Video numbers also need to be more polished.
Editor’s note: This article comes from Interface News , author Lu Keyan.
Image source: Unsplash
The internal test of WeChat video number is quietly released. In early February, more and more users found that the WeChat “video number” entry appeared on the “discovery” page, and was just below the circle of friends entrance.
In the WeChat interface, this is a very high-level entry. After clicking into it, you can see some video content recommended by the system, arranged in a single column of information flow and in reverse order of time.
WeChat official regulations, the content of the video number can be a video no longer than 1 minute, or it can be less than 9 pictures. Users can repost, like, comment on the video, and can also be classified as “not interested”.
The review page is presented as follows, the author himself and the comments he likes will be displayed on top:
If forwarded to a friend, it will be presented as a card like an applet. But if it is forwarded to the circle of friends, currently it can only display “XX dynamics”, and there is no video title and content introduction.
For the main video user who is interested, users can click into its homepage to follow.
If you click into your homepage, you will see “Followed Video Number” and “Interactive News”.
The inconvenience is that the video content on the video number page will automatically play under Wi-Fi and mobile traffic conditions. Currently, the video cannot be played in full screen or landscape mode.Cannot be paused, and there is no function of progress bar. In addition, when iOS users browse the video number, if there is a new message on WeChat, the page will not prompt.
From the perspective of the video creator, the video editing functions provided by the video number are still preliminary, and are limited to the addition of basic functions such as soundtrack and text. If you want to produce higher-quality videos, you may also need to use third-party software.
In the internal testing phase, the video number is just a basic framework, and it is not ready to compete with other short video products.
Judging from the current experience of interface journalists, there are not many authors who have settled in the video number, and the content refreshed within 24 hours is often repeated. At present, those who are qualified to publish videos are mainly authors with high influence such as media, KOL, and celebrities, and have fewer personal accounts.
In addition, the video number can be bound to the public number, but the content between the two cannot be transferred to each other.
Not everyone is eligible to publish videos. Tencent explained that during the internal testing period, authors who want to have the publishing qualification need to send an email to channels@tencent.com to apply for internal testing, they need to provide identity information (such as WeChat, personal or institutional introduction), and proof of influence For example, the original video works, the number of fans on each platform account, the number of interactions, etc., WeChat official will confirm whether to obtain the qualification for internal testing according to the creative ability.
That is to say, the video number does not support individuals to publish video content at will. Only authors with a certain creative ability and influence are eligible to publish. According to WeChat’s explanation, personal updates can be released through the circle of friends, and the video number wants to make a short content platform with a certain quality.
WeChat made a lot of attempts in the direction of short videos, such as “news of friends” at the top of the circle of friends page, and the 30-second circle of friends video function that was once opened for Weishi, but in the user group The response was not enthusiastic. This video number attempt is the first time Zhang Xiaolong put forward the “short content” in the WeChat open class, and it is also the “optimal solution” given by WeChat on the short video proposition.
According to the current display form of the video number, it is more like a Weibo-like section internalized by WeChat. As the content becomes more and more abundant, the video number may adopt an interest recommendation mechanism in the future to increase traffic. However, even if a sufficiently high level of entry has been given, it is difficult to predict whether WeChat users will develop the habit of browsing video content within the WeChat ecosystem. At this time, the social sharing function of WeChat may help, but before that, WeChat still needs to polish the video number more completely.