After chatting with a few friends, I found that many people are still unfamiliar with some of HelloGWU's features, especially the newly launched ones. So I wanted to write an article to introduce them and share the design philosophy behind them.

Quickly publish and share to WeChat Mini Programs

For a time, HelloGWU had a mobile website version. Back then, whether you shared the link directly to WeChat or shared it from the app, it was very convenient for other users to access it. However, I removed the mobile version during the last two version updates, citing reduced management costs. After all, this is a non-commercial project, and revenue relies entirely on advertising. The Discuz system has been neglected for almost 10 years, and the mobile version still follows an outdated model—almost completely independent of the desktop version, making development and management extremely troublesome. Of course, there are other reasons as well, which I'll mention later.

Without a mobile version, the user experience on mobile devices is extremely poor. We previously developed an app to compensate for this and tried redirecting the mobile webpage directly to download the app, which worked quite well. However, since the app is also an unfinished product, it is riddled with bugs. Opening the page shared on WeChat still results in a terrible app download experience, and the maintenance costs are also considerable (we haven't had time to update and fix it yet). Therefore, it is not a good alternative.

Why do users use mobile devices? The reason is actually very simple—to better promote their posted information. It's easier to post and easier to forward. Therefore, many people have started using their phones' notepad function to write things down, add pictures, and then screenshot and send them to various groups. (I really admire people who type so much on their phones!)

Mini-programs are a good solution to this problem, and with the existing API, the cost will be reduced significantly. However, there are obstacles with Tencent and the domestic Internet Management Bureau, as the registration of forums is extremely difficult.

Although the release was delayed by more than six months, the problem is now solved. So, what problems have been solved with mini-programs?

• Release: Previously, all releases had to be done on a computer website. Now, releasing via mini-program is much simpler and far more user-friendly than using a mobile notepad.
• Dissemination: Sharing becomes incredibly easy; simply click the top right corner to share to groups or Moments. After sharing, users can easily view and reshare the information, greatly facilitating its dissemination.

Although there are still many areas for improvement, I think this is a very good attempt, and I hope that all users will give me more feedback.

Long press or scan to experience the mini-program:

How to track the latest releases – Slack

Our Slack channel has been online for a while now, and people have been joining steadily, but it's not very active. This is understandable, though, as people aren't familiar with the software yet, but it is indeed a product far superior to WeChat.

Since not everyone is used to switching to Slack, I've repurposed Slack for user information tracking. I think many people have a need to know what others are posting immediately (especially for secondhand channels).

On Slack, I created a bot that sends a push notification to channel users whenever someone posts information on hellogwu. If you have the mobile app installed, you can receive the notification directly on your phone. Currently available channels are: #WashingtonSecondhandTrades and #WashingtonRentals.

How to join Slack: https://blog.jing.do/6676

How to advertise quickly – Pay-per-click advertising, automatic post bumping, proactive promotion

Users post on hellogwu primarily for faster rental and secondhand transactions, and many try various methods such as manually pinning posts and advertising them. These three tools are designed for this purpose:

1. 竞价排名，最低一个金币，不设上限，只要竞价了，就会在网站首页侧边显示，并且每周的newsletter的置顶位置也会显示，付的越多，排位越高，每周重置一次。
2. Automatic post bumping: Simply pay with coins to free your hands. The system will automatically bump your posts to the top of the list at specific times.
3. 主动推广是给土豪们用的，会在首页顶部中间位置显示，并且通过微信公众号发送推广给所有用户。