this man is not calm

Chapter 536 Released
Another important reason that cannot be spoken of is that winning over young users is the key to winning the competition in the future.

Among current internet users, urban white-collar workers, university researchers, and college students make up a large proportion.

Until around the turn of the millennium, electronic computers were still seen as high-end production tools, precision instruments, or work aids. The concept of computers as entertainment, high-end games, leisure and relaxation devices, or home appliances had not yet taken hold in China.

Twenty years from now, the situation where everyone has a smartphone and more than one home computer was something we couldn't even imagine in early 1999.

In an era when being able to type was considered a core skill, and knowing the Wubi input method made one feel superior, owning a personal computer was not something an ordinary family could afford. Not to mention that getting internet access these days is not easy either. Even if you could find connections to get a high-speed dedicated line, the broadband fee of more than three thousand yuan a year, plus a similar amount of "installation fee," would exclude most people.

The proportion of commercial computers and white-collar users was relatively high, and it has only dropped slightly in the last two years. The biggest driving force behind this is Jinxi Culture, especially the explosive popularity of the groundbreaking online game "Fengshen", which has caused the large and small internet cafes that have spread across the country to spread like wildfire.

However, this development is not entirely a good thing.

Legitimate chain internet cafes are better, but those without qualifications, or even hidden in residential areas, just set up a few computers and run a network cable to open for business, mostly serve junior high and high school students.

Jin Shang can focus on himself, but he can't control others, especially those small business owners who make hit-and-run moves; they're practically impossible to guard against.

The popularity of online games has spurred demand for cheats, power leveling, gold farming, and virtual asset trading. Jinxi Culture has considered these aspects quite thoroughly and its after-sales service is decent. However, there are always some dark and gray areas that are difficult to manage and investigate.

Undoubtedly, the emergence of these small internet cafes has led to a geometric increase in the number of internet users in China, which is good for the entire IT industry in the long run, but short-term chaos is also inevitable.

The computer malls and desktop PC markets under Jinxi Culture also made a killing.

As business managers most familiar with internet cafes and the field sales market, Liu Yanqing and Yin Feiyang also received instructions to use the penetration of the terminal market, namely internet cafes, as a key strategy to cultivate user habits and promote IT software applications.

"It's not that we're abandoning the public procurement and commercial office market, it's just that we can't create a significant gap in these areas..."

Faced with the joint request from the two, Kim Sang patiently explained,

"This thing really tests connections and influence. My elders are very influential, so they certainly won't lag too far behind in this area. Even if others eat all the meat and bones, they'll still leave some soup and broth. But they're not without resources! The civilian market is a different story. It's all about service and reputation."

Jinxi Culture has accumulated considerable experience in financial data, cybersecurity, email, and remote work. Its self-developed technologies, combined with externally sourced technologies, have formed a preliminary patent moat.

In addition to increased hardware shipments and bundled software and services, this is the source of Jinshang's confidence to challenge its strong rivals and compete head-on.

Yin Feiyang said with some concern:

"Mr. Jin, if we use internet cafes as a fulcrum to attract users, won't we face some criticism? The large number of students using online games has also drawn criticism from time to time..."

"There's nothing we can do about it. It will definitely get worse in the next few years. For us in China, children's education is the most important thing!"

The dazzling world of the internet is so tempting that even adults find it hard to resist its allure, let alone young students who are still immature and haven't experienced the harsh realities of life.

These days, the so-called real-name registration system is not going to work. Instead of wasting that effort, we should pay more attention to store management.

"In this regard, Supervisor Liu has a heavy responsibility. I don't care what others do, but we, the people in the company, must do our best."

Now married and increasingly composed, Liu Yanqing responded with some difficulty:
"I'm confident I can keep all the stores under our internet cafe alliance obedient and compliant, but if other stores cause trouble, when it comes time to punish them, they won't distinguish who's right and who's wrong!"

If one person makes a mistake, everyone will be punished. If this causes a major upheaval, it will lead to a major overhaul of the industry.

Public opinion has never been very enthusiastic about this issue, and some have even suggested that internet cafes be treated as nighttime entertainment venues and subject to stricter regulation.

"Internet cafes are no less than ordinary commercial establishments, nor are they the same as nightclubs or entertainment venues. They are commercial service establishments that require special management and regulation. Some people are either stupid or malicious, and others are just stirring up trouble without knowing the truth, so they are not a concern. On the contrary, we need to be more wary of the seemingly inconspicuous group of parents who are worried about their children's studies, and the rhetoric of public figures who use this as an excuse to attract attention."

Every era has its own games and pursuits. In the past, these were more conventional pastimes like ice skating and dancing. Later, movies, television, pop stars, big-name actors, and idol worship were all seen as a scourge by parents who were supervising their children's studies.

Twenty years from now, the new generation of parents will probably be worried about their children's academic performance declining due to their addiction to mobile phones. But back in 1999, video games were considered a thorn in their side. Early single-player games on floppy disks, hard disks, and optical discs were gradually declining, and game consoles had gone from a blue ocean to a red ocean. The rising PC computer was already keeping pace with its predecessors, and even showed signs of surpassing them.

The real trigger for this media storm was the continued popularity of the online game "Fengshen," whose influence had long since extended beyond the realm of game players.

During holidays, when parents take their children to buy a computer, the most important requirement is whether it can play the game "Fengshen". Everything else can take a backseat.

In the past, buying a computer was considered a very precious and expensive item. People would use it for at least three to five years, if not ten or eight years.
But if you buy a computer to play games, what normal parent would be happy?
Moreover, given the current pace of hardware upgrades, it's safe to say that once you buy it, it's outdated, and once you open it, it's worth less.

These days, people's wallets are getting fuller, but they're not at the point where they can buy a computer that costs several thousand without batting an eye.

"After careful consideration, we still feel that we absolutely cannot lose our 'battleground' in internet cafes. Since we cannot dominate the commercial and public computer market, we have no choice but to find another way, focusing on the youth market. Fortunately, we are a very strong cultural company, and we can package hardware and many core software applications into cultural products, educational aids, or small leisure appliances, such as portable music players, handheld devices, Venus XBOX, English repeaters, and learning machines, etc..."

"Mr. Jin, it's one thing to bundle English tapes with the learning machine, but to give away a pop music album? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"

"They're all cassette tapes anyway, they can all be played, it's better than giving away game cartridges!"

Kim Sang, who had defied public opinion and launched a massive subsidy war, wouldn't change his mind because of this half-joking remark, and stated directly,

"Perhaps our competitors are just testing our strength, or taking small steps to build a bridgehead for our advance, but we can no longer back down. There is no room for the weak and cowards in the internet industry. Burn money, burn it hard, burn it until everyone feels the pain, and then we'll consider what to do next."

Whether it's a dinner party, a beheading, or having your subordinates treated like dogs, there will eventually be a conclusion.

As the saying goes, it's not just about determining who's superior or inferior, it's also about life and death.

Many may still harbor wishful thinking, believing that in such a dominant niche market, there might be two or even more widely adopted applications. However, it's extremely difficult, especially in social media. Information is inherently interactive, and all information silos tend to merge unless their user groups are significantly different or their total user base is large enough for each to thrive.

Countries with a population of less than nine figures are simply not qualified to get involved in the IT and internet industry; their scale is too small.

China has a large population, but its development level is too low, and it will take a long time to grow and expand.

"Furthermore, we need to enhance the collaborative functions between mobile phones and PHS (Personal Handyphone System) users, ensuring smoother information exchange. I will have the data center provide full support in this regard. In addition to that..."

Jin Shang turned his gaze to Yin Feiyang and gave him instructions very seriously.
"You're the product manager who's been tracking the development of mobile instant messaging the longest. We already had plans for this as soon as our Jinxi Chat was released. The platform application based on the Baize system has been in testing for over a year, and the first official version will be launched in the second quarter of this year. I've already confirmed with Yang Qi that there are no problems. Yin Muye's team is doing the final debugging..."

"Didn't they say that we have sufficient technological reserves and don't need to rush into launching it? The time is right?"

"Times have changed, and the situation is different now. In the past, the competition between Jinxi Chat and Fetion was healthy. Each relied on its own abilities, and there was no deception between young and old. Everyone was willing to accept the outcome of the bet. Now, with the introduction of multiple capital forces, it is not so pure anymore."

Will the communication between SMS and online messaging stop?

"It's definitely not going to happen in the short term. When the cooperation expires, I will try my best to sign a long-term contract. There's a high chance of that. After all, Jinxi Culture and the operators not only have competition, but also great potential for cooperation. Just the data center and internet cafe alliance alone pays them a huge amount of network broadband server usage fees every month..."

As for the more promising technology alliances, Jinxi Culture has offered Near Field Communication (NFC), Perlan Connect technology (Bluetooth), network video and music formats, LAN and wireless WIFI technology standards, and each of these are highly desirable products.

Liu Yanqing echoed knowingly:
"The overall trend of cooperation remains unchanged, and the smaller businesses below can be handled by each individual based on their own abilities. That's fine too!"

Both managers were founding employees who had joined Jinshang from the very beginning. Although their job titles were later surpassed by Yang Qi, and even by many senior programmers such as Yin Muyi and Wang Rong, they were still valued by Jinshang because they were more "down-to-earth." They were not only excellent product managers who understood technology and the market, but also had a lot of management experience and interpersonal skills, and were very sensitive to changes in the industry.

With over four years of work experience and careful mentorship, they are well on track to advance to higher management positions.

"Old Liu, you have a very sharp eye."

After a pause, Kim Sang confirmed his judgment, then changed the subject.
"The Strategic Development Department has a lot of talent, but most of them are top graduates from prestigious universities. They are very accurate in judging various theories and trends, but they are not so good at specific practical operations..."

"Able to identify problems, but lacking the ability to solve them, and even finding it difficult to offer constructive suggestions?"

"You know it all?"

Liu Yanqing stroked her chin sheepishly and replied:

"The business I manage here is quite complex, and I have to deal with them from time to time, so I have some understanding of their working methods."

"I plan to set up a new Emergency Response and Public Relations Management Office under the department, with you as the head. At the same time, I will integrate the Internet cafe alliance and e-sports business, offline cultural expansion, data center computing power outsourcing, and distributed P2P peer-to-peer network services into a new company, with you as the general manager. You will also temporarily manage Jinxi Downloader and serve as a director of the listed company Jinxi Video..."

"it is good!"

Without saying a word more, Liu Yanqing agreed.

In the talent-rich headquarters, Liu Yanqing's abilities may not be fully utilized. It is believed that this "external assignment" will allow him to hone his skills and return to headquarters, no longer as a "jack-of-all-trades, master of none" support talent.

After settling Liu Yanqing in, Jin Shang turned his attention to Yin Feiyang.

"As for you, you'll help me coordinate Jinxi Chat. I've seen how much effort you've put in, from a naive recent college graduate to a shrewd and capable urban professional. With Jinxi Chat at its core, we'll create an instant messaging business group. As the deputy general manager, you'll oversee all resources below the department level. The goal is to increase Jinxi Chat's user base and activity..."

While it's said to be assisting the vice president, it's really about overseeing the overall situation. Jin Shang is so busy that he can't possibly focus all his energy on just one business. There are many more things that Jin Shang needs to handle, so he inevitably doesn't have time to deal with every little detail. He can only grasp the general direction, and the execution is entirely up to Yin Feiyang.

"We will certainly live up to your expectations!"

"There's no need to be too nervous. Internet chat isn't really anything new. Instant messaging tools based on voice messaging existed as early as 1995, but they didn't make much of a splash. Only Jinxi Chat and Fetion in China were engaged in fierce 'battles,' which even spread overseas..."

European and American copycat companies have already gone public, while two domestic companies are still vying for market share and the title of "number one." This is the current situation in a populous country with an absolute size.

“I’ve read the document. Multi-platform connectivity on mobile devices is a key feature, and it could very well be a killer feature in the future. Right now, the most important thing is to work with Manager Liu to gain dominance in the offline youth market. So…”

Yin Feiyang, who quickly got into character, suggested:
"What do young people like? Wuxia novels, supernatural tales, fantasy comics, action anime, video games, sports stars, or campus social activities, etc. Can I leverage media resources to cater to the social needs of university students and expand the market...?"

"For example, beauty pageants, school beauties and hunks, or which cafeteria has good food, which small shop has stale food, or who was seen going to 'Degenerate Street' and hasn't come out for a long time today?"

"It seems Mr. Jin really knows his stuff! That's exactly what I meant. To get close to students, you need to understand their joys and sorrows. Cyberspace is the best place to gather information, especially for college students who have a lot of free time. They are naturally the type of users that the internet loves the most..."

After listening to Yin Feiyang's words, Jin Shang did not agree immediately, but pondered for a while before saying:

“Traditional media can assist you, but online platforms like blogs are not suitable for opening up for the time being; I need to personally oversee their use…”

"Okay! Then I'll try it out on the WeChat Moments and alumni forums..."

"It's not that we won't give it any space at all, but rather that we're looking at it from the perspective of a fair and impartial third party. If it really makes a splash and even breaks into new circles, we naturally won't suppress its popularity."

With this promise, Yin Feiyang felt even more confident.

(End of this chapter)