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I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

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Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#51

Post by raverbashing »

cheald wrote: post #19
raverbashing wrote: post #13

I just want to say something: NOBODY CARES ABOUT QR CODES Yeah, I can go to tripl.com or whatever, also add your twitter/fb/G+ page otherwise you'll just look like some bozo stuck in Web 1.0 (contact by phone?!)

Do you not have a smartphone? They're a very common way to install apps. Heck, I sometimes scan QR codes right off my monitor.

Yes I do have a smartphone

No I will not install an app to install another app

Also, a QR code is opaque. What it will do? Open a page? Install what app? Compromise my cell phone with premium dialing sw?

Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#52

Post by MikeCampo »

xb95 wrote: post #27
fabricode wrote: post #25

"You have illegally been subjected to make..." "Try the new app right now, its beautiful:" As clever as it is, it would have been far more effective if you had checked your grammar before printing two hundred flyers.

Yup, I came here to note the "its" problem. I won't try the app or look any further, because anybody who can't be bothered to use proper grammar on a publicity stunt sure as hell isn't going to release a quality product.

That's pretty harsh. I understand that it's silly to not proofread very carefully when doing a stunt like this, but language mistakes aren't a sign of incompetence.

Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#54

Post by Monotoko »

stfu wrote: post #10
colmvp wrote: post #2

http://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com/

This is always relevant! I can't count the number of times I have shown this url to people discussing QR codes. And I am still waiting for the shiny day I find some creature "in the wild" conducting a QR code scan.

I find QR codes useful for getting private keys for my server onto my phone, Google two-factor uses them for the same reason. I might be an edge case, but yeah.. :)

Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#55

Post by jonnathanson »

nessus42 wrote: post #33

Personally, I would be rather peeved to be advertised to in this way. I wouldn't find it clever or cute--I would just find it annoying. I would not end up with a good impression of the company, and I wouldn't want to do business with it. One reason why I don't find it particularly clever, is that it's really not all that different from all the physical junk mail I receive that tries to visually mimic some sort of imp…

To me, this would work beautifully if the startup were actually involved in solving traffic or transportation problems. Ridejoy, for instance. If Ridejoy had pulled this stunt, it would have been very cute.

That said, I'll give the man his props. This is ingenuity. Perhaps it's misdirected, to an extent. Perhaps it'll backfire. But it's something different. It is clever, regardless of whether we find it enjoyable or annoying.

EDIT: Minor nitpick, but I wouldn't have made so many grammatical errors in the fake ticket. They're pretty glaring. Especially for a first impression.

Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#56

Post by DigitalSea »

fabricode wrote: post #25

"You have illegally been subjected to make..." "Try the new app right now, its beautiful:" As clever as it is, it would have been far more effective if you had checked your grammar before printing two hundred flyers.

Because as humans we don't make mistakes, right? You probably mean well, but this is the kind of attitude that people are complaining about in the HN community right now. People being cynical and instead of giving positive criticism people (like yourself) are picking on a lot of peoples grammar. I understand grammar is important, but working in an industry that heavily relies on print I see far worse mistakes than this on a daily basis by big large corporate printing companies all of the time. It happens, relax man.

Edit and wow, down-voted for telling someone to ease up on the submitter because there is a grammar mistake in the fake ticket? What the heck is wrong with this place? The community appears to be in a lot worse shape than I thought.

Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#58

Post by conradev »

protomyth wrote: post #11
vnorby wrote: post #7

It's a funny, well-executed idea, but issuing official-looking city documents with "City of Mountain View" as the header and all of your identifying information is a great way to get written up by the police department.

I would seriously caution people against making it a close copy (particularly of money) of an official document. Depending on the situation, there are state and federal statues backing up the local ones. // sorry to be a killjoy

Tell that to Steve Wozniak:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ1TIYxm1vM

Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#59

Post by fusiongyro »

mchannon wrote: post #41

The psychology of a car spam victim (flyer for a local garage band's performance, real parking ticket) is pretty funny to observe. When they pull it off their windshield, some will put it in their vehicle (to throw away later), some will toss it onto the ground (even if seem like they'd never litter any other time), and some will double-put it onto the adjacent vehicle (yes, even with real parking tickets). I think y…

> to mitigate the environmental impact

Paper's biodegradable. This is just littering.

Re: I just left 200 fake parking tickets at YC Demo Day...

#60

Post by malbiniak »

nessus42 wrote: post #33

Personally, I would be rather peeved to be advertised to in this way. I wouldn't find it clever or cute--I would just find it annoying. I would not end up with a good impression of the company, and I wouldn't want to do business with it. One reason why I don't find it particularly clever, is that it's really not all that different from all the physical junk mail I receive that tries to visually mimic some sort of imp…

It seems gimmicky, which could work, but then throw in the QR code and incorrect usage of "its" and it just seems unprofessional. If you're investing in the person and not the idea, this seems like a very bad first impression to make.

However, what's there to lose?

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