business ideas

[CA renter]

[quote=saiine]
Facebook? Why not use myspace
Twitter? Why not just use myspace
Reddit/Digg? Why not just use delicious
Vimeo? Why not just use youtube

Etc..

The thing that makes Zuckerberg above average is that he executed, and kept executing.

[/quote]

Okay, I’m one of those tech-phobic types flu’s talking about. We don’t even have texting enabled on our phones.

But what you’ve brought up here has been a mystery to me. Why have these new sites succeeded when there seemed to be plenty of perfectly adequate sites before?

Maybe this is really corny, but why can’t people just pick up a phone and call someone instead of twitter or Facebook?

I have to admit to not “getting it” when it comes to all the tech gadgets. It seems to me that they are more distracting than useful or productive.

[UCGal]

[quote=CA renter]

Maybe this is really corny, but why can’t people just pick up a phone and call someone instead of twitter or Facebook?
[/quote]

LOL, CAR… I think it’s more a generational thing. Picking up the phone and talking 1 on 1 is too time consuming and too involved. If you don’t have time for a full conversation with one person – you text. If you need to talk to more than one person – say all your friends, you post on facebook or tweet.

Also, folks who use this media assume people CARE what they have to say. And so they post every random thought. Or worse – retweet other people’s random thoughts.

I don’t care, so I don’t do facebook or twitter. It doesn’t add value to my life. I’d rather have conversations. On the phone, in person, or even on a blog where I can interact with folks with great insight and writing style like TG or Allan from Fallbrook.

The advantage of avoiding the newer social media- I won’t have to explain to any future employers about my drunk spring break pictures. If it become necessary to have a facebook presence I’ll be able to control my impulse to put every random thought out there.

[UCGal]

[quote=CA renter]

Maybe this is really corny, but why can’t people just pick up a phone and call someone instead of twitter or Facebook?
[/quote]

LOL, CAR… I think it’s more a generational thing. Picking up the phone and talking 1 on 1 is too time consuming and too involved. If you don’t have time for a full conversation with one person – you text. If you need to talk to more than one person – say all your friends, you post on facebook or tweet.

Also, folks who use this media assume people CARE what they have to say. And so they post every random thought. Or worse – retweet other people’s random thoughts.

I don’t care, so I don’t do facebook or twitter. It doesn’t add value to my life. I’d rather have conversations. On the phone, in person, or even on a blog where I can interact with folks with great insight and writing style like TG or Allan from Fallbrook.

The advantage of avoiding the newer social media- I won’t have to explain to any future employers about my drunk spring break pictures. If it become necessary to have a facebook presence I’ll be able to control my impulse to put every random thought out there.

[UCGal]

[quote=CA renter]

Maybe this is really corny, but why can’t people just pick up a phone and call someone instead of twitter or Facebook?
[/quote]

LOL, CAR… I think it’s more a generational thing. Picking up the phone and talking 1 on 1 is too time consuming and too involved. If you don’t have time for a full conversation with one person – you text. If you need to talk to more than one person – say all your friends, you post on facebook or tweet.

Also, folks who use this media assume people CARE what they have to say. And so they post every random thought. Or worse – retweet other people’s random thoughts.

I don’t care, so I don’t do facebook or twitter. It doesn’t add value to my life. I’d rather have conversations. On the phone, in person, or even on a blog where I can interact with folks with great insight and writing style like TG or Allan from Fallbrook.

The advantage of avoiding the newer social media- I won’t have to explain to any future employers about my drunk spring break pictures. If it become necessary to have a facebook presence I’ll be able to control my impulse to put every random thought out there.

[UCGal]

[quote=CA renter]

Maybe this is really corny, but why can’t people just pick up a phone and call someone instead of twitter or Facebook?
[/quote]

LOL, CAR… I think it’s more a generational thing. Picking up the phone and talking 1 on 1 is too time consuming and too involved. If you don’t have time for a full conversation with one person – you text. If you need to talk to more than one person – say all your friends, you post on facebook or tweet.

Also, folks who use this media assume people CARE what they have to say. And so they post every random thought. Or worse – retweet other people’s random thoughts.

I don’t care, so I don’t do facebook or twitter. It doesn’t add value to my life. I’d rather have conversations. On the phone, in person, or even on a blog where I can interact with folks with great insight and writing style like TG or Allan from Fallbrook.

The advantage of avoiding the newer social media- I won’t have to explain to any future employers about my drunk spring break pictures. If it become necessary to have a facebook presence I’ll be able to control my impulse to put every random thought out there.

[UCGal]

[quote=CA renter]

Maybe this is really corny, but why can’t people just pick up a phone and call someone instead of twitter or Facebook?
[/quote]

LOL, CAR… I think it’s more a generational thing. Picking up the phone and talking 1 on 1 is too time consuming and too involved. If you don’t have time for a full conversation with one person – you text. If you need to talk to more than one person – say all your friends, you post on facebook or tweet.

Also, folks who use this media assume people CARE what they have to say. And so they post every random thought. Or worse – retweet other people’s random thoughts.

I don’t care, so I don’t do facebook or twitter. It doesn’t add value to my life. I’d rather have conversations. On the phone, in person, or even on a blog where I can interact with folks with great insight and writing style like TG or Allan from Fallbrook.

The advantage of avoiding the newer social media- I won’t have to explain to any future employers about my drunk spring break pictures. If it become necessary to have a facebook presence I’ll be able to control my impulse to put every random thought out there.

[saiine]

[quote=CA renter]
But what you’ve brought up here has been a mystery to me. Why have these new sites succeeded when there seemed to be plenty of perfectly adequate sites before? [/quote]

They’ve succeeded for many reasons, but two specific qualities that stand out to me are:

1. They believed in their vision to solve a particular problem and ignored the assumptions that it was already solved or was being solved.

I’m a believer of leaving out the section of a business plan which requires you to research your competition. I believe it can cause more harm then good to your thought process.

2. In the instance of Facebook, they recognized something that a lot of people (including myself) were in denial about for a long time. That is, people want to share everything, they do not want privacy.

It might be foreign to some generations but to new generations, sharing what you’re doing, eating, thinking and watching is standard. Obviously to recognize that, believe in that and execute on that is powerful.

[saiine]

[quote=CA renter]
But what you’ve brought up here has been a mystery to me. Why have these new sites succeeded when there seemed to be plenty of perfectly adequate sites before? [/quote]

They’ve succeeded for many reasons, but two specific qualities that stand out to me are:

1. They believed in their vision to solve a particular problem and ignored the assumptions that it was already solved or was being solved.

I’m a believer of leaving out the section of a business plan which requires you to research your competition. I believe it can cause more harm then good to your thought process.

2. In the instance of Facebook, they recognized something that a lot of people (including myself) were in denial about for a long time. That is, people want to share everything, they do not want privacy.

It might be foreign to some generations but to new generations, sharing what you’re doing, eating, thinking and watching is standard. Obviously to recognize that, believe in that and execute on that is powerful.

[saiine]

[quote=CA renter]
But what you’ve brought up here has been a mystery to me. Why have these new sites succeeded when there seemed to be plenty of perfectly adequate sites before? [/quote]

They’ve succeeded for many reasons, but two specific qualities that stand out to me are:

1. They believed in their vision to solve a particular problem and ignored the assumptions that it was already solved or was being solved.

I’m a believer of leaving out the section of a business plan which requires you to research your competition. I believe it can cause more harm then good to your thought process.

2. In the instance of Facebook, they recognized something that a lot of people (including myself) were in denial about for a long time. That is, people want to share everything, they do not want privacy.

It might be foreign to some generations but to new generations, sharing what you’re doing, eating, thinking and watching is standard. Obviously to recognize that, believe in that and execute on that is powerful.

[saiine]

[quote=CA renter]
But what you’ve brought up here has been a mystery to me. Why have these new sites succeeded when there seemed to be plenty of perfectly adequate sites before? [/quote]

They’ve succeeded for many reasons, but two specific qualities that stand out to me are:

1. They believed in their vision to solve a particular problem and ignored the assumptions that it was already solved or was being solved.

I’m a believer of leaving out the section of a business plan which requires you to research your competition. I believe it can cause more harm then good to your thought process.

2. In the instance of Facebook, they recognized something that a lot of people (including myself) were in denial about for a long time. That is, people want to share everything, they do not want privacy.

It might be foreign to some generations but to new generations, sharing what you’re doing, eating, thinking and watching is standard. Obviously to recognize that, believe in that and execute on that is powerful.

[saiine]

[quote=CA renter]
But what you’ve brought up here has been a mystery to me. Why have these new sites succeeded when there seemed to be plenty of perfectly adequate sites before? [/quote]

They’ve succeeded for many reasons, but two specific qualities that stand out to me are:

1. They believed in their vision to solve a particular problem and ignored the assumptions that it was already solved or was being solved.

I’m a believer of leaving out the section of a business plan which requires you to research your competition. I believe it can cause more harm then good to your thought process.

2. In the instance of Facebook, they recognized something that a lot of people (including myself) were in denial about for a long time. That is, people want to share everything, they do not want privacy.

It might be foreign to some generations but to new generations, sharing what you’re doing, eating, thinking and watching is standard. Obviously to recognize that, believe in that and execute on that is powerful.

[Ren]

[quote]All I’m pointing out is these are probably the same questions you’re going to be asked by shop owners. Your first barrier is going to be able to convince people this would be “hip”…(which will imho be a hard sell to begin with). After that, you’re going to have to convince those remaining people it’s worth they time/hassle of installation/service, and finally, you’re going to have to convince your investors that you still have enough advertisers to pay for maintenance costs and come out ahead…

And the idea you have to explain this to a business owner, again….most would be scratching their head going why???[/quote]

You may not want this – but that doesn’t mean that tens of thousands of restaurant owners don’t either. I suspect that news stories, word of mouth, the logo on the frame, and advertising in an industry publication would sell this far more than traditional door-to-door. In fact now that you mention the “hard sell”, I probably wouldn’t even attempt door-to-door. I’d take just the easy ones.

[quote]That’s because most uses of the LCD screen are currently in environments that are more or less deemed “delicate”. People know not to throw their smartphones, tablets, laptops on the ground, know that they shouldn’t poke, bang against their lcd screens…. They aren’t decided to withstand harsher environments… Now you’re taking something like this and putting this into an environment that is completely different.[/quote]

So again, I would just put them in nicer establishments. I’ve been in a lot of restrooms, and other than gas stations, fast food, movie theaters, and dive bars, they’re usually graffiti and vandalism-free.

[quote]Not in the U.S.
Most small establishments don’t have wifi access unless it’s an internet cafe (which I might also mention, has failed miserably in the U.S….too geeky)….Our culture is not geeky enough….[/quote]

Try driving around with your smartphone in the wi-fi settings screen. They’re more common than you think, and a wireless router hooks right up to the modem supplied with DSL or cable Internet connection. I would even guess that they’re becoming very common in small businesses – $100 in parts gives them the ability to put their office computer anywhere they want, not just where the cable comes out of the wall. They can use their laptop at home or work. I don’t need a wi-fi network at home, but I wouldn’t live without it.

[quote]Um, speaking from experience from other idea ventures…

a) The teenie-boppers don’t “comparison shop” most of the time. They just buy the latest fads since most of them have mommy/daddy credit cards.

b) The majority use of teenie-boppers use their smartphones for text messaging, facebook, chat, phone, and hooking up, arranging parties etc, phone sharing, video sharing,etc.[/quote]

I work for a marketing company, and speaking from my experience there, a small majority (something like 60%) of teenie boppers do comparison shop, and then tell their friends (via social media or texting) where to find the best deals.

[quote]c) You’re ideal target for a comparo site is a cost-aware, smart shopper (which is hard to find in itself), who’s not afraid to spend money on a monthly cell-phone plan with data service, and who’s not technology phobic. Those last two things eliminate A LOT of people….[/quote]

…and even if you eliminate 99.9% of the population, you’re still left with an awful lot of prospects.

[Ren]

[quote]All I’m pointing out is these are probably the same questions you’re going to be asked by shop owners. Your first barrier is going to be able to convince people this would be “hip”…(which will imho be a hard sell to begin with). After that, you’re going to have to convince those remaining people it’s worth they time/hassle of installation/service, and finally, you’re going to have to convince your investors that you still have enough advertisers to pay for maintenance costs and come out ahead…

And the idea you have to explain this to a business owner, again….most would be scratching their head going why???[/quote]

You may not want this – but that doesn’t mean that tens of thousands of restaurant owners don’t either. I suspect that news stories, word of mouth, the logo on the frame, and advertising in an industry publication would sell this far more than traditional door-to-door. In fact now that you mention the “hard sell”, I probably wouldn’t even attempt door-to-door. I’d take just the easy ones.

[quote]That’s because most uses of the LCD screen are currently in environments that are more or less deemed “delicate”. People know not to throw their smartphones, tablets, laptops on the ground, know that they shouldn’t poke, bang against their lcd screens…. They aren’t decided to withstand harsher environments… Now you’re taking something like this and putting this into an environment that is completely different.[/quote]

So again, I would just put them in nicer establishments. I’ve been in a lot of restrooms, and other than gas stations, fast food, movie theaters, and dive bars, they’re usually graffiti and vandalism-free.

[quote]Not in the U.S.
Most small establishments don’t have wifi access unless it’s an internet cafe (which I might also mention, has failed miserably in the U.S….too geeky)….Our culture is not geeky enough….[/quote]

Try driving around with your smartphone in the wi-fi settings screen. They’re more common than you think, and a wireless router hooks right up to the modem supplied with DSL or cable Internet connection. I would even guess that they’re becoming very common in small businesses – $100 in parts gives them the ability to put their office computer anywhere they want, not just where the cable comes out of the wall. They can use their laptop at home or work. I don’t need a wi-fi network at home, but I wouldn’t live without it.

[quote]Um, speaking from experience from other idea ventures…

a) The teenie-boppers don’t “comparison shop” most of the time. They just buy the latest fads since most of them have mommy/daddy credit cards.

b) The majority use of teenie-boppers use their smartphones for text messaging, facebook, chat, phone, and hooking up, arranging parties etc, phone sharing, video sharing,etc.[/quote]

I work for a marketing company, and speaking from my experience there, a small majority (something like 60%) of teenie boppers do comparison shop, and then tell their friends (via social media or texting) where to find the best deals.

[quote]c) You’re ideal target for a comparo site is a cost-aware, smart shopper (which is hard to find in itself), who’s not afraid to spend money on a monthly cell-phone plan with data service, and who’s not technology phobic. Those last two things eliminate A LOT of people….[/quote]

…and even if you eliminate 99.9% of the population, you’re still left with an awful lot of prospects.

[Ren]

[quote]All I’m pointing out is these are probably the same questions you’re going to be asked by shop owners. Your first barrier is going to be able to convince people this would be “hip”…(which will imho be a hard sell to begin with). After that, you’re going to have to convince those remaining people it’s worth they time/hassle of installation/service, and finally, you’re going to have to convince your investors that you still have enough advertisers to pay for maintenance costs and come out ahead…

And the idea you have to explain this to a business owner, again….most would be scratching their head going why???[/quote]

You may not want this – but that doesn’t mean that tens of thousands of restaurant owners don’t either. I suspect that news stories, word of mouth, the logo on the frame, and advertising in an industry publication would sell this far more than traditional door-to-door. In fact now that you mention the “hard sell”, I probably wouldn’t even attempt door-to-door. I’d take just the easy ones.

[quote]That’s because most uses of the LCD screen are currently in environments that are more or less deemed “delicate”. People know not to throw their smartphones, tablets, laptops on the ground, know that they shouldn’t poke, bang against their lcd screens…. They aren’t decided to withstand harsher environments… Now you’re taking something like this and putting this into an environment that is completely different.[/quote]

So again, I would just put them in nicer establishments. I’ve been in a lot of restrooms, and other than gas stations, fast food, movie theaters, and dive bars, they’re usually graffiti and vandalism-free.

[quote]Not in the U.S.
Most small establishments don’t have wifi access unless it’s an internet cafe (which I might also mention, has failed miserably in the U.S….too geeky)….Our culture is not geeky enough….[/quote]

Try driving around with your smartphone in the wi-fi settings screen. They’re more common than you think, and a wireless router hooks right up to the modem supplied with DSL or cable Internet connection. I would even guess that they’re becoming very common in small businesses – $100 in parts gives them the ability to put their office computer anywhere they want, not just where the cable comes out of the wall. They can use their laptop at home or work. I don’t need a wi-fi network at home, but I wouldn’t live without it.

[quote]Um, speaking from experience from other idea ventures…

a) The teenie-boppers don’t “comparison shop” most of the time. They just buy the latest fads since most of them have mommy/daddy credit cards.

b) The majority use of teenie-boppers use their smartphones for text messaging, facebook, chat, phone, and hooking up, arranging parties etc, phone sharing, video sharing,etc.[/quote]

I work for a marketing company, and speaking from my experience there, a small majority (something like 60%) of teenie boppers do comparison shop, and then tell their friends (via social media or texting) where to find the best deals.

[quote]c) You’re ideal target for a comparo site is a cost-aware, smart shopper (which is hard to find in itself), who’s not afraid to spend money on a monthly cell-phone plan with data service, and who’s not technology phobic. Those last two things eliminate A LOT of people….[/quote]

…and even if you eliminate 99.9% of the population, you’re still left with an awful lot of prospects.

[Ren]

[quote]All I’m pointing out is these are probably the same questions you’re going to be asked by shop owners. Your first barrier is going to be able to convince people this would be “hip”…(which will imho be a hard sell to begin with). After that, you’re going to have to convince those remaining people it’s worth they time/hassle of installation/service, and finally, you’re going to have to convince your investors that you still have enough advertisers to pay for maintenance costs and come out ahead…

And the idea you have to explain this to a business owner, again….most would be scratching their head going why???[/quote]

You may not want this – but that doesn’t mean that tens of thousands of restaurant owners don’t either. I suspect that news stories, word of mouth, the logo on the frame, and advertising in an industry publication would sell this far more than traditional door-to-door. In fact now that you mention the “hard sell”, I probably wouldn’t even attempt door-to-door. I’d take just the easy ones.

[quote]That’s because most uses of the LCD screen are currently in environments that are more or less deemed “delicate”. People know not to throw their smartphones, tablets, laptops on the ground, know that they shouldn’t poke, bang against their lcd screens…. They aren’t decided to withstand harsher environments… Now you’re taking something like this and putting this into an environment that is completely different.[/quote]

So again, I would just put them in nicer establishments. I’ve been in a lot of restrooms, and other than gas stations, fast food, movie theaters, and dive bars, they’re usually graffiti and vandalism-free.

[quote]Not in the U.S.
Most small establishments don’t have wifi access unless it’s an internet cafe (which I might also mention, has failed miserably in the U.S….too geeky)….Our culture is not geeky enough….[/quote]

Try driving around with your smartphone in the wi-fi settings screen. They’re more common than you think, and a wireless router hooks right up to the modem supplied with DSL or cable Internet connection. I would even guess that they’re becoming very common in small businesses – $100 in parts gives them the ability to put their office computer anywhere they want, not just where the cable comes out of the wall. They can use their laptop at home or work. I don’t need a wi-fi network at home, but I wouldn’t live without it.

[quote]Um, speaking from experience from other idea ventures…

a) The teenie-boppers don’t “comparison shop” most of the time. They just buy the latest fads since most of them have mommy/daddy credit cards.

b) The majority use of teenie-boppers use their smartphones for text messaging, facebook, chat, phone, and hooking up, arranging parties etc, phone sharing, video sharing,etc.[/quote]

I work for a marketing company, and speaking from my experience there, a small majority (something like 60%) of teenie boppers do comparison shop, and then tell their friends (via social media or texting) where to find the best deals.

[quote]c) You’re ideal target for a comparo site is a cost-aware, smart shopper (which is hard to find in itself), who’s not afraid to spend money on a monthly cell-phone plan with data service, and who’s not technology phobic. Those last two things eliminate A LOT of people….[/quote]

…and even if you eliminate 99.9% of the population, you’re still left with an awful lot of prospects.

[Author]

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