If in the West we have a bazillion apps to communicate, in China the one app to rule them all is WeChat. With approximately 1 billion monthly active users, it has many functionalities, but its core goal is communication. It is thus important to grasp all subtleties when it comes to sending messages.
Here is an overview of the dos and don’ts of what and where you can post.
1. The Private Messages
Like any other messaging service, on WeChat you can send private messages to anyone in your contact list.
What can I send here?
Basically everything. However, standard social rules apply: if your best friend may enjoy every detail about what happened to you last night, your boss may not.
Same goes for the PG18 stickers.
2. The Groups
There are 2 types of groups on Wechat:
- Private groups: usually less than 100 people, you know more or less everyone. Topic is usually work / school / friends related.
- Public groups: usually more than 100 people, they form a community around a common interest.
What can I send here?
Due to the number of participants, groups tend to generate a massive amount of notifications, so before posting something, ask yourself a few questions:
- Is this group the best place to post this message?
- Does everyone need to know/care about this information?
- Wouldn’t it better to send a private message?
- Does my post respect the rules* of the group?
(*) In most public group, the admins have set up some ground rules to ensure peace and avoid spamming.
3. The Moments
This is YOUR space!
Like your Facebook page, or Twitter account you can post anything you want on your WeChat moments (respecting WeChat User Terms and Agreements of course).
What can I send here?
A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
Your cat just gave birth? Post it here!
You’ve discovered the sickest playlist of all time? Post it here!
You’ve run 80kms in 3h and are super proud? Post it here!
You want to tell the world about something no one cares about, but you? Post it here!
