Chapter 55: Assessing the Viability of This Casual Venture
Upon agreeing, Chen Xiao typed a greeting, "Hello."
Feixiangniao swiftly typed, "I've been following your 11181 website, and it's getting more than 100,000 PVs per day."
Back then Dingfeng (Chen Xiao) replied, "Yes, at its peak, it reached 400,000 to 500,000."
Flying Bird: "Boss, consider helping me create a shortcut on your website to attract traffic. We'll pay you based on the PVs clicked."
Back then Dingfeng: "What's the price you're offering?"
Flying Bird: "Five dollars for every 10,000 PVs."
Chen Xiao: !
This price was surprisingly favorable!
If there were 10,000 clicks daily, that would be 50 yuan, totaling 1,500 yuan per month – equivalent to two or three months' worth of Chen Qiang's salary!
This was a great deal!
Back then Dingfeng inquired, "Show me the content first."
In 2000, "whiteness" had just been introduced.
Despite Li Yanhong (not a typo, you know) being a hundred times more influential than the current Chen Xiao, Baidu was still in its infancy. Not many people were aware of it.
Content might be fantastic, but without traffic, users would never discover it. After all, internet users weren't so diligent as to memorize each website's domain name.
Therefore, depending on well-established websites to attract traffic held paramount importance.
Flying Bird immediately shared a website link.
Chen Xiao examined the website's domain name, www.x..., sensing something amiss.
Ordinary domain names usually ended with ".com" or ".xyz," right?
Foreign websites operating as intermediaries in China?
Chen Xiao had a premonition.
Good heavens!
Seriously!
Upon clicking, a familiar layout greeted his eyes.
A red background with white or yellow text.
As expected, the aesthetics of these web artists were uniform – simplistic, rough, and clear!
Scrolling down revealed an array of provocative images and enticing text.
Ahem...
Simultaneously, pop-up windows advertising online IVI videos, miracle drugs, and gambling emerged.
Around 2000, the Xia Country's internet underwent its first surge. Alongside the development of games, search engines, and informational websites, some darker elements took shape as well.
Indeed, a few enterprises had perpetuated throughout history, such as pornography and gambling.
And these businesses were undoubtedly lucrative.
Chen Xiao discreetly appreciated each image and even clicked on a few online videos.
Chen Xiao's home lacked an internet connection; he maintained 11181 at an internet café near his house. He was dependent on telephone dial-up, which offered rather average speeds.
Online videos were merely 270P in standard definition – quite ordinary.
In 2000, neither *** nor Mr. Wu had yet emerged.
Chen Xiao, accustomed to watching high-definition 4K videos, suddenly lost interest in the website.
However, his disinterest didn't necessarily reflect others' sentiments.
A disheveled young man beside him approached, eagerly watching the videos.
"Brother, what's this hidden passage? Share it with me!"
This guy was engrossed in the video, his eyes glued to the screen.
Chen Xiao cleared his throat and said twice, "It's all chaos."
Unfazed, the young man boldly sat down next to Chen Xiao, almost pulling down his pants to get to work.
Chen Xiao was speechless.
Indeed, the appeal of *** exceeded that of games.
Chen Xiao closed the video and began reading the novels on the site.
Compared to the later-generation authors like Teacher Bai and Teacher Bin, these stories seemed profoundly immature!
Chen Xiao sighed, realizing he could write better than this. These stories were nothing but jumbled messes.
Flying Bird: "What about you, brother? A venture with guaranteed profits! Seven dollars for every 10,000 PVs – quite substantial!"
Seeing Chen Xiao's lack of response, Flying Bird added, "10,000 PVs at seven dollars – that's an attractive offer!"
Chen Xiao was well aware that the price was lucrative.
Given 11181's current growth trajectory and the appeal of this hidden channel, he might earn around five to six thousand yuan in the upcoming month.
Five or six thousand yuan – a figure many wouldn't earn in a year.
If Chen Xiao accepted, he could amass wealth in a remarkably short time.
Yet, after making this move, 11181 would forever bear an indelible stain.
However, this stain differed from game cheats.
Game cheats straddled the boundary between legality and illegality. Currently, no law in the country deemed game cheats illegal.
Engaging in *** content, on the other hand, was undoubtedly illegal!
Chen Xiao wouldn't proceed with this.
In the future, if the law prohibited cheating, Chen Xiao would promptly cease his activities.
At present, Chen Xiao's purpose in making game cheats wasn't primarily for monetary gain. His main objective was to rapidly increase the website's browsing IP and PV count, propelling its growth.
Back then Dingfeng: "It's not about money; I won't engage in your content."
Flying Bird: "Boss, what do you mean by that? A venture with steady profits! 10,000 PVs for 7.5 yuan – the price can't be raised."
Di Di Di Di Di Di. As Flying Bird's messages persisted, Chen Xiao refrained from responding.
Not just Flying Bird; several strangers also added Chen Xiao, seeking collaborations for mutual traffic benefits.
Some were small websites centered on standalone games, while others revolved around informational content or product sales.
The prices these websites offered weren't exceptionally high. They proposed one dollar for every 10,000 PVs, or 0.8 yuan for the same quantity.
Chen Xiao meticulously analyzed the situation and opted to collaborate with three companies.
He estimated that by partnering with these three entities www.mtlnovel.com, he could earn approximately 600 yuan per month.
The sum might not be substantial, but no matter how small, it was still valuable. It would at least cover the server rental costs.
Consequently, 11181 transitioned from pure investment to slightly profitable.
Chen Xiao spent three days embedding cooperative links and advertisements within 11181.
It was essential to ensure aesthetics and attention-grabbing titles while inserting these links and advertisements. Otherwise, their presence could tarnish the website's image.
Upon completing these tasks, Chen Xiao arranged to meet Shen Wei, Zhang Kai, and Deng Chao for a day of activities. They studied in the library during the morning and spent their afternoon roller skating.
Chen Xiao believed that the extracurricular lives of individuals born in the 1980s were far more enriching and enjoyable compared to those born in the post-95 and 00 generations.
For the latter, most holidays were spent consuming short videos, resulting in minute-long distractions that consumed their entire day. After viewing these videos, they'd experience a peculiar emptiness – as if they'd gained something yet gained nothing at all.
As school was about to resume, Wang Xiang contacted Chen Xiao.
"Xiaozi, I know you're about to start school. Could you spare some time to visit and assist me?"
Wang Xiang's voice held a hint of excitement, "We've successfully developed our own lightweight VCD, and we're ready to commence mass production after the Spring Festival. I'd appreciate if you could help identify any potential issues."
Chen Xiao's heart skipped a beat – he realized this was a bad situation!
VCD was a declining industry. Lacking an initial patent, it had dwindled in popularity due to the rise of DVDs.
Chen Xiao had advised Wang Xiang multiple times to abandon the VCD venture, yet Wang Xiang remained engrossed in his lightweight VCD project.
It was 2000, and VCD was still being pursued. What separated this from the "plowing" vow of allegiance made on September 30, 1949?