Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 531 Site Popularity Value

Upon hearing this, Song Ci paused in mid-air as she reached for the scones.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his fingertips tracing the still slightly warm surface of the cup, then looked up at Gates, his tone calm and even, as if confirming an ordinary address:

Is it Little St. James Island?

"Hmm?" Bill Gates's composed smile froze instantly, a hint of genuine surprise flashing across his face, which then turned into deeper curiosity and scrutiny.

“Yes.” He was genuinely surprised. The island was not well-known in the public eye, but it was an open secret within a certain elite circle.

He never expected that this upstart business tycoon, with his roots in the East and only 26 years old, would have such an extensive network of information.

This led him to a new assessment of the hidden energy and insight behind Song Dynasty poetry.

Song Dynasty poetry did not shy away from Bill Gates' scrutiny, carefully choosing its words to highlight the key points without being too blunt:

"From what I understand, it seems to provide services for certain Western dignitaries and wealthy individuals, and... it's a very 'special' service."

He deliberately added a subtle tone to the word "special".

Bill Gates slowly shook his head, as if correcting a common misunderstanding.

He picked up his coffee, took a small sip, and remained relaxed.
"Releasing emotional desires can be done in any hidden corner of a world-class city, so why make people like us travel long distances and cross oceans?"

He put down his cup, his gaze becoming somewhat distant, and his voice lowered, "On that island, the truly core place is a 'Life Science Research Institute' that is not open to the public."

After a brief pause, observing Song Ci's reaction, he continued in a tone as if sharing a secret:

"It brings together some extremely talented scientists who are not fully recognized by the mainstream academic community."

Their research directions are very attractive, such as telomere elongation and cell reprogramming, aiming to combat aging and even explore some extremely radical cancer treatment pathways.

He touched on the subject briefly, without delving into the technical details, and then sighed softly, his words carrying a complex emotion of a senior looking at a junior.

"Song, I can sense that you have a deep love for your country and aspiration to change the world. That's good, after all, you're still so young and full of passion."

But after a few decades, when we stand at another stage of life, witness the passing of more relatives and friends, and feel the decline of our own energy, we will gradually take many things less seriously.

Then you'll understand that when you have so much wealth that you couldn't spend it all in ten lifetimes, health and longevity will be the only, ultimate pursuit.

Song Ci listened quietly. These words, like distant bells, struck the walls of his heart at the age of twenty-six, the prime of his life, yet they failed to evoke a true resonance.

His body was full of vitality, and his mind was as sharp as lightning. Disease and aging were still just concepts in medical books to him, rather than a real fear.

He nodded, indicating that he understood the other party's point of view, but his attitude was clear: "Thank you for sharing, Mr. Gates. However, I will not go to that island myself."

After thinking for a moment, he changed the subject, revealing a purely business investment mindset: "If that research institute is indeed conducting valuable cutting-edge research and needs research funding, I can personally invest some money."

Bill Gates was not surprised by Song Ci's rejection, but he appreciated his offer to invest.

“A very pragmatic choice,” he smiled. “You don’t need to invest too much initially, just thirty million US dollars will do, which will give you priority access.”

When the research achieves certain preliminary results, you will be eligible to be among the first beneficiaries.

Just then, soft footsteps sounded outside the study door, followed by Melinda Gates' gentle and pleasant voice:

"Darling, dinner is ready. You and Mr. Song have been talking for so long, why don't you have dinner first before continuing?"

Her arrival perfectly dispelled the subtle atmosphere in the room created by the intimate topics of life and desire.

Bill Gates immediately laughed, and the atmosphere instantly returned to the relaxed prelude to a family dinner.

Standing up, he gestured to Song Ci, "Song, Melinda heard you were coming and specially instructed the chef to prepare a sumptuous dinner, including her prized roasted venison."

Now, let's put business and immortality behind us for a moment and go savor some authentic Northwest Pacific flavors!

Song Ci also stood up, a sincere smile on her face, and nodded slightly towards the door: "Mrs. Melinda is too kind."

"If you have the opportunity, please invite Mr. and Mrs. Gates to visit China, so that I can extend my hospitality and treat you to Chinese cuisine and experience the philosophy of Eastern food."

Upon hearing this, Bill Gates laughed heartily and patted Song Ci on the shoulder: "Haha, it's a deal! I've long yearned for the mysterious cuisine of the East. Song, please!"

The two exchanged a smile, as if their conversation about the hidden island and the ultimate pursuit was merely an insignificant interlude.

In the early morning, sunlight streamed onto the glass curtain wall of the science and technology building, dazzling and making this newly minted Fortune 500 company headquarters appear even more vibrant.

On the seventh floor of the building, inside the Toutiao Video office area, there is a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

The joy of the company joining the ranks of the world's giants has not yet faded, and it has become the best topic of conversation among colleagues.

"I heard from the finance department that the group's revenue from January to May this year broke records again, and I estimate that we'll be giving out semi-annual bonuses next month!"

"Wow! That's great! The boss is so generous; I feel so motivated to work at Tengda!"

"Absolutely! But right now, we need to step up our efforts to meet our platform's KPIs. 'Day and Night' is airing next month, and it's the platform's first self-produced drama, so it's very important. Hopefully, the viewership will be explosive, then we'll have a better year at the end of the year."

At this moment, Chu Jingzhao arrived at his workstation and politely greeted his colleagues: "Good morning, Teacher Wu! Good morning, Sister Li! Good morning, Brother Yu!"

"Xiao Chu is here." "Good morning, Xiao Chu."

Several long-time employees greeted him with warm smiles.

Everyone had a good impression of the new management trainee in the operations department.

The young man graduated from a prestigious university and has solid abilities. What is most commendable is his low-key and humble personality, without any of the arrogance often associated with graduates from top universities.

Chu Jingzhao had just sat down at his workstation and hadn't even had time to turn on his computer when he saw his boss, Director Li, walking over in a hurry.

"Xiao Chu, President Yang is looking for you. Go to his office immediately."

"Okay, Mr. Li, I'll go right away." Chu Jingzhao's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly agreed.

The "General Manager Yang" that Director Li mentioned is Yang Kaihua, the General Manager of the Toutiao Video Operations Department. He is the superior of his superior and a high-level executive who truly controls the direction of the department.

Not daring to delay, he straightened his collar and quickly walked toward the general manager's office located at the end of the office area.

The office door was ajar, and Chu Jingzhao knocked lightly.

"Please come in."

"Mr. Yang, are you looking for me?"

Yang Kaihua looked up, a kind smile on his face, and pointed to the chair in front of the table: "Xiao Chu is here, have a seat."

Chu Jingyi sat up straight, looking as if she was listening attentively to instructions.

Yang Kaihua's eyes revealed appreciation: "Xiao Chu, I've read the proposal on advertising optimization that you submitted to the Ministry of Commerce a few days ago."

Building upon the integration into the storyline, systematically optimizing the operation of title-sponsored inserts and creative mid-roll ads is a very constructive idea.

He paused, then became even more approving: "General Manager Zhang from the Commerce Department just called me specifically to express his strong approval of your proposal."

It's been decided to pilot the project on "Day and Night." You've really made a name for yourself this time.

Hearing that his suggestion had not only been adopted but also affirmed by the head of the Commerce Department, Chu Jingzhao felt a surge of excitement, and his face flushed.

However, she still tried to remain calm and humbly replied, "Thank you for your recognition, Mr. Yang! I have only made a small contribution by standing on the shoulders of predecessors. It is my honor to be able to do my part for the company's development."

"Young people, humility is a virtue, but when it's time to show your abilities, you should also have the vigor to say 'I am the only one who can do it.'"

Yang Kaihua chuckled lightly, then his expression turned serious, his tone abruptly changing to a more solemn one.

"The main reason I called you here today is to discuss another suggestion you submitted, a proposal on reforming the existing click-through rate evaluation system. The presidents have taken it very seriously after reviewing it."

Chu Jingzhao's heart suddenly raced.

Yang Kaihua's gaze sharpened: "The company has decided to hold a special meeting, and you will be the one to give the report. Half an hour from now, in Conference Room One."

"Xiao Chu, this is an opportunity, but also a test. Prepare well, show the level and insight of the operations department, and don't embarrass our department." The sudden heavy responsibility stunned Chu Jingzhao for a moment, and then he felt a huge pressure, but also a surge of passion in his heart.

He nodded emphatically, his eyes hardening with determination: "Don't worry, Mr. Yang, I will do my utmost and won't let you down!"

"Okay, go ahead. Prepare well." Yang Kaihua waved his hand.

……

Half an hour later, in Conference Room No. 1, the core management team of Toutiao Video was seated around the oval conference table.

The list included Yang Kaihua, General Manager of the Operations Department, Jiang Shi, General Manager of the Technology Department, and several directors under their respective departments.

What put even more pressure on Chu Jingzhao was that sitting in the main seat was Zhou Juan, the president of Toutiao Video, with vice presidents Ye Yuan, Chen Mingyu, and Zhao Jingsheng beside her.

All members of the platform's top decision-making team were present.

Chu Jingzhao stood beside the electronic screen at the front of the conference room, holding a laser pointer, looking somewhat nervous.

Vice President Chen Mingyu glanced at Zhou Juan, and seeing her nod slightly, he presided over the meeting and said, "President Zhou, it's time, shall we begin?"

"Let's begin." Zhou Juan's voice was calm, yet carried an air of authority.

Chen Mingyu turned his gaze to Chu Jingzhao and encouraged him, "Xiao Chu, relax. Explain your ideas about the click-through rate reform to the leaders in detail."

“Okay, Mr. Chen.” Chu Jingzhao took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and pressed the laser pointer. The report title “Proposal on Establishing a Popularity Assessment System for Toutiao Video” appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, leaders." The voice trembled slightly at first, but quickly regained its composure. "Today I will give a special report on reforming the existing content evaluation system."

"For a long time, whether it's Toutiao Video or within the industry, the core indicator for measuring the quality of a TV series has almost always been the number of clicks."

However, in my actual work, I found that simple click-through rate data is seriously inaccurate and unscientific.

It cannot reflect the depth of user viewing and enthusiasm for participation, nor can it measure the long-term value that a piece of content brings to the platform.

The opening remarks directly pointed out the shortcomings of the existing system, prompting deep reflection among the executives present.

"In order to evaluate the value of content more scientifically, I tried to reform the existing click-through rate system and designed a brand-new evaluation system, the site popularity value system."

"Popularity on the site?!" President Zhou Juan repeated the word softly, her eyes revealing strong interest and a desire to explore. "Interesting, continue."

After a smooth opening, Chu Jingzhao's initial nervousness gradually gave way to focus, and he became more composed, speaking fluently and confidently.

"What is the popularity of the site? Leaders can understand it as a comprehensive and dynamically changing value."

The aim is to reflect, in real-time and from multiple perspectives, the true popularity and user activity of a TV series on the platform.

"A very good idea, the entry point is very precise." Chen Mingyu expressed his agreement, staring at Chu Jingzhao with some emotion in his heart.

He vaguely remembered this young man. When he was recruited as a management trainee, his interview performance was not outstanding, and he was lucky to get the offer.

I didn't expect him to demonstrate such solid skills and depth of thought after joining the company. He seems to be the kind of person who is not good at speaking, but has extremely strong practical ability and logical thinking.

Encouraged, Chu Jingzhao gained even more confidence and flipped through the PPT, showcasing the core architecture: "I believe that the site's popularity index should be collected from four dimensions of data..."

Different weights are assigned to each dimension, and finally, through an algorithmic model, a dynamically changing comprehensive popularity value between 0 and 10000 is synthesized.

A clear architecture diagram appeared on the screen.

"First, there is the playback data dimension, which accounts for 40% of the weight and mainly measures the attractiveness of the content and the ability to complete the playback."

This is broken down into: number of valid plays, total playtime, and average playtime per person.

The PPT detailed his specific definition of each indicator, the data collection method, and the calculation logic, showing considerable thoroughness.

"The second dimension is interaction data, with a suggested weight of 30%. This dimension is used to measure the depth of user engagement and community activity."

Chu Jingzhao continued, “Including but not limited to: the number of bullet comments and comments, and the number of user favorites.”

"The third dimension is user growth, with a weight of 20%. This dimension measures the ability of content to attract and retain new users."

Chen Mingyu interrupted, raising a question: "Xiao Chu, isn't this weight a bit too low?"
Attracting new users, especially new paying users, is one of the group's key performance indicators (KPIs) for the platform.

Chu Jingzhao calmly explained, "President Chen, the weights marked on the PPT are just my personal, preliminary calculations based on the initial model, and there are bound to be imperfections."

The specific allocation of weights can be dynamically adjusted based on the company's strategic direction.

My core idea is to introduce this metric, and the specific percentage can be optimized later.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Juan chuckled and said, "President Chen, don't rush. Let Xiao Chu finish explaining the complete framework. The overall idea is more important than specific numbers."

Chu Jingzhao continued his report: "The last dimension is data sharing, which is used to measure the social diffusion capability and spillover value of content."

It mainly includes two items: site sharing rate.

And more importantly, the traffic generated by clicking on the link after sharing to social media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo.

This most directly demonstrates a piece of content's ability to drive traffic to a platform.

After explaining the four dimensions that make up the popularity index in one go, Chu Jingzhao did not stop, but further illustrated how this system would empower the business.

"Distinguished leaders, the value of this system lies in its ability to help us identify truly promising companies."

He said with certainty, "For example, some dramas may not have high initial viewership, but their interaction rate and average viewing time per person are extremely high, which means that they have excellent word-of-mouth and stickiness."

The popularity system can quickly identify these trends from massive amounts of content, allowing operations teams to immediately allocate recommendation resources and enable these "dark horses" to achieve a comeback.

"In addition, multi-dimensional metrics have dramatically increased the cost of boosting traffic, because it is necessary to simulate multiple behaviors such as playback, interaction, and user growth at the same time, which can more effectively squeeze out the inflated data."

Meanwhile, Toutiao Video demonstrates that the series possesses a consistently active and high-quality user base willing to share, making its advertising value far greater than that of a series with fleetingly high click-through rates.

"Wonderful! What an amazing design!" As soon as Chu Jingzhao finished speaking, Zhou Juan was the first to applaud, her face full of admiration.

"This is not just an assessment tool, but a strategic guide!"
A scientific measurement standard guides the production and discovery of high-quality content, attracts and retains high-value users, and gains recognition and premium pricing from brand advertisers.

Ultimately, this will drive the entire platform ecosystem towards a positive cycle! Excellent! Chu Jingzhao, your proposal is invaluable!

The president made the final decision, giving it extremely high praise. No one else dared to raise any further objections, and they all expressed their approval and appreciation for the system.

Zhou Juan turned her gaze to the technical leaders opposite her: "President Ye, President Jiang, are there any technical difficulties with this popularity index system?"

Jiang Shi, the general manager of the technology department, adjusted his glasses, pondered for a moment, and answered cautiously:

"Mr. Zhou, from a technical perspective, the core lies in the capture, cleaning, and storage of multi-dimensional, real-time data, as well as the establishment of algorithm models."

The platform already has the basic infrastructure for these elements, and there are no insurmountable algorithmic challenges.

Zhou Juan acted swiftly and decisively: "I need a clear timetable. I want to use 'Day and Night' as a pilot project for this new system."

Ye Yuan, the vice president of technology, also put pressure on his subordinates: "Old Jiang, make a statement in front of the leaders."

Jiang Shi gave a wry smile, turned his head, and exchanged a quick glance with his data platform director and algorithm director.

A resolute look flashed across his face. He gritted his teeth and said firmly, "President Zhou, President Ye! Please give the technical department ten days! Within ten days, I guarantee I will produce a 1.0 version that can be tested!"

"Good! That's the efficiency and responsibility we need!" Zhou Juan nodded in satisfaction, her gaze finally settling on Chu Jingzhao, who was still standing by the screen.

"Chu Jingzhao, I remember that the position of team leader in the planning and special topic group under the content operation center is still vacant, and we haven't found a suitable candidate yet."

She paused slightly, looked around the room, and clearly announced: "From now on, you are the leader of the planning team."

I hope that in this position you can better implement your ideas and bring more new vitality to Toutiao Video!

Upon hearing this, Chu Jingzhao was first taken aback, then overjoyed!

Suppressing his excitement, he bowed and said in a voice brimming with joy, "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Zhou! I will certainly live up to your expectations and do my best in my work!"

(End of this chapter)