Chapter 48: Wang Xing

"I studied abroad for half a year and found that the American way of thinking is more open. Since returning to the country this time, I've met with several classmates, and we indeed have some ideas for new types of internet social products."

"I've designed an internet social platform where everyone is an acquaintance; one pulls in another, everyone knows each other, and they can communicate, make friends, post updates, and share their lives on it..."

Lu Kuan listened to his endless chatter for over ten minutes before he couldn't help but interrupt.

"Isn't what you're talking about just Friendster? What do you mean you designed it?"

Wang Xing was somewhat dumbfounded; he hadn't expected that an outsider far away in the country would know about internet software that had just started abroad.

"This, Mr. Lu, my creative concept has been innovated upon. For example, our definition of an acquaintance is..."

"Stop right there!"

Boss Lu prepared to unleash his Great Prophecy Art to strike him with precision, completely smashing the spirit of this contrarian into the dust.

"This so-called acquaintance social networking of yours is merely based on?"

The Six Degrees of Separation theory, which states that you can know any stranger through at most six people, is the foundation of the acquaintance social model.

Zhuang Xu watched Wang Xing's expression become increasingly awkward and felt secretly delighted. He refilled his junior brother's cup with chrysanthemum tea and sat with his legs crossed, watching the show.

Serves him right!

"Your approach is too dogmatic and rigid; I'll just point out one fatal flaw."

"Social habits in our country are different from those in the West. Our people are reserved and won't enthusiastically hug everyone they see on the street like in the West. By the same token, on your social website, acquaintance networking without segmentation is extremely scattered and lacks a core handle."

Wang Xing just wanted to habitually argue with him a few times, but then he frowned and became somewhat dumbfounded.

"If I were to do it, I would define it directly as acquaintance social networking based on campus users, for example!"

"Start with the universities in Beiping, using each school and class as a unit, restricting user registration addresses, and only allowing university students to register. From them, start exercising the function of six degrees of separation to perfect your user base."

Wang Xing's heart seemed to skip a beat. This handsome young man, whose image made him feel inferior, was able to raise targeted questions and solutions just 5 minutes after he had explained his own genius theory!

The key points were hit with surgical precision, striking home, leaving him unable to refute!

"Mr. Lu... this... you..."

"Little Wang, your thinking is still very good, but there is a gap between the West and our national conditions after all."

"If you want to make an internet product suitable for our people, you must return to this!"

Boss Lu pointed his index finger downward, pointing at the marble floor tiles with the demeanor of a big shot: "Return to the land that nourishes our people, and your product won't suffer from culture shock."

This was indeed the truth; negative examples like Oracle, Uber, LinkedIn, and Amazon were everywhere.

Wang Xing fell into an intense internal struggle, but still somewhat unwillingly said: "I would like to hear Mr. Lu introduce the product you want me to manage."

"You went abroad to study last year; I don't know if you caught 9/11, but you should have heard of the blogger platform in the United States."

Wang Xing was very sharp. Being passionate about the internet and entrepreneurship, he certainly knew the reputation of the blogger platform and said excitedly: "Is the Web 2.0 you mentioned the blogs in our country?"

In later generations, the first person to propose the concept of blogs in the country was Fang Xingdong, but his concept was also taken from several foreign blog-like products.

All articles under heaven are copied; this life, it will be cheap for Boss Lu.

"That's right. The current stage of internet development and user mindset in the country is the perfect time to develop the blog business."

Lu Kuan spent more breath, starting to elaborate on the development philosophy in minute detail.

The architecture of a blog website is extremely simple. Fang Xingdong, the founder of the blog website known as the "Father of Blogs in China," only had an intern from Beihang University cobble together the first-generation website back then.

Others, such as ease of operation: after initial users apply for registration, they only need to set it up according to the management platform's templates and provide content directly to publish posts;

For example, opening up interactivity, setting up functional modules such as friend links, gift-giving, etc., to allow users to interact;

"Also, set up some data systems like levels and points to give users a sense of growth and experience, and enhance stickiness." Lu Kuan transformed into a product manager, analyzing and instilling his ideas while looking at Wang Xing, who was already stunned.

"Finally, a very important point: set up an update plan in advance. Don't release all functions at once; slowly improve the user experience."

Wang Xing was puzzled: "Why?"

Zhuang Xu also joined the discussion from being a bystander: "Plagiarism is rampant in the domestic internet, and the technical difficulty of blogs is too low. What's important is product creativity."

Lu Kuan smiled and gave his senior brother a thumbs up, then gulped down a cup of herbal tea.

Looking at the table full of dishes that had been served, he personally opened a bottle of Wuliangye and filled the cups in front of the three of them.

"How about it? Little Wang, are you interested in participating in the great cause of creating a new landscape for the domestic internet?"

The devilish Boss Lu poked the G-spot of the contrarian.

The contrarian had already begun his wild fantasies: if he were to reach the throne of the number one internet product manager in the country, if he were to carry 1 billion blog users to punch Penguin and kick Sina, if...

"Mr. Lu! I am honored by your regard; I'll take this job!"

"Good!" Zhuang Xu also cooperated by raising his glass to drink, although he still didn't know why his junior brother was so determined to lure this little contrarian into the fold upon their first meeting.

Wang Xing was still not satisfied and chased after Lu Kuan, who was like an entrepreneurial godfather in his mind, to ask many questions about entrepreneurship.

Lu Kuan remembered one thing: "Wang Xing, what about your studies?"

"It's fine, I'll apply for a leave of absence first." As intelligent as he was, he still left himself a way out.

When Wang Xing of later generations returned to the country to start a business in 2003, he also dropped out of his PhD program halfway. For a rich second generation like him, making this choice was not difficult.

Because money is not the key factor influencing their life decisions.

His father was a mason by trade and started his own business in 1992. By 2023, he had grown it to be the largest in Min Province. Wang Xing's entrepreneurial genes were carved into his bones.

As for whether he is a person who "cannot be depressed and live under others for long," at least Lu Kuan is not worried now.

Make the best use of talent and people; use him first to build the organizational structure, build up the momentum, and find venture capital.

When the time comes, build a bridge when encountering water and open a road when encountering mountains; there will be ways to deal with it.

The meal lasted until 12 o'clock. The thirsty-for-knowledge Wang Xing couldn't care about his contrarian instincts, absorbed a great deal of spiritual nourishment from Boss Lu, and completely turned into the shape of Lu Kuan.

Lu Kuan gave his senior brother some instructions on registering the company and forming the team, and only then did he fall into a deep sleep, exhausted from the day.

(End of chapter)