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The INSANE Truth About 2GO. Are you ready to uncover *The INSANE Truth About 2GO*? 🚢💥 In this eye-opening video, we delve deep into the world of 2GO and reveal surprising insights you won't want to miss!
Join us as we explore:
• The history and evolution of 2GO - how it became a major player in the shipping industry
• Jaw-dropping facts about 2GO’s operations that’ll change your perception
• Customer experiences: the good, the bad, and everything in between
• Future prospects for 2GO and what it means for travelers and logistics in the Philippines
This video is perfect for anyone curious about maritime travel and logistics or those who have had experiences with 2GO! Whether you're planning a trip or just love discovering industry secrets, this content promises to keep you engaged and informed.
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:30 The Beginnings of 2GO
4:15 Shocking Operational Insights
6:40 Customer Testimonials
9:00 What’s Next for 2GO?
If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up đź‘Ť, share your thoughts in the comments below, and subscribe for more intriguing content about the travel and shipping industry!
For more information on 2GO, visit our official website: Telegram: https://t.me/roladel
Stay connected with us on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content:
Telegram: https://t.me/roladel
#TheINSANETTruthAbout2GO #2GOMaritime #ShippingIndustry #TravelPhilippines #CustomerExperiences #LogisticsInsights #2GOUpdates
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
How does this social media app built by
0:02
two university undergraduates go on to
0:04
emerge as one of the most addictive apps
0:06
in the evolving landscape of social
0:07
[music] networking across Africa? But
0:10
before we dive deeper, this video is
0:11
sponsored by Roladele, the freelance
0:13
marketplace built for connection. Back
0:16
in the day, 2go [music] made waves with
0:18
group chats and communities. Today,
0:20
Roladele takes that same spirit of
0:21
connection and brings it into the world
0:23
of business. On Roladele, you don't just
0:26
browse jobs, you can join group chats,
0:28
network with other freelancers, and even
0:31
collaborate on projects in real time.
0:33
It's not just about finding gigs, it's
0:35
about being part of a community that
0:36
[music] grows together. So, if you're
0:38
ready to connect with talent, land
0:40
projects, or simply join a thriving hub
0:42
of freelancers and entrepreneurs, check
0:45
out Roladele at roladele.com. Now, let's
0:48
get back to the rise of 2go and how it
0:50
went from being the hottest app on the
0:52
continent to [music] fading into
0:53
history. Its popularity soared,
0:56
surpassing even Facebook and Instagram
0:57
[music] in Nigeria with an outstanding
1:00
user base of over 12 million Nigerians
1:02
compared to Facebook's 6 million users
1:04
in the country at that time. The hype
1:06
surrounding 2go made it the hottest app
1:08
in the continent
1:09
with everyone wanting to be a part of
1:11
[music] it, get Go credits, and join
1:13
chat rooms. So, how then did it go from
1:15
being the rave of the continent to being
1:17
forgotten like it never existed? As
1:20
undergraduate students in the early
1:21
2000s, before the widespread of social
1:23
media communication, university students
1:26
were stressed with issues like checking
1:28
results, knowing the exact venue for
1:30
lectures, and exact time for lectures.
1:33
Alan Wolff and Ashley Peters, being
1:35
undergraduate students of University of
1:37
Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, were also
1:39
going through such struggles at the
1:41
time. As well as students of the
1:42
Department of Computer Science, they
1:44
leveraged their tech knowledge and came
1:46
up with the idea of solving the problem
1:48
which most students experience at that
1:50
time. So, in the year 2006, Wolff and
1:53
Peter built a basic mobile site which
1:55
initially allowed just the both of them
1:57
to track which [music] lecture they had
1:59
to go for next. And due to the
2:01
effectiveness and usefulness [music] of
2:03
the mobile site, they shared their
2:05
latest developments with their close
2:06
friends who also found the site very
2:08
useful after using [music] it for just a
2:10
few weeks. Alan, being a quick and deep
2:13
thinker, came up with the idea that the
2:15
app should be used for more than just
2:16
tracking classes alone and well, being
2:18
young tech guys, Alan and Peter came to
2:21
a conclusion that there was a key factor
2:23
>> [music]
2:23
>> that would make this site more fun and
2:25
appreciated by their friends. Texting
2:27
for free using the app. So, a quick one,
2:29
guys. After watching this video till the
2:31
very end, kindly like to share, drop a
2:34
comment, and subscribe to the channel
2:36
for more videos such as these, and also
2:37
connect with me on Instagram, Twitter,
2:39
and TikTok. Thank you so much. I really
2:42
do appreciate you. Now, let's jump back
2:44
into the video. At that time, the cost
2:46
of SMS was quite on the high side, which
2:49
meant chatting via SMS was a no-no for
2:51
undergraduates [music]
2:52
because it would cost and consume so
2:54
much airtime. No wonder why. What
2:56
started as a 3-month project carried out
2:58
during the university holiday soon
3:00
snowballed into what they could not have
3:02
imagined. Wolfram and Peter built 2Go as
3:04
an easy-to-use app. [music] Luckily for
3:06
them, at that time, smartphones were not
3:08
common in Africa. So, the app was built
3:10
with feature phone users in mind. The
3:13
app was easy to use, which was why it
3:15
became popular due to its low data
3:17
[music] usage and compatibility with
3:19
feature phones which were common at the
3:20
time. Within the first day of launch in
3:22
2007, they had over 100 users from
3:26
within their university alone. And by
3:28
the end of the week, they were at over
3:30
1,000 users. 2 weeks later, they noticed
3:32
their little university project had
3:34
gradually spread from Johannesburg to
3:36
Western [music] Cape, and it showed no
3:38
signs of stopping as more users kept
3:40
coming on board. At this point, Alan and
3:42
Peter's focus had totally shifted from
3:44
their academics and solely focused on
3:47
growing their startup. In Peter's words,
3:49
he said, "Alan and I slowly completed
3:51
the university, and we began to focus on
3:54
growing more and more as it generated
3:56
more money and we noticed more and more
3:58
users. And just like every successful
4:01
underdog startup, investors started
4:03
knocking on their door in order to
4:04
invest and have a bite of this
4:06
fast-growing tech startup. But Alan and
4:09
Peter, being young and smart, politely
4:11
declined all forms of external funding
4:14
and paid themselves the bare minimum
4:15
while also being frugal in their
4:17
spending and investing their time energy
4:20
and profits [music] in building the
4:21
company and working on beta versions of
4:23
the app. As time went by, Alan moved,
4:26
completed his degree
4:27
>> [music]
4:28
>> and could now dedicate all of his time
4:29
to growing to go. It was around this
4:32
time Wolf and Peter decided [music] to
4:33
speak with Wolf's dad in order to rent
4:35
out an office space to them with a
4:37
promise to pay him back in the nearest
4:39
future when their business goes global.
4:41
Seeing the burning passion in the eyes
4:43
of the two young men, Mr. Wolf agreed to
4:45
their terms. So with their own office
4:47
space, this gave them the opportunity to
4:49
be more creative and organized. And that
4:52
was when reality dawned on them that
4:54
despite being technically good, they
4:56
lacked business sense. This realization
4:58
made them see the need to hire a
5:00
business development manager. Fresh out
5:02
of MBA, Peter Lockhart was eager to put
5:04
into practice all he learned during the
5:06
course of his graduate degree program.
5:08
He was described by Ashley Peter to be a
5:10
very energetic person, a quick and
5:12
strategic thinker who would really be a
5:15
good and positive addition to the
5:16
business. Lockhart hit the ground
5:18
running by doing some minor advertising
5:20
around Google AdWords, now known as
5:22
Google Ads. Well, as luck would have it,
5:25
Peter Lockhart came in contact with two
5:27
East African bloggers who [music] pushed
5:29
and publicized to go to Kenya. Now, at
5:32
that time in Kenya, the cost of SMS was
5:34
on the high side and people basically
5:36
preferred using their airtime to call
5:38
rather than text. So with the
5:39
introduction of to go to the general
5:42
public, it saw a rapid and massive
5:44
growth in Kenya. But sadly, the growth
5:47
declined when Kenya changed its SMS
5:49
pricing model and made the cost for each
5:51
SMS much cheaper. With this development,
5:54
2go gradually fell off in Kenya, which
5:57
obviously was bad for business, and this
5:59
led them to re-strategize and come up
6:01
with better [music] ways to make 2go
6:02
popular and rise in Kenya again. While
6:05
they were strategizing and coming up
6:07
with ways on how to make 2go big in
6:09
Kenya in gear, little did they know that
6:11
2go was about to experience its biggest
6:14
outbreak ever by being popular and going
6:17
viral in the West African country. You
6:19
know, as the most populated African
6:21
nation, you can imagine the effect of a
6:23
brand going viral in a country like
6:26
Nigeria. In Ashley Peter's words, he
6:28
said, "We had Nigeria as a viable market
6:31
in our minds since 2009. The
6:34
telecommunications market in Nigeria was
6:36
growing massively, and it was obvious to
6:39
us that if we could provide them with a
6:41
cheap and effective way to communicate
6:43
and socialize online, we would succeed."
6:45
[music]
6:46
Feature phones are also very popular in
6:48
Nigeria, and we have gained expertise at
6:50
developing a great user experience on
6:52
such handsets. He also said, "While we
6:54
strongly believe there is huge potential
6:56
for 2go in other emerging markets
6:58
countries [music] because it's primarily
7:00
focused on feature phones, right now we
7:02
are just trying to grow the company
7:03
[music] and sustain the growth in
7:05
Nigeria, which is around 40,000 people a
7:07
day." Wow. Which means in a month they
7:09
were raking [music] in over a million
7:11
users. So, with such massive numbers,
7:13
how then did 2go disappear like it never
7:16
existed? As of 2012, 2go had over 20
7:20
million users with over 12 million
7:22
active users in Nigeria alone. 2go grew
7:25
in Nigeria without any form of marketing
7:27
and nothing but [music] an invite
7:28
contact option on the app, and anyone
7:30
could easily become a 2go user. 2go
7:33
became the epitome [music] of coolness,
7:35
a status symbol because if you are not
7:37
on 2go, you are not considered cool or
7:39
updated. I still remember vividly when I
7:42
acquired my first feature phone around
7:44
2012. It was then I was introduced to
7:47
the addictive [music] world of 2go.
7:49
Luckily for me, I did not need to
7:50
download the app because the Nokia Asha
7:52
200, which I purchased from a friend,
7:55
came with the app installed. And within
7:57
a few minutes after I launched the app,
7:59
I created an account and became a proud
8:01
user of 2go. Without hesitation, I began
8:04
telling my guys in my area and school,
8:07
"Omo, I don't open an account to have a
8:09
guy with a beard to go [music] with that
8:11
name." I also became addicted to
8:12
purchasing Go credits in order to join
8:14
chat rooms [music] so as to meet new
8:16
people and connect with them. I also had
8:18
the habit of leaving my 2go account on
8:20
away mode all night so as to [music]
8:23
boost my star level, most especially the
8:25
professional level. I know you also did
8:27
it. I remember being stuck on the
8:29
professional level for months without
8:30
crossing over to the expert level. Man,
8:33
those days were fun days when I used my
8:35
school transportation fare to purchase
8:37
an empty scratch card so as to buy data
8:39
just to be able to go and boost my star.
8:42
So much nostalgic feeling as I'm
8:44
recording this. While looking back, 2go
8:46
had the potential to become the first
8:48
successful African-owned social network.
8:51
And for 5 years, it reigned supreme. But
8:53
eventually, it took a downturn with the
8:55
advent of other dominating platforms
8:57
like WhatsApp, Instagram, and BlackBerry
8:59
Messenger. 2go became more like a
9:01
child's app and it did not feel so cool
9:03
to be on the go [music] anymore. Now,
9:05
it's important to note that the advent
9:07
of these platforms didn't fully cause
9:08
2go decline. However, they played a
9:10
part. WhatsApp assumed this position as
9:13
Africa's go-to app when Android
9:14
smartphones became popular.
9:16
Unfortunately, 2go failed to adapt and
9:18
keep up with the evolving landscape.
9:20
Rather than developing a dedicated
9:22
Android app, they simply transposed
9:23
their feature phone experience into the
9:25
smartphone world and launched it.
9:27
>> [music]
9:27
>> This decision was a wrong move for 2go's
9:29
future. While on the other hand,
9:31
WhatsApp's advantage over 2go was vested
9:33
in its ability to facilitate media
9:35
sharing. Unlike 2go, WhatsApp allowed
9:37
users to effortlessly share photos,
9:39
videos, and create groups without any
9:41
costs. In contrast to 2go's chat, rooms
9:44
lacked user control, and certain
9:46
features required users to purchase
9:47
[music] 2go credits for access. The
9:49
success of WhatsApp in Africa was not
9:51
solely dependent [music] on its launch
9:52
date, but rather on its ability to adapt
9:55
to the changing market conditions and
9:56
technological advancements. As Android
9:59
phones gained popularity across the
10:00
continent, it was only a matter of time
10:03
before everyone started migrating to
10:04
WhatsApp.
10:05
>> [music]
10:05
>> And as we all know, social networking
10:07
thrives on the strength of community.
10:09
So, this is what I mean. If most of my
10:12
friends communicate on [music] WhatsApp,
10:13
then I have no choice but to join them
10:15
there in order to stay connected. You
10:18
know, as a 2go addict, [music] I
10:19
remember logging into 2go sometime back
10:22
in 2015. I discovered an empty virtual
10:24
world. That was when [music] it dawned
10:26
on me that it was time to move on.
10:29
Slowly, I shifted my attention to
10:30
WhatsApp and Instagram and consequently
10:32
abandoned the app that once captivated
10:34
me and made me stay up all night at
10:36
times. Sadly, I eventually uninstalled
10:38
it from my phone. This untold story of
10:41
2go serves as a reminder that in the
10:43
ever-evolving world of social
10:44
networking, staying ahead of the curve
10:46
is very essential for survival.
10:48
Technology and user preferences change
10:50
rapidly, and what may be popular today
10:52
could easily fall off tomorrow. And
10:55
thank you so much for sticking till the
10:57
end. I really do appreciate you, and I
10:59
will see you in the next video.
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