Tencent’s Just Getting Started on Online Advertising | Hacker News Reader

Tencent’s Just Getting Started on Online Advertising

bloomberg.com

That article (blurb?) is impressively low on any detail.

Here's a better one: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-26/why-tence...

Well, given how the company is operated and makes money it already does "advertising" a lot. Though it is more like self promotion to sell some kind of micropayment on a particular product. And they make tons of money doing this.

This moves looks like a way to try and squeeze more money out of their user and properties. If someone thinks FB is bad or EA games with micro transactions are bad, try one of Tencent's properties. Then think what will happen with this move towards advertisement.

Beyond that, consider what Tencent are doing with a "social credit score" to compete with Alibaba's Sesame Credit. It will be scary when these systems eventually migrate to or evolve in the US.

Tencent social credit:

* https://qz.com/1049669/chinas-tencent-hkg-0700-is-quietly-te...

Sesame Credit video from Extra Credits (almost a couple years old now, but most easily-engaged piece I've seen on implications of social credit):

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHcTKWiZ8sI

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tencent $500+ BILLION market cap, and stakes in a lot of top companies. Imagine if they truly entered the US /EU market

Tencent can’t even effectively enter non-mainland Chinese markets (HK, Taiwan, Singapore, etc...) or the countries surrounding the PRC (Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, India, Russia, Korea, ....). Their scope is very china limited, where they have no experience competing with international contenders.

WeChat is pretty big in Hong Kong now. I was on Hong Kong MTR last week and half of the people standing around me used WeChat within 10 mins.

Still not as big as Facebook in the SAR. Also, none of the other functions work beyond mobile payments for mainland tourists.

No stores in HK accept weixin wallet, so it is kinda useless

They are trying: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608578/can-wechat-thrive-...

Not gonna happen IMO. If they start to succeed, expect stories of how everything is being spied on by the Chinese govt. Which is a legitimate concern.

No Google or FB in China, no TenCent in USA either...

As opposed to all the American spy... analytics companies?

Missed my point: First it is only fair. You cause problem for our Google and Facebook expect the same. That's fairness and economic patriotism. Not to mention that Google and Facebook "own" or can own US Congress and Senate. Hearings will start in days.

I believe that in authoritarian regimes you have ZERO choice or recourse. See Russia or Al-Waleed in Saudi Arabia. They will simply shut you down, break you in a gazillion pieces.

In USA you have courts at least. Have you noticed that Google is pushing encryption all over the web to make NSA's job harder or impossible? Let Alibaba or TenCent help thwarting FSB or China's security services

This was great perspective and excellent points. Love that the Silicon Valley boys are redoubling efforts in this area.

As it should be, quid pro quo, fair trade...

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