"No account or password needed for direct login!!" Chen Shoufu and the others were utterly bewildered. They privately thought Huang He was an idiot, completely ignorant of the internet, to suggest logging in directly without an account or password. What was the point of an account if it didn't require one?
Of course, these thoughts were only whispered in their hearts; they wouldn't dare voice them.
While they dared not speak, Huang He did. Our Boss Huang stated quite frankly, "I know you must be thinking I'm crazy and don't understand the internet. But I ask you, when someone sees that they need to register an account to use a certain software, isn't their first reaction rejection and reluctance?"
"That's true!" Everyone nodded. They had experienced this feeling, and the more they used computers and the internet, the more this aversion grew.
This is because registering an account always consumes extra time.
Secondly, account registration is also very troublesome. Not only do you need to enter an account and password, but you also have to enter security questions, verification codes, and so on. Some websites even require an email address. The most excessive websites require hundreds of different personal details to register an account. Just filling out the registration form can take several minutes, even tens of minutes, or even an hour.
Oh, and there are also websites that require you to answer 100 questions to register, and you won't be allowed to register if you don't score passing marks. This is even more absurd.
This is assuming the registrant is experienced with computers. If it's a novice who struggles with typing on the keyboard, it's even more frustrating. They might not even know how to switch between uppercase and lowercase letters, how to type punctuation, or even how to click in an input field with a mouse cursor to type. They would have to rely entirely on friends or relatives to help them.
Even in 2021, there are still plenty of such people, with at least 50% needing assistance from others to register an account.
Finally, there's the issue of registration failure.
Some statistics show that, on average, only 40% of users can successfully register an account on a website in one attempt. The remaining 60% have to register multiple times to succeed, always encountering various problems that lead to registration failure.
It's like 70% of users insert a USB drive the wrong way the first time and need a second attempt. Even more ridiculously, the probability of needing a third attempt is as high as 30%.
These statistics sound illogical, but they are facts.
In summary, the two common troubles encountered during account registration make both newcomers and veterans detest registering accounts. Every time someone uses a new website, they have to register repeatedly.
This makes internet users increasingly resentful and dislike account registration. This problem was relatively minor in 2001 but escalated over time, to the point where 80% of internet companies went bankrupt and closed down because of it.
The simplest logic and fact is that all current Apps and software have options like QQ login or Taobao login. No matter who it is, even latecomers like Douyin, Meituan, and Pinduoduo, they must have QQ login or Taobao login options.
This is because if they don't do this, they won't get any new users. This is why Tengda and Taobao could dominate the Chinese internet in the future. They controlled the most important gateway of the internet, which is user accounts. When all users log into all Apps or software using your company's accounts, you are already invincible.
And the root of all this, to put it simply, is that users are unwilling to register accounts.
Therefore, there is a consensus in the online world later on: whoever controls the ID controls the internet.
"What the Chairman said makes sense. I remember the first time I registered for QQ, I was too lazy to log in because I saw I had to register an account. Later, my classmate asked me to go on QQ to chat, saying it was convenient, and only then did I have to register a QQ number!" a team member said.
"Me too!"
"I think I was too!"
More than half of the team members remembered that they had abandoned QQ initially because of account registration, and only later registered an account to log in for various reasons.
Thinking about this, their gaze towards Huang He became immensely respectful. Truly a chairman with a net worth of over a hundred million; his foresight was so sharp!
"But Chairman, this problem does exist, but it cannot be solved. Because for a network communication software, it needs a personal account. How can we play without registering a personal account!" Chen Shoufu said with a wry smile. He had actually recognized the obstacle of account registration for new users long ago, but this was an unavoidable problem!
"Let me ask you, is there any technical problem if a new user double-clicks the icon and directly enters the software, having an independent personal account?" Huang He asked directly.
"Without an account, how can they enter..."
"What if we let our server automatically create a username for this user?" Huang He asked quickly. Chen Shoufu was stunned for a moment, then stood there somewhat blankly, not replying.
"Don't think about other issues. I'm just asking you, is it technically feasible!" Huang He tapped the table. Chen Shoufu finally nodded.
"Okay, look, doesn't this mean they can directly enter our program without needing an account and password?" Huang He said with a smile. Chen Shoufu opened his mouth and said, "But this account is created by the system, not by the user. If the user logs out, won't they have to create a new account next time, and all previous account data will be lost..."
Huang He ignored Chen Shoufu's rambling, then registered a new account and entered oo. A prompt to create a personal profile automatically popped up.
There were many options, such as username, birthday, interests, and hobbies. One page alone had over twenty different profile fields.
Huang He shook his head and said, "There are too many details to fill in, which will make new users impatient and drive them away! So, from now on, when creating a new user, the first page of the pop-up will only have three fields: username, gender, and birthday."
"As for other user information, all of it will be moved to subsequent pop-ups. After filling in these three basic details, give the user a prompt telling them they can start experiencing it immediately or continue to complete their profile."
"Of course, to encourage users to complete their profiles, you can add a sentence: The more information you provide, the more likely you are to attract the attention of the opposite sex!"
"Don't worry about whether saying 'attract the attention of the opposite sex' is too explicit or not. Who the hell would want to chat with someone of the same sex when they can chat with someone of the opposite sex!" Huang He spoke eloquently. Everyone listened dumbfounded. The operations Huang He described were things they had never considered, even unconventional requirements. For a qualified developer, they would probably be ashamed to admit they had developed such software.
But purely from the user's perspective, such software would feel incredibly simple and convenient to use!
"Finally, the account issue!" Huang He tapped the screen. "Isn't the username the user enters the best account name, our oo number? And the user's birthday is the account password?"
"As for the problem of duplicate usernames, you just need to add a setting that prevents the same username from being registered!" Huang He chuckled. "Once they complete the profile registration, simply pop up a message informing them that they can now log in directly using their username and birthday."
"Oh, and users might want their account name and username to be independent. So, give them a 'Change Password' and 'Change Account Name' function button, placed prominently on the login page. This way, most users will eventually choose to change them due to the inconvenience of having the same account name and username. That should suffice!" Huang He rubbed his nose.
This kind of strategy was only feasible in 2001 when internet policies were virtually nonexistent, and internet scams were also minimal. Otherwise, with the introduction of various regulations, such blurry registration benefits would be gone.
So, we need to hurry and use it!