The sky has fallen! After over three years of managing my official account, it's been permanently banned!
I've filed a complaint, but still no unblocking. It's really heartbreaking. My WeChat official account is a platform I've put a lot of effort into, and it's the first one I started for my media journey. Right now, it's one of the few platforms where I can publish web3 blockchain content and still get decent traffic. Many web2 platforms can't even handle this type of content, like Douyin and Xiaohongshu; despite their massive traffic, any blockchain content you post will definitely get your account banned.
The logic behind WeChat public accounts is based on a reporting system. As long as your content doesn't get reported by others, you can publish whatever you want. However, WeChat's overall product logic is user-centric, aiming to minimize user disturbance. So, if your content isn’t good, it definitely won't get recommended. Even if your content is top-notch, it might not get recommended unless users actively check their subscription list to see your posts.
Thus, managing a WeChat public account is quite challenging because during my operation, the number of followers decreased daily. Even if you don’t update, followers can drop, and if the content you publish isn’t good, the follower count will also decline. However, if your updated content gets recommended, then your follower count can skyrocket. Otherwise, for average content, the rate of gaining and losing followers is generally quite similar. So, to run a public account successfully, you definitely need to have that viral hit.
During my more than three years of operation, most of my followers came from just a few articles. I remember one titled 'Why Everyone Should Own a Bitcoin' that had over 50k views and brought in about 5,000-6,000 followers. There were also several articles in the tenfold and hundredfold series that attracted a lot of followers.
Every day, I have to brainstorm for viral content, but it’s tough, especially with blockchain-related topics. With the current strict regulations domestically, it's nearly impossible to create something that goes viral. Even if you do, the platform won’t let that type of content enter the major traffic pool. I've seen a lot of web3 content, but hardly any articles have over 100k views.
So, I have a love-hate relationship with WeChat public accounts. I love it because the platform is huge, with a population of one billion users, making it relatively easy to gain followers if you can stick with it. The hate comes from the strict domestic environment for creating web3 content. Public accounts are among the more tolerant options available.
I've also managed ByteDance platforms like Toutiao, Xigua Video, Douyin, and Kuaishou. The characteristic of ByteDance is huge traffic, but the review rules are extremely strict. My accounts on Toutiao and Xigua Video were banned in less than a year, and my Douyin and Kuaishou accounts got banned after six months. At the time, I was gaining followers quickly, with Toutiao and Xigua Video having over 10k followers in less than a year, and Douyin almost reaching 10k in about six months. But since it was less than a year, it didn't hurt that much when they got banned.
As for other platforms, like Bilibili, the traffic is about ten times less than Douyin and Kuaishou, but at least you can still publish content there. Other domestic platforms have far less traffic than those mentioned above; for instance, Ximalaya may only have one-tenth of Bilibili's traffic, and Zhihu is just one percent of WeChat public accounts.
Operating on overseas platforms, especially X, is particularly difficult because the total user base in the Chinese region is only around ten million. New accounts struggle to gain traction. YouTube has a large follower count, but the Chinese user base is still within the ten million range, making it very competitive, especially with so many quality creators around.
So, about the exchange platforms, right now, BN is probably the only decent one, with traffic levels roughly similar to X (I'm talking about the Chinese market).
To sum up, operating web3 blockchain content on domestic platforms is incredibly tough. Tokens seem like a double-edged sword, and in my platform operations, most of my content focuses on helping people avoid pitfalls, informing them not to engage with scams, and continuously educating about blockchain technology. Overall, it's been very genuine.
In short, life rarely goes as planned, and we must accept and face it bravely. I will continue to update and not forget my original intention. I mentioned wanting to update for ten years, and I've already been at it for over three years, with less than seven years left. I’ll go as far as I can!
