对于美国互联网企业来说，中国互联网企业有哪些值得学习之处？ 第1页

When I learn from others, I learn from their success, failure, and from our difference.

One different aspect I observe among Chinese internet companies and their U.S. counterparts is that, many Chinese internet companies are extremely keen on providing one-stop resolution for all daily needs.

For example, a Chinese rider-hailing app would encourage riders to upload their personal profiles and social with drivers, as if bundling up Uber and Facebook (if not Tinder). For another, WeChat started with instant messaging, but later went on to enable users to subscribe news streams, make online payment, buy movie tickets, and even apply for consumer loan. It’s like putting WhatsApp, Venmo, Yelp, Groupon, Booking, etc. all together.

As you might have noticed, Zhihu is also growing to become more inclusive. Back in 2013, Zhihu was a Quora-like Q&A based forum. Yet now it is a massive conglomerate of different products. You can still do Q&A, and you may also create short posts as using Twitter, read e-books and listen to audiobooks as using Amazon App, follow online courses as using Coursera, and indulge yourself in user-generate short-videos like Tik-tok (a highly addictive short-video app in China.)

Such effort to become bigger may cause problems, like really serious problems. In 2018, this country is shocked by the tragedy that a female rider was raped and murdered by a rider-hailing app driver. Later investigation shows that some drivers would use rider’s user profile to pick “easy targets” for sexual advances. The controversy went on, as the public criticized the service provider for their sexual innuendos which hints that drivers may expect closer social interactions with riders.

And there are less serious problems, problems not troubling law enforcement but product managers — how to specialize. I like Google map, because it does its job. It shows me how to get to places — what else do you expect from a map? When I came back to China and switched to a Chinese navigation map, things started to get weird. My navigation app frequently sent me notification about local events, discounts and tips on how to be a better driver. (Well, can’t argue it is a rare gift for some drivers.) It keeps sending me cash rewards that I don’t know how to use, and boasts some functions that looks interesting but not helpful, such as having a movie star’s voice for navigation. (Imagine Vin Disel telling you NOT to go over 60 mph, what will you do?)

Thanks for trying, map, but you really have only one job to do.

I might be totally unrepresentative as to Chinese users’ taste for App, but here I am, among the nostalgic few who miss their experience with “small but beautiful” apps. In China, mobile apps are becoming bigger and more complex, so does internet companies that operates them. Say Tencent, what does it do? Instant messaging, social network, e-commerce, gaming, entertainment, financing and investment, real estate, travel … pick you poison.

Many Chinese companies love sharing the story how a user would stick with it all day long. Say Xiaomi, a phone manufacturer who claims to be a internet company over investor's disagreement. It's trying to print a picture like this: I wake up in the morning with my Xiaomi smart alarm clock, switch on Xiaomi electronic toothbrush that remembers my favorite mode, heat up my breakfast with Xiaomi stovetop, shovel it down in front of Xiaomi TV, pick up my Xiaomi Mix2 cellphone and ride to work on my Xiaomi e-scooter, while my Xiaomi air purifier is combating Beijing smog at home. And guess what? This company all started with a customized android UI design.

This is something people in U.S. do not often see, building an empire from a hammer and a nail, and got it done within ten years. This might not seem right and this is not wrong either. This is simply a different story that Chinese internet companies are trying to tell the world.

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当我向他人学习时，我从他人的成功和失败中学习，也从彼此的不同之中学习。

对于中国互联网公司和他们在美国对标的企业，我发现了一点不同之处：很多中国互联网公司极度热衷于提供日常需求的一站式解决方案。

比如说，某中国网约车应用鼓励用户上传自己的个人资料并与司机进行社交，就好像把Uber 和 Facebook （甚至可以说Tinder）捆绑在一起一样。再比如说，微信原本是一个即时通讯应用，但后来就能让用户订阅信息流、进行在线支付、买电影票、甚至申请消费贷款。这就好比是把WhatsApp, Venmo, Yelp, Groupon, Booking等等放在了一块。

您或许已经发现了，知乎也在不断变得更加兼收并蓄。回看2013年，那时的知乎是一款类似Quora的，基于问答的论坛。如今，它成为了一个庞大的聚合体，综合了不同产品形态。用户依然可以进行问答互动，但也可以像使用Twitter一样发表短内容，像使用Amazon应用那样读电子书或者听有声书，像使用Coursera一样听网络课程，还可以沉迷于用户创建的短视频，就像刷抖音一样停不下来。（抖音是中国一款具有高度成瘾性的短视频应用。）

这种不断变大的努力可能导致问题，导致真的非常严重的问题。2018年，中国民众被一场悲剧震惊了：一名女性乘客在使用网约车软件事遭到强奸并被杀害。调查表明，有的司机会通过用户档案选取容易下手的目标进行性侵。事件引发了进一步的争论，公众批评服务提供商在宣传中采取了性暗示，暗示司机可以和乘客进行更加亲密的互动。

也有的问题并没那么严重，这些问题困扰的不是警方，而是产品经理：如何保持专业化。我挺喜欢Google地图的，因为它能把该干的活给干了。它能告诉我如何到达目的地 -- 你还指望一个地图软件干啥呢？ 当我回到中国并开始使用一款本地导航应用时，事情开始向奇怪的方向发展了。我的导航应用经常给我推送当地活动和折扣信息，还给我推送驾驶提示。（不得不说，有的司机还真需要这个）它不断给我发一些我不知道怎么用的红包，推荐一些很好玩但没卵用的功能，比如明星导航语音包。（想象一下，范迪塞尔让你车速不要超过每小时六十迈，你会听吗？）

其心可嘉，但你真的只需要做好一件事情就行了。

我可能完全无法代表中国多数用户对于应用的偏好，但我就这么觉得了，和少数人一样怀念着“小而美”应用的使用体验。在中国，手机应用正在变得更大，更复杂，运营他们的互联网公司也是如此。就拿腾讯来说吧，腾讯是干啥的？即时通讯，社交平台，电子商务，游戏，影视娱乐，金融投资，房地产，旅行，要啥有啥。

很多中国公司喜欢讲一个用户一天离不了他们的故事。比如小米：这是一家在投资者的反对声中宣称自己是互联网公司的手机制造商。它试图描绘这样的图景：我一早被小爱同学的智能闹钟叫醒，用能记住我喜欢的强度的电动牙刷刷牙，用小米电磁炉热早饭，看着小米电视吃早饭，揣起Mix 2手机，骑着小米电动车上班。与此同时，家里的小米空气净化器还在努力和北京的雾霾作斗争。 您猜怎么着？这样一家公司，完全从一套基于安卓进行深度定制的UI起步。

这样的事情，美国人不常见到：从一砖一木开始构建一个帝国，在十年内就做到了。这看起来总觉得有点不太对劲，但也不能说是错的。这仅仅是中国互联网公司想要讲给世界听的，一个不同的故事。

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吐槽：当翻译真不容易，就连翻译自己写的东西都能一股翻译腔===