Why are you still using whatsapp now that wx has clearly left those guys in the dust? I've been telling all of my friends in the US to either make the switch or catch me on skype. I simply don't have the bandwidth to stay on top of 5+ chat platforms, so I try to stick with the strongest horses.

we just got a true developer account
 

Tencent is making it really hard to get full blown developer accounts that permit companies to make slick wx sites, but we persevered, and finally have one.

Note, this is different than getting an account here:

http://developers.wechat.com/

I must admit that I don't understand the features that different types of accounts possess, but if you want to have a wx presence on par with McDonalds (not very hard actually because there is only so much you can do with the current tool set), you need a Cadillac account.

Currently, they only offer these to companies with Chinese business licenses, but once you have one, you can build apps/sites for foreign companies.

Like I said a few posts up, I am very excited about the marketing implications of these services. In addition to cranking out a few apps, we are going to experiment with auto look around scripts, multiple locations, and using individual accounts to broadcast official accounts.

While I don't want our company to transform into a wx job shop, this is something that every consumer facing business in China needs, and a model that is also replicable worldwide. Furthermore, our programmers simply love this stuff. Tencent probably could do this in-house, but they are focused on building the ecosystem.

I personally still prefer Whatsapp, and 99% of my social circle is there. Wechat is only with my local chinese team/colleagues. I use them for different purposes. Actually I use Wechat very little in comparison to Whatsapp. I go with where my network hangs out.

Here is an example of a fully functional (i.e. menus with a purpose) English official account:

Pepper_Club

Quite likely. Check your iPhone privacy settings to see if WeChat is allowed to access contacts.

+1 I'm not hip - I'm a follower

Here is another business related post, but I promise to match you guys one for one with look around stories to make up for it.

Whenever you're hanging out in the Wing or the Cabin, odds are that there at least 5 people around who could help your company grow. In the past, you tried to size them up based on their appearance, but you still ended up wasting tons of time with gents who sell iPhone cases in Kansas.

But, with look around (or whatever they call it in v5), it's now possible to focus your lounge BD efforts on people that actually matter to you (trust me, all of them are looking around... though maybe not for us).

LI is foolish for not jumping on this train, and FB feels like it doesn't need to (because its focus is social).

Who is going to be the first to dip their toes into these waters?

Raises hands :D

Well, I won't be in Shanghai visiting again till next year... :p

Don't need to be in China.
Plenty of subscribers here in LA.



Five ways to engage Chinese immigrants in the San Gabriel Valley


3. Chat it up
Most smartphone users in China are sending instant messages to their friends and family on WeChat. The mobile chat application is also very popular with Chinese immigrants in the San Gabriel Valley. WeChat’s most distinguishing feature is its ability to search for nearby users. You can run a search anywhere in San Gabriel Valley and find hundreds of WeChat users in the area. WeChat also offers a “channel” feature to broadcast to thousands of young immigrants in the community at once.

http://www.alhambrasource.org/storie...gabriel-valley

Yes. "Look around", recently rebranded as "friends nearby, is wx's secret sauce.

Thanks to my special account, I know more about wx than 99.9% of the global population.

Not a single one of those guys who write articles on techcrunch are in my league. (They tend to block my comments, which are entirely fact based because they have some crazy belief that Line or Whatsapp have the ability to take down Tencent.)

We built an app yesterday for a restaurant just for fun:

-exposure to 300 million users, though only 4 million in the local market
-video chats
-links with 4square, google, and 30 Chinese channels
-automatic "look around"
-customers can place orders (and pay for them) without bothering a single human
-VIP card

Do you guys get it yet?

Very interesting. Would you care to elaborate further esp. the look around feature. I'm a light user, using both Whatsapps and Wechat, thought they're pretty similar except that Wechat is a bit FB-ish, but then what do I know.

Its not like i dont get it. But i do not want it. In fact the look around function is precisely the wx function I don't care for and don't want. Those features are great, by not relevant to the communication function. It is how I use FB too, I don't connect to any games or promotional giveaways or similar commercial services.

I can't say that I really "want" it either. The thing is, these guys have spent a ton of money, which permits other people to make money.

Customer acquisition costs (estimates):

-Baidu, $8
-Focus Media, $7
-WX, less than one dolllar, even when factoring in development expenses

Let's compare wx with Focus Media. With the latter, you have the ability to reach thousands of people who are "local" by blasting your message in elevators, taxis, and subways. But, every one of those monitors cost big money. Furthermore, they are not interactive, and you also need to pay "rent" to the office building, shopping mall, or apartment complex in order play ball.

Meanwhile, anyone with a y1000 Android can accomplish the same via wx. And, the advertising doesn't have to be obnoxious.