their consequences.
One of the mistakes is the unfinished site with the working name contactlist. It was 2001, I worked in Kiev, in Avanport (Avanport.com - now a closed Internet startup) and tried different topics. One of the ideas was a directory of their own and others' contacts, and it was possible to register, drive in their ICQ-soap-phones, search for acquaintances and add them to their “pocket” in order to find them quickly if necessary.
The key difference from today's social networks is the inability to see who is “in the pocket” of those whom you have added to your pocket, as well as the absence of any private message service.
')
Why was the prototype made that way?
- on the one hand, then every self-respecting Internet project fastened free mail to itself, so PM seemed to be the wildest archaism (and there was no money for its own mail);
- then ICQ was so actively developing that it seemed that it was she who would become the only IM and collection of contacts. In any case, it seemed so. It was expected that it will develop (on the approach was a voice), but Skype did everything right.
- we rushed (for the youth it was not enough mind just to try the options) and did not know if people would like to upload their contacts to the web.
We did not roll out this project into the world, with all the advantages it seemed to us that it would not be interesting “right now” (it is understandable, there would be a thousand Internet users, and nothing more).
Another couple of joints: discussing this idea with the guys, we thought about classmates, fellow students, colleagues, but did not assume that all of them would come to the Internet so quickly, because in 2001 the Internet audience was far from the percentage that in 2006 (the core of the UA-net was 400 thousand a month, Russia was more, but not radically).
In other words, the guys and I reasoned based on the current situation, not assuming that in 2-3 years the Internet audience will grow by orders of magnitude, cutting off ideas that Facebook, Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki later took off on, and that was my mistake. Yes, I personally reproach myself for not listening to myself and to people who gave valuable advice, but, on the other hand, everything turned out the way it happened and they still carry gingerbreads on our street, maybe tomorrow we have a couple of trucks topples over. To sprinkle ash on the head is entertaining, but not very productive, so let's move on.
So, back to Vkontakte as for example in RuNet. It is clear that there is My world and Odnoglazniki, but they go a little wrong way. If VKontakte "pulls" from Facebook, then My World and Classmates are not secondary but tertiary, if it sounds right, because it is "pulled" already from VKontakte, IMHO.
So here. Vkontakte appeared, spun, scored an audience. And I realized that further increase the functionality will be difficult and something must be done. Either Facebook realized this once, and Vkontakte knew what to be afraid of and looked ahead. Now Vkontakte (if someone did not notice) has become a platform. Let it be not so explicitly yet, let only flash applications with truncated features work on this platform, but this is a PLATFORM.
Each platform has capabilities and limitations, both technical and market-user-partner-financial, which affect the quantity and quality of applications.
Let's step aside a bit and talk about Windows as a platform. For a regular Windows user, a program purchased (or stolen, it depends) for N money is put on a computer. That is, the platform before transferring to you is alienated and works on your equipment, and the further concern of the platform provider is to send you updates. At the same time, support for the platform is also not eternal and is limited by the lifespan with which you agreed by purchasing this program. Try today to contact Microsoft about problems with Windows 3.11 or Windows 95 and understand what I mean. It is the same with manufacturers of equipment or vehicles - it is clear that for machine tools and cars produced before the 80s you can find parts (original or third-party suppliers), but often the manufacturing plant does not completely guarantee their availability, because the brand has long been “ out of service ".
So, alienating your copy of the platform, Microsoft does not impose on you restrictions on launching any programs, developing programs and distributing them to other users of the platform.
The platform remains simply a platform without a certain critical mass of users, and also without a critical mass of applications (dozens of promising operating systems appeared and died, failing to gain a critical mass of users or software). Microsoft went to its database of users and applications for years - having traced its history looking at everything at first glance, big mistakes and small jambs, you can see the global goal to which the company came. Anyway, Microsoft’s position is optimal now, despite the fact that Google promotes “everything on the web” ideas. Internet is everywhere, but this is infrastructure, not equipment, and this infrastructure is still less reliable than an open laptop with Windows.
On the other hand, the Internet gives you unprecedented distribution of applications, thanks to which web-based applications get the right to life. Let it not text processors and not CAD systems (Google has a dox, but using it for text processing is not as convenient as a Word on the desktop). Also, it is clear that 1C will not soon step into the web, but there are a ton of tasks that web-based applications can do quite well. For example, entertainment and communication. Why people go to the network, what the network was created for is acquiring new forms in the form of hundreds of different applications on Facebook (throwing sheep and tomatoes, battles in the flash counterparts of the Fight Club, sharing sypemi, hearts, bolts and stools etc.)
So, what about Vkontakte? Vkontakte is no longer just a social service, today it is a platform that requires tangible resources to maintain. Of course, for the “simple housewives” there is no difference between the page on the “People” and the “Rambler”, but you and I understand how much one unit costs per colocation and a 100 MB channel. And now we multiply this unit to the number that provides at least 10 million visitors per day and we estimate the necessary money.
It is clear that ultimately the user pays for using such a platform, either with cash, or attention (advertising or ... something else). In the case of Vkontakte, cash does not go straight away (in any case, not as rude as Odnoklassniki, with their payment of registration and extended albums), but for services that not everyone buys.
A small digression: on the other hand, standard in multiplayer online games - “Looking for opportunities and status? Spend time or spend money ”, it could be used in social programs - do you want opportunities? Pay 10 dollars a month (well, or 70 per year). No money? Do something useful for the project (for example, bring 100 friends, organize a visited group or something else).
Let's continue about the platform and money. Now Vkontakt (and after him “My World” with “Odnoglazniki”) allows you to download your applications. These applications use the platform's API, as well as (if the application has paid services) “in-contact” payment gate, which implies N-th deductions when selling paid services.
This is where the short-sightedness of management begins and some of the whole idea with limitations. It is here that there is a lack of vision of the future from the owners of the platform. It would seem that everything is true: the service is sold - the percentage has been sent to the developer of the application and “goodbye”, but there are several nuances here:
- The percentage received by the developer of the application is such that with it you can only sell virtual goods, and this market, despite its enormity, is nevertheless finite and subject to the crisis.
- Depositing money ONLY through the billing of the platform owners narrows down the range of applications that could be implemented in the system, which ultimately ... (think for yourself).
As a result, the social sphere is filled with toys, and the owners of the platforms lose income, which they could receive if they were not inert Internet-managers who like me in 2001.
And now, actually, for the sake of which the previous bullshit was:
Imagine that Vkontakte allows you to accept payments by yourself. That is, it behaves like Microsoft, which allows users to install any programs, and developers are limited only by the capabilities of their API and user hardware. The question arises, what is the platform for? Answer: fees from developers for launches. Almost also comes hosting Amazon, which takes money not for what they take money ordinary hosting.
Imagine, for example, that sipnet, or skype appears as an application on Vkontakte, while billing this application does not oblige the user to pay with votes. Imagine that a user can log in to the application using his login password from the sipnet (after all, the person there ALREADY may have previously put money with the% commission that suits him). At the same time, the application in front of the applet is labeled admissible as “commercial” (which implies the sale of services through external billing systems), and for its LAUNCHES Vkontakte charges money from the developer (small but very interesting for the audience).
Nonsense? Probably, but let's look at this story from the other side: imagine at least 100 thousand users of VKontakte launching free games every day. And now let's imagine 100 thousand users of IP-telephony. Imagine N tenths of a cent for each application launch and think about whether there are any services on the market that are ready to pay for launching their own applications (assuming that they do the billing through themselves)? I think there will be, and losing this opportunity is at least stupid. Moreover, I assume that the platforms will give some preferences to these applications, advertising them once more in order to motivate users for the next paid (for the developer) launch.
One of the mistakes is the unfinished site with the working name contactlist. It was 2001, I worked in Kiev, in Avanport (Avanport.com - now a closed Internet startup) and tried different topics. One of the ideas was a directory of their own and others' contacts, and it was possible to register, drive in their ICQ-soap-phones, search for acquaintances and add them to their “pocket” in order to find them quickly if necessary.
The key difference from today's social networks is the inability to see who is “in the pocket” of those whom you have added to your pocket, as well as the absence of any private message service.
')
Why was the prototype made that way?
- on the one hand, then every self-respecting Internet project fastened free mail to itself, so PM seemed to be the wildest archaism (and there was no money for its own mail);
- then ICQ was so actively developing that it seemed that it was she who would become the only IM and collection of contacts. In any case, it seemed so. It was expected that it will develop (on the approach was a voice), but Skype did everything right.
- we rushed (for the youth it was not enough mind just to try the options) and did not know if people would like to upload their contacts to the web.
We did not roll out this project into the world, with all the advantages it seemed to us that it would not be interesting “right now” (it is understandable, there would be a thousand Internet users, and nothing more).
Another couple of joints: discussing this idea with the guys, we thought about classmates, fellow students, colleagues, but did not assume that all of them would come to the Internet so quickly, because in 2001 the Internet audience was far from the percentage that in 2006 (the core of the UA-net was 400 thousand a month, Russia was more, but not radically).
In other words, the guys and I reasoned based on the current situation, not assuming that in 2-3 years the Internet audience will grow by orders of magnitude, cutting off ideas that Facebook, Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki later took off on, and that was my mistake. Yes, I personally reproach myself for not listening to myself and to people who gave valuable advice, but, on the other hand, everything turned out the way it happened and they still carry gingerbreads on our street, maybe tomorrow we have a couple of trucks topples over. To sprinkle ash on the head is entertaining, but not very productive, so let's move on.
So, back to Vkontakte as for example in RuNet. It is clear that there is My world and Odnoglazniki, but they go a little wrong way. If VKontakte "pulls" from Facebook, then My World and Classmates are not secondary but tertiary, if it sounds right, because it is "pulled" already from VKontakte, IMHO.
So here. Vkontakte appeared, spun, scored an audience. And I realized that further increase the functionality will be difficult and something must be done. Either Facebook realized this once, and Vkontakte knew what to be afraid of and looked ahead. Now Vkontakte (if someone did not notice) has become a platform. Let it be not so explicitly yet, let only flash applications with truncated features work on this platform, but this is a PLATFORM.
Each platform has capabilities and limitations, both technical and market-user-partner-financial, which affect the quantity and quality of applications.
Let's step aside a bit and talk about Windows as a platform. For a regular Windows user, a program purchased (or stolen, it depends) for N money is put on a computer. That is, the platform before transferring to you is alienated and works on your equipment, and the further concern of the platform provider is to send you updates. At the same time, support for the platform is also not eternal and is limited by the lifespan with which you agreed by purchasing this program. Try today to contact Microsoft about problems with Windows 3.11 or Windows 95 and understand what I mean. It is the same with manufacturers of equipment or vehicles - it is clear that for machine tools and cars produced before the 80s you can find parts (original or third-party suppliers), but often the manufacturing plant does not completely guarantee their availability, because the brand has long been “ out of service ".
So, alienating your copy of the platform, Microsoft does not impose on you restrictions on launching any programs, developing programs and distributing them to other users of the platform.
The platform remains simply a platform without a certain critical mass of users, and also without a critical mass of applications (dozens of promising operating systems appeared and died, failing to gain a critical mass of users or software). Microsoft went to its database of users and applications for years - having traced its history looking at everything at first glance, big mistakes and small jambs, you can see the global goal to which the company came. Anyway, Microsoft’s position is optimal now, despite the fact that Google promotes “everything on the web” ideas. Internet is everywhere, but this is infrastructure, not equipment, and this infrastructure is still less reliable than an open laptop with Windows.
On the other hand, the Internet gives you unprecedented distribution of applications, thanks to which web-based applications get the right to life. Let it not text processors and not CAD systems (Google has a dox, but using it for text processing is not as convenient as a Word on the desktop). Also, it is clear that 1C will not soon step into the web, but there are a ton of tasks that web-based applications can do quite well. For example, entertainment and communication. Why people go to the network, what the network was created for is acquiring new forms in the form of hundreds of different applications on Facebook (throwing sheep and tomatoes, battles in the flash counterparts of the Fight Club, sharing sypemi, hearts, bolts and stools etc.)
So, what about Vkontakte? Vkontakte is no longer just a social service, today it is a platform that requires tangible resources to maintain. Of course, for the “simple housewives” there is no difference between the page on the “People” and the “Rambler”, but you and I understand how much one unit costs per colocation and a 100 MB channel. And now we multiply this unit to the number that provides at least 10 million visitors per day and we estimate the necessary money.
It is clear that ultimately the user pays for using such a platform, either with cash, or attention (advertising or ... something else). In the case of Vkontakte, cash does not go straight away (in any case, not as rude as Odnoklassniki, with their payment of registration and extended albums), but for services that not everyone buys.
A small digression: on the other hand, standard in multiplayer online games - “Looking for opportunities and status? Spend time or spend money ”, it could be used in social programs - do you want opportunities? Pay 10 dollars a month (well, or 70 per year). No money? Do something useful for the project (for example, bring 100 friends, organize a visited group or something else).
Let's continue about the platform and money. Now Vkontakt (and after him “My World” with “Odnoglazniki”) allows you to download your applications. These applications use the platform's API, as well as (if the application has paid services) “in-contact” payment gate, which implies N-th deductions when selling paid services.
This is where the short-sightedness of management begins and some of the whole idea with limitations. It is here that there is a lack of vision of the future from the owners of the platform. It would seem that everything is true: the service is sold - the percentage has been sent to the developer of the application and “goodbye”, but there are several nuances here:
- The percentage received by the developer of the application is such that with it you can only sell virtual goods, and this market, despite its enormity, is nevertheless finite and subject to the crisis.
- Depositing money ONLY through the billing of the platform owners narrows down the range of applications that could be implemented in the system, which ultimately ... (think for yourself).
As a result, the social sphere is filled with toys, and the owners of the platforms lose income, which they could receive if they were not inert Internet-managers who like me in 2001.
And now, actually, for the sake of which the previous bullshit was:
Imagine that Vkontakte allows you to accept payments by yourself. That is, it behaves like Microsoft, which allows users to install any programs, and developers are limited only by the capabilities of their API and user hardware. The question arises, what is the platform for? Answer: fees from developers for launches. Almost also comes hosting Amazon, which takes money not for what they take money ordinary hosting.
Imagine, for example, that sipnet, or skype appears as an application on Vkontakte, while billing this application does not oblige the user to pay with votes. Imagine that a user can log in to the application using his login password from the sipnet (after all, the person there ALREADY may have previously put money with the% commission that suits him). At the same time, the application in front of the applet is labeled admissible as “commercial” (which implies the sale of services through external billing systems), and for its LAUNCHES Vkontakte charges money from the developer (small but very interesting for the audience).
Nonsense? Probably, but let's look at this story from the other side: imagine at least 100 thousand users of VKontakte launching free games every day. And now let's imagine 100 thousand users of IP-telephony. Imagine N tenths of a cent for each application launch and think about whether there are any services on the market that are ready to pay for launching their own applications (assuming that they do the billing through themselves)? I think there will be, and losing this opportunity is at least stupid. Moreover, I assume that the platforms will give some preferences to these applications, advertising them once more in order to motivate users for the next paid (for the developer) launch.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/77591/
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