WeChat short video: How to bloom brilliantly after a short-lived bloom?

At the end of September, WeChat officially launched the iOS version of WeChat 6.0. The most eye-catching feature of the new version is the addition of the short video function. Recently, the Android version of WeChat 6.0 has also been quietly upgraded, ending the only "looking at pictures and sighing" and "text communication" modes in the Moments. The choice to release it before the National Day holiday must have been premeditated, intending to use the holiday to set off a climax of short videos. But after just a few days of brilliant prosperity, users' enthusiasm gradually cooled down.

WeChat short video VS Weishi

The launch of WeChat short videos has inevitably shifted the focus of many users to Tencent Weishi. This APP, which has been exploring the short video shooting field, is gradually losing its voice amid the crowd of up-and-coming players. Many users said that WeChat's addition of the short video function to Moments is a disguised way of saving Weishi.

So is Weishi really doomed?

As apps such as Weishi, Miaopai, and Meipai continue to enter the short video market, celebrity lineups, event crazes, and fun push notifications have swept the social circle. However, short video apps are based on entertainment, which leads to a deviation from the rigid needs of users. Therefore, users easily lose interest after getting tired of playing.

However, the saying that the market is over is still an exaggeration. After all, the short video market is not mature and is still groping forward. At this time, the new version of WeChat directly launched the short video function. Some people say it is integration and some say it is internal competition. But for users, it is nothing more than adding an additional function to the social product, which is different from an independent short video APP.

A user who has tried WeChat short videos said: "Habits are too hard to change. It will take some time for WeChat short videos to be accepted by everyone in the general environment. Most people still like to send text and photos. After all, mobile network charges are still there, and Chinese people are so calculating."

WeChat is promoting short videos, so will YiXin be far behind?

Tencent, which is already mature enough in the social field, will naturally not be troubled by user loss. Therefore, how to accurately improve user experience has become a bottleneck for WeChat and the entire social application market.

Previously, games have always been an important bargaining chip for WeChat, but blindly entertaining users will also make them feel bored. The launch of WeChat short videos has undoubtedly set off a wave of fresh trends. So, the question is, will this model of WeChat be imitated by other products in the same industry or will it be sneered at?

An insider familiar with YiXin revealed to the author that YiXin has also made some moves regarding the short video function of WeChat 6.0. The insider said that YiXin will have a very different version and promotion changes in November. However, the specific changes in the version style are still confidential.

Some analysts speculated that YiXin might take a completely different direction to avoid direct competition with WeChat.

The new model of "social + video" is more like a fusion of two different application attributes: tools and social. With the help of social platforms, short videos will achieve good dissemination effects. Conversely, the addition of short videos also enriches social life. Not only in the video field, I believe that Tencent will continue to integrate functions based on social networking in the future.

Video content review is extremely difficult

WeChat enjoys more freedom of speech than other platforms due to its privacy, which of course provides a living space for some illegal behaviors. Advertisements, pornography, rumors and other junk information also swipe users' screens from time to time, and short video content seems difficult to control technically.

An employee working at a video website told me: The content review of video websites is done manually, because videos are different from text and keywords cannot be extracted. This is not technically possible at present. However, as the source of the video, we will strictly control it during the review stage. In addition, text parts such as titles, introductions, and comments are also within the scope of review.

Since short videos only last a few seconds, there are no clear policy regulations on the content of short videos. The launch of WeChat short videos has turned the source of video production to itself. The direction of short video content is worrying.

Some analysts say that WeChat short videos are likely to become popular among Taobao sellers first. They often need a more vivid way to showcase their products. Compared with official accounts, Moments can have a more direct interactive effect and can also escape some of the limitations of official accounts.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.