It’s clear anonymous social networks are growing quickly: Whisper has drawn 2.5 billion page views a month, while Secret has 3.5 billion page views; Snapchat has attracted 26 million users. Some call them online confessionals, others believe they’re merely a millennial fad, and most just see them as vehicles for inappropriate commentary. While that may be the case now, the noise will eventually die down. And more importantly, there is a larger lesson to be learned for companies looking to soon capitalize on this new and active audience. Like traditional social networks once were, anonymous ones are in their infancy, and the potential for services like Whisper is huge because there is legitimacy behind what people are saying.
匿名社交网络正在快速发展：Whisper每月网页浏览量达25亿次，而Secret则高达35亿；Snapchat的用户也达到了2,600万。有人把匿名社交网络戏称为网络忏悔室，也有人认为它只不过是一股场千禧年的时尚风潮，而绝大部分人把匿名社交网络看成发表某些不当言论的工具。匿名社交网络现在的情况可能确实如此，但是针对它的非议在未来一定会烟消云散。更为重要的是，企业要想尽快利用这种活跃的新锐模式，还需要了解更多背景知识。和传统社交网络当年起步时的状况一样，匿名社交网络现在也正处于萌芽期，但是Whisper这类应用的发展潜力非常巨大，因为匿名用户的言论背后也会存在或多或少的合理性。企业对这种能够给予用户安全感的平台有强烈的需求，借助这个平台，企业就能够了解用户的反馈，从而将这些用户意见付诸实施。但是在做这些之前，让我们先来看看匿名社交网络兴起的原因。
There’s a strong need for enterprises to be able to capture public input in a place where customers feel safe in order to turn that feedback into action. But, before that can be done, let’s look at why anonymous social networks are taking off.
去年六月份，《卫报》和《华盛顿邮报》上登出爱德华o斯诺登泄露的文件。随着美国国家安全局（the National Security Agency）和其它政府监测项目丑闻的不断披露，人们在分享私人信息时越来越慎重。舆论对信息安全的争论陷入白热化，匿名社交网络却搭建了安全的平台，让人们安心分享信息。借助匿名社交网络，用户的信息不但更加私人化，而且他们发出的信息也无法再反向链接到本人。用户在键盘上敲出文字，发布到网上，没有人可以找他们。匿名社交媒体创造了一个完美的平台，为客户提供了安全共享信息的环境。
This month marks the one-year anniversary when documents leaked by Edward Snowden began popping up in the Guardian and the Washington Post. Following the scandal and stories surrounding the National Security Agency and other government surveillance programs, customers are more reluctant than before to share private information. While the debate rages on, anonymous social networks make it easy for online users to feel safer about sharing their opinion. Not only will their information be private, but the information shared will never link back to them. There is no one to hold a user accountable for what comes out of their keyboard, creating the perfect platform for a safe sharing environment.
Snapchat出现以前，图片和视频的分享局限于网络站点、网络服务和应用程序。这些渠道鼓励用户持续不断地共享信息。人们创建一个路径，与另外的网络相连，其他用户仅需要简单的注册就可以点开他们想看的内容。网站通常会把用户信息转手卖给商业机构，用于定向的广告投放。有些用户因为害怕产生网络遗留内容，或者害怕让陌生人看到自己的私人信息，因而不愿冒险留下路径，匿名社交网络是他们的终极社交媒介解决方案。另外，对七杯茶（7 Cups of Tea）等提供匿名治疗的网站来说，匿名上网是它们持续发展的完美方式。
Before Snapchat came along, sharing photos and videos was limited to sites, services, and applications that encouraged ongoing information sharing. People created a trail, and that trail was linkable to other networks for an easy registration option. More often than not, that information was then sold to businesses for target advertising. For users that don’t want to risk leaving a trail for fear of creating an online legacy, or allowing strangers into their personal information, anonymous social networks are the ultimate social media solution. Furthermore, staying anonymous online is the perfect recipe for sites like 7 Cups of Tea that offer anonymous therapy.
除匿名社交网络之外，难道还有别的平台可以让用户以诚相待、同时在不被人私下窃取个人信息的情况下畅所欲言吗？网络上自白式的言词并非完全可信，但是从商业角度来看，却是有待开发的资产。Secret联合创始人兼CEO大卫o布托就“诚实”举了一个极好的例子，他说：“有人会在Facebook上宣告刚刚订婚的喜讯，但是他们却不会发‘今天晚上我准备求婚’这样的话。”人类是社会性动物，需要分享（这也是Facebook、 Instagram等崛起的原因），但并不是所有事都能拿出来说。在Facebook、 Twitter和Instagram的发展初期，没有人理解社交网站背后的意义，而且几乎没有人相信这些公司除了让网民自我表达和自我陶醉之外还能有其它什么用途。时至今日，一切都清楚了，Facebook公司价值连城——堪称背投广告的领导者，2013年进账了27.5亿美元。据社交图片分享网站提供给《广告周刊》（ Adweek）的数据显示，刚成立六个月、只拥有15个精选品牌的Instagram广告公司也已经展露出巨大的发展前景。
If not for anonymous social networks, where else can users be truly honest and yet heard without being somehow profiled? There is some truth to the online confessional claim, but from a business perspective, it’s an asset not yet capitalized on. A perfect example of honesty, as Secret co-founder and CEO David Byttow put it, is “People go on Facebook and say they just got engaged. But what you don’t see is ‘I am going to propose today.’” As humans, we’re social animals and we want to share (hence the rise of Facebook, Instagram and so on), but sometimes we just can’t.
用户和企业都不清楚如何利用匿名社交网络，但根据Facebook和Twitter的发展经验判断，匿名社交媒体的使用很快会爆发，各家公司必须时刻做好准备，迅速行动，用于市场营销活动。
When Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram first launched, few understood the purpose behind the social sharing sites and hardly anyone believed that they were more than a place for self-expression and narcissism. But it’s much clearer today that Facebook is valuable—it’s a leader in display advertising, raking in $2.75 billion in 2013. Instagram ads, just six months old and limited to a select group of 15 brands, are already showing promising results, according to data given to Adweek by the social photo-sharing site.
在过去十年里，社会化、移动化和云技术的集合式发展培养了一批消息灵通的客户，在与某企业接洽之前，客户大体上做到了了然于心，他们的购买方式也相应地产生了巨大变化。客户再也不是被动的观察者了——他们变成了活跃的参与者。在通过社交媒介和在线评论网站购买商品之前，他们早已将商品研究了一番。
People and companies alike aren’t sure just what to do yet with anonymous social networks, but as Facebook FB 4.60% , Twitter TWTR 2.61% and the like history shows, their usage will soon explode and companies will have to be in the wings, quick to leverage for marketing efforts.
然而，部分客户仍然对他们的信息去往何处以及如何被使用心存芥蒂。匿名社交网络为他们提供了保护——为客户主动提供的信息构建了防御体系，使其免遭商业利用或监视；商业机构只能通过倾听和处理反馈信息的方式，认真对待匿名社交网络。
Over the last decade, the convergence of social, mobile, and cloud technologies has resulted in extremely informed customers. Before ever engaging with a company, customers know almost everything they need to, leading to massive changes in the way they buy. Customers are no longer passive observers–they’ve become active participants, educating themselves about products prior to making a purchase via social media and online review sites.
从市场营销的层面，匿名社交网络也有利用价值——只需思考下企业能够发起的所有话题，以及能从中捕捉的商业信息就能说明这一点。一方面，企业可以注册一个帐号，用来收集人们的声音。人们对某一品牌颇有微词还是非常欣赏？产品的某一部分是否需要改良？客户服务是否需要继续改进？
Still, there are many customers who fear where their information is going and how it’s being used. Anonymous social networks provide protection–a shelter for unsolicited information that won’t be used for advertising or surveillance; businesses have to start taking anonymous social networks seriously by listening and acting on the feedback.
有时候，这些话是谁说的并不重要，重要的是这些话是否真实。另一方面，商业机构也可以主动发起讨论。譬如某零售商想知道客户对本季新推出的热辣颜色感觉如何。那么他们要做的就是发起这个话题，然后看看人们如何回应。尽管这种市场调研方法潜力巨大，但是调研结果仍然算不上精确。
There’s also an opportunity to capitalize on these networks from a marketing perspective—just think of all the conversations a business can start and information it can capture. On the one hand, businesses can create accounts and tune into what people are saying. Are they complaining about a brand, or are they happy with it? Do parts of a product need changing? Does customer service need improvement?
这也是为何在通过匿名社交网络调研的同时，商业机构仍然要和他们的客户直接沟通，以便顾客们之间可以互相交流看法。商业机构也可以借助其它公司进行调研，这些公司利用透视社区，即保密的线上环境，在使客户确信其资料不会被滥用或出卖的基础上，得到所需的信息。
Sometimes it doesn’t matter just who is saying these things, it only matters if it’s honest. On the other hand, businesses can also create discussion. Perhaps a retailer wants to know what customers think about a hot new color this season. All they have to do is begin conversation and see people react. While there is big potential in this type of approach, ambiguity remains.
本文作者安德鲁·里德是Vision Critical的创始人、总裁兼首席产品官。Vision Critical是一家云端客户智能平台提供商，总部位于温哥华。