How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#1

Post by wallflower » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 3:53 AM UTC

How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots
backchannel.com

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#2

Post by niftich » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 6:25 PM UTC

Interesting article. Basically, Kik started off as just-another-mobile-messenger, and they had to compete with Facebook, Google, SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp, Blackberry, Skype, Snapchat, etc., so they figured bots would eventually set them apart.

Since all links inside their app open in their embedded browser, they can track click-throughs like Google, Facebook, and presumably the quirky 'bot interface' will be popular with people who are already used to chatting. No wonder everyone else is trying to maintain feature parity with them.

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#3

Post by palakchokshi » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 6:28 PM UTC

I'm sorry but Kik didn't predict the Rise of Chat Bots. Kik basically looked at WeChat and said we should do that. Same as Facebook and the others. WeChat showed that micro-apps inside a chat interface worked for their target market. The key is to understand the needs of WeChat's target market and figure out the overlap with the US market then figure out the unique needs of the US market.

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#4

Post by veb » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 6:37 PM UTC

Huh? People have been working on chat bots since forever.

I mean, especially on IRC, with Eggdrop. My favourite was always: https://github.com/jamesoff/bmotion

Example: https://github.com/jamesoff/bmotion/wiki/Examples

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#5

Post by palakchokshi » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 6:40 PM UTC

The problem with Kik's version of bots is that they will face the same problems as apps do right now. Discoverability of bots, 100 bots that do the same small thing vying for user's time, bot overload, etc.

What Kik seems to have is essentially a web browser with a chat interface overlay where instead of typing in a URL you "mention" (summon?) a bot and the bot then gives you a "button" (link?) you can tap to open the web content.

One thing they do get right though is the idea that the bot should disappear once done and not bother you, however keeping marketers from not abusing that is going to require them to restrict that via code (e.g. session timeout)

Ideally I would want a single conversational chat bot that I can summon, ask to perform a task (regardless of what service is chosen to perform the task), select from the options provided, have the task performed. The bot can select an app to perform the task (deep link) or if no app can do it then some bot (if a bot exists to do that task) or a web link.

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#6

Post by pizza » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 6:46 PM UTC

Yo.

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#7

Post by dkn » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 6:46 PM UTC

Same Kik here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11340510

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#8

Post by igorgue » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 7:20 PM UTC

Kik is also the #1 on spam bots, seriously their amount of spam (scammer accounts) is worrying.

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#9

Post by igorgue » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 7:22 PM UTC

Twitter invented mentions, even tho IRC had them way before.

Kik invented Chat bots, even tho IRC had them way before.

Your next startup invented xyz, even tho IRC had them way before.

Re: How Kik Predicted the Rise of Chat Bots

#10

Post by giancarlostoro » Mon, Jun 20, 2016, 7:31 PM UTC

veb wrote: post #4

Huh? People have been working on chat bots since forever. I mean, especially on IRC, with Eggdrop. My favourite was always: https://github.com/jamesoff/bmotion Example: https://github.com/jamesoff/bmotion/wiki/Examples

The thing is, the Mobile Internet is rising, most people have phones, and old trends and concepts that are old to the Internet seem new and significant to the mobile platform. For example Flappy Bird was an ancient game on the web that existed and then it blew up, now you have many, many clones.

Edit:

Also consider how much information is on your phone, and how easy it is to access it than with a browser on your laptop. With the click of a button you give an app access to your contacts and other information. A chat bot you install wont really have this access, even if you gave it access, you wont normally keep your contacts on your system, not unless you use a Windows phone and it syncs to your Windows account (assuming this is a "thing" they do).