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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.
脸谱网以价值190亿美金的现金和股票高价收购WhatsApp震惊了硅谷，然而引起这一惊人之举的原因会不会在某种程度上是因为亚洲即时通讯应用的崛起，比方说中国的微信？
从伪造苹果手机到盗版DVD，再到模仿悉尼歌剧院的建筑，中国因其“山寨”文化而声名狼藉。但是微信，一款由中国互联网巨头腾讯打造的即时通讯应用，或许会是证明在这种“山寨”文化中还有创新存活的例证。
受到如WhatsApp和日本的“连我”等即时通讯应用的启发，微信如今已发展成一个功能强大的在线平台——囊括了脸谱网和Instagram的部分功能，既是移动新闻平台，又是移动电子钱包和电子商城。它甚至还配备了自己的在线共同基金。脸谱网宣布收购WhatsApp，以及去年以10亿美金收购图片分享应用Instagram的举措，很可能是受到了太平洋彼岸那些即时通讯超级应用平台的崛起的影响。
脸谱网和微信看上去具有截然不同的商业模式。创始人马克·扎克伯格在一个脸谱网的发布会上表示：“WhatsApp在脸谱网内将继续独立运作。”同样地，在脸谱网收购Instagram时，扎克伯格指出：这两个平台是“不同体验的互补……我们要注意保持住Instagram的优点和特性，而不仅仅是尝试把一切都融入脸谱网。”
与之相反，微信则是在做一锅糅合了所有体验的大杂烩。用户可以发布和查看他们朋友的各种信息，包括状态更新、照片、视频和新闻消息。应用带有“按着说话”的对讲机功能，群组聊天功能，还支持个人用户如文字所言“摇一摇”他们的手机来寻找附近的用户。在今年中国的春节除夕夜，每分钟有多达1000万条信息在微信上传播。
在春节期间，微信用户发出了多达4000万个虚拟“红包”给他们的亲朋好友，中国人节日交换红包的传统在智能手机上玩起电子版新花样。
让微信用户送出和接收这些红包背后隐藏的真正天才想法是：用户们必须将银行卡与微信账号捆绑到一起。这对于微信来说是一次巨大的胜利，因为这能够推进实现用户的电子钱包功能和一站式消费服务。如今，用户已能够通过微信购买电影票、支付出租车费，以及在北京地铁网络沿线分布的自动贩卖机上进行消费。
而且不仅有大公司在微信在线销售平台上押赌注，还有大量的书籍教人如何将他们的微信账号变成电子商务服务站。今年情人节的时候，微信用户能够通过该应用购买巧克力、玫瑰花，甚至租婚纱礼服。通过微信下单，大学生们已把他们的宿舍变成了水果店。
脸谱网自从2009年起就被中国屏蔽，如今或许寄望WhatsApp能成为一条打入中国庞大在线市场的通道。但这会相当困难，因为微信已经累积了关键规模的中国用户群，且已将产品调整至符合用户偏好。
“社交媒体与正在使用的人群关系非常紧密，所以中国的社交媒体完全是为中国市场和中国用户度身定做的，”上海交通大学的技术专家魏武挥通过讯佳普上的翻译器如此解释道。“虽然微信开发的灵感可能来自如WhatsApp和“连我”这样的即时通讯应用，但如今的微信已经发展成一款与它们完全不同的应用了。”
微信报告称去年月均活跃用户数达2.72亿，较前一年增长了124%。这与WhatsApp月均活跃用户数4.5亿，单日活跃人数达70%的成绩还有一定的距离。但两者的竞争正在升温，微信目光已经投射到了海外。腾讯公司在去年投放了2亿美元在海外广告活动上，勒布朗·詹姆斯和莱昂内尔·梅西都参与了他们的国际市场营销。
如果微信的母公司腾讯能够成功地实现海外扩张的话，那么微信的估值将与WhatsApp有得一比。而这两大互联网巨头，脸谱网和腾讯，则免不了要在全球范围内短兵相接硬碰硬。
小链接
全球App大比拼
随着脸谱网以巨资收购WhatsApp，越来越多的人开始关注网络即时通讯应用。现在我们就来了解一下现实网络混战中鼎立的几大“英雄”：
美国WhatsApp
成立时间：2009年 用户数量：超过2亿
特点：支持iOS、Android等多个系统平台，简易，个性化，没有广告，以传送文字为主，亦可传送图片、录音、影片，并且支持离线讯息传送，以及显示对方已经收到消息以及查询好友最后在线时间。
花边新闻：四年前WhatsApp创始人到Facebook应聘遭拒，四年后Facebook却要以190亿美金的代价收购WhatsApp，草根成功逆袭。
韩国KaKaoTalk
成立时间：2010年3月 用户数量：1.33亿
特点：除一般的即时通讯功能外，更是提供个性化的主题、背景、付费表情等多种选择。“Gift服务”，用户可以在应用内购买咖啡或巧克力等小商品的优惠券发送给朋友，朋友凭借这些优惠券到线下实体商店中兑换。
日本Line
成立时间：2011年6月 用户数量：超过3.5亿
特点：界面可爱，可爱的表情多，随时随地免费享用无限制的通话和短信，拍照、游戏、音乐等关联应用众多。花边新闻：热播韩剧《来自星星的你》中，叫兽和千颂伊对话中的可爱聊天表情让Line名利双收、盆满钵满。
中国WeChat
成立时间：2011年1月 用户数量：6亿多
特点：支持一对一交流、群组聊天、分享音频、图片以及视频。同时还有按钮录音，启动对讲机模式，以及“摇一摇”寻找好友功能。提供叫车、为手机充值服务，甚至还可投资财富管理产品。
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.
脸谱网以价值190亿美金的现金和股票高价收购WhatsApp震惊了硅谷，然而引起这一惊人之举的原因会不会在某种程度上是因为亚洲即时通讯应用的崛起，比方说中国的微信？
从伪造苹果手机到盗版DVD，再到模仿悉尼歌剧院的建筑，中国因其“山寨”文化而声名狼藉。但是微信，一款由中国互联网巨头腾讯打造的即时通讯应用，或许会是证明在这种“山寨”文化中还有创新存活的例证。
受到如WhatsApp和日本的“连我”等即时通讯应用的启发，微信如今已发展成一个功能强大的在线平台——囊括了脸谱网和Instagram的部分功能，既是移动新闻平台，又是移动电子钱包和电子商城。它甚至还配备了自己的在线共同基金。脸谱网宣布收购WhatsApp，以及去年以10亿美金收购图片分享应用Instagram的举措，很可能是受到了太平洋彼岸那些即时通讯超级应用平台的崛起的影响。
脸谱网和微信看上去具有截然不同的商业模式。创始人马克·扎克伯格在一个脸谱网的发布会上表示：“WhatsApp在脸谱网内将继续独立运作。”同样地，在脸谱网收购Instagram时，扎克伯格指出：这两个平台是“不同体验的互补……我们要注意保持住Instagram的优点和特性，而不仅仅是尝试把一切都融入脸谱网。”
与之相反，微信则是在做一锅糅合了所有体验的大杂烩。用户可以发布和查看他们朋友的各种信息，包括状态更新、照片、视频和新闻消息。应用带有“按着说话”的对讲机功能，群组聊天功能，还支持个人用户如文字所言“摇一摇”他们的手机来寻找附近的用户。在今年中国的春节除夕夜，每分钟有多达1000万条信息在微信上传播。
在春节期间，微信用户发出了多达4000万个虚拟“红包”给他们的亲朋好友，中国人节日交换红包的传统在智能手机上玩起电子版新花样。
让微信用户送出和接收这些红包背后隐藏的真正天才想法是：用户们必须将银行卡与微信账号捆绑到一起。这对于微信来说是一次巨大的胜利，因为这能够推进实现用户的电子钱包功能和一站式消费服务。如今，用户已能够通过微信购买电影票、支付出租车费，以及在北京地铁网络沿线分布的自动贩卖机上进行消费。
而且不仅有大公司在微信在线销售平台上押赌注，还有大量的书籍教人如何将他们的微信账号变成电子商务服务站。今年情人节的时候，微信用户能够通过该应用购买巧克力、玫瑰花，甚至租婚纱礼服。通过微信下单，大学生们已把他们的宿舍变成了水果店。
脸谱网自从2009年起就被中国屏蔽，如今或许寄望WhatsApp能成为一条打入中国庞大在线市场的通道。但这会相当困难，因为微信已经累积了关键规模的中国用户群，且已将产品调整至符合用户偏好。
“社交媒体与正在使用的人群关系非常紧密，所以中国的社交媒体完全是为中国市场和中国用户度身定做的，”上海交通大学的技术专家魏武挥通过讯佳普上的翻译器如此解释道。“虽然微信开发的灵感可能来自如WhatsApp和“连我”这样的即时通讯应用，但如今的微信已经发展成一款与它们完全不同的应用了。”
微信报告称去年月均活跃用户数达2.72亿，较前一年增长了124%。这与WhatsApp月均活跃用户数4.5亿，单日活跃人数达70%的成绩还有一定的距离。但两者的竞争正在升温，微信目光已经投射到了海外。腾讯公司在去年投放了2亿美元在海外广告活动上，勒布朗·詹姆斯和莱昂内尔·梅西都参与了他们的国际市场营销。
如果微信的母公司腾讯能够成功地实现海外扩张的话，那么微信的估值将与WhatsApp有得一比。而这两大互联网巨头，脸谱网和腾讯，则免不了要在全球范围内短兵相接硬碰硬。
小链接
全球App大比拼
随着脸谱网以巨资收购WhatsApp，越来越多的人开始关注网络即时通讯应用。现在我们就来了解一下现实网络混战中鼎立的几大“英雄”：
美国WhatsApp
成立时间：2009年 用户数量：超过2亿
特点：支持iOS、Android等多个系统平台，简易，个性化，没有广告，以传送文字为主，亦可传送图片、录音、影片，并且支持离线讯息传送，以及显示对方已经收到消息以及查询好友最后在线时间。
花边新闻：四年前WhatsApp创始人到Facebook应聘遭拒，四年后Facebook却要以190亿美金的代价收购WhatsApp，草根成功逆袭。
韩国KaKaoTalk
成立时间：2010年3月 用户数量：1.33亿
特点：除一般的即时通讯功能外，更是提供个性化的主题、背景、付费表情等多种选择。“Gift服务”，用户可以在应用内购买咖啡或巧克力等小商品的优惠券发送给朋友，朋友凭借这些优惠券到线下实体商店中兑换。
日本Line
成立时间：2011年6月 用户数量：超过3.5亿
特点：界面可爱，可爱的表情多，随时随地免费享用无限制的通话和短信，拍照、游戏、音乐等关联应用众多。花边新闻：热播韩剧《来自星星的你》中，叫兽和千颂伊对话中的可爱聊天表情让Line名利双收、盆满钵满。
中国WeChat
成立时间：2011年1月 用户数量：6亿多
特点：支持一对一交流、群组聊天、分享音频、图片以及视频。同时还有按钮录音，启动对讲机模式，以及“摇一摇”寻找好友功能。提供叫车、为手机充值服务，甚至还可投资财富管理产品。