Multiplication strategy is the platform - how to make fake fake - stories of YouTube, PayPal and more

There are many factors that contribute to YouTube's success, making it the leading video sharing service on the Internet. But many of the first users (adoption) came to YouTube because of the fact that there is a lot of pirated content on YouTube . If you want to watch the latest Missing movie for free, YouTube is the best choice, no need to wait for the download from the torrent that can be viewed directly on the server. Kim Dotcom (MegaUpload founder) has seen how fake content can entice the first YouTube users and discover that seeding one of them can unlock more traffic for MegaUpload.

That was really effective. But when "playing" with fake content, someone will have to be "injured". MegaUpload, completely unlike the case of YouTube, has gone down since being accused of using intentional fake content as part of its platform development strategy.

The email of Kim Dotcom to his partners (eventually has put MegaUpload in a difficult position) has brought a difficult but effective strategy to propagate the platform. The platform and two-way market in general are very difficult to "take off". The problem is even more complicated when both consumers and producers have to be present at the same time.

With services like Yelp, consumers can create traction for independent businesses. But for markets like eBay or communities like Quora, consumers (buyers, questioners and readers) and producers (sellers, respondents) need to be on the platform from the beginning. to be able to create interaction.That's because there is no internal value in the product for users (eBay, Quora) without the participation of other users who create additional products (goods for sale, answers). . When users come to the platform, they need to see signs of activity.

See also: Producers - Consumers - Customers - Who are they?

Some people who own these communities, such as MegaUpload, solve the problem by creating fake activities in many different ways. The first users will have the impression that the platform has come into operation and is being maintained.Over time, the user base will increase and the platform will continue to operate without forging . Here are 3 common ways to "fake dummy".

Breeding and development

Dating services create a first enticing factor by creating fake user profiles and conversations. When users come to the page, they will see activity and continue to stay. Sales pages can also create fake activities to attract buyers and sellers.

Breeding for needs

In the book "PayPal Wars", author Eric M. Jackson talked about how PayPal develops a seller base so that they accept PayPal and create demand for services in buyers. When PayPal discovered that eBay was a key commodity distribution platform, they came up with a very clever idea of ​​spoofing demand. They create shopping bots on eBay and then ask to accept payments via PayPal only. Not only do sellers know about the service, they also make it extremely popular. In fact, PayPal is much more profitable than any other payment mechanism on eBay.

Breeding for supply

A platform would be useless without additional products . Especially a trading market will be a "dead market" if there are no sellers posting their goods on the page. To solve the chicken-egg problem, some buying and selling sites create fake supply to attract buyers and show that the site has an activity. Steve Sammartino talked about how he bred for Rentoid.com by buying his own items (although he called it "creating demand" but he actually "bred for demand"). .

See also: Platform breeding strategy - solve chicken and egg problem

Of course, to use these tools, you must also have certain methods.

Use "breed" attractive enough

When you fake something, you need to bring the best. MegaUpload knows that Collective Soul's music video will pull more traffic than the video of a puppy talking in the bathroom. Dating services also know what men want to breed for their network with Latin American models and eclectic interests.

Encourage the behavior you want to see on the page

Reddit Stive Huffman co-founder once admitted that this link sharing site was also propagated by fake files, posting links to create fake activities. The important thing is that the posted links bring the content that the founder continues to want to see on his page. Reddit not only becomes more vibrant, but the first content also attracts people with the same interest in the content and creates a culture of good content on this community.

Consider the incentives to encourage

If you want to create a bow or a bridge and don't want them all to come from you, create incentives so that the first users can "light up" the larger activities later. Amazon Mechanical Turk is not a bad choice if you are looking for users who can create activities at low prices.

Select non-scalable

The ability to expand is always great. That is an important ability in the business industry. But in the early stages of the community before spreading, before sticking, "non-scalable" methods can help. At first the Quora site administrator answered many questions himself. Brian Chesky also said how they got their first AirBnB users, which is literally going to knock on each door.

Sometimes, learning how to handle work completely manually and then automating is much better instead of automated and hundreds of times tested. Most importantly, the first activity breeding will help you experience the use of the product as a user. It is a very valuable lesson!