You mention 'market research groups' and maybe that's your differentiation niche. Some statistically sound methodology that Google and LinkedIn and Yahoo don't provide. Then you can build your audience by dealing with a professional groups of question askers. Consumer products, advertising, anything with a mass audience likes to base on market research.
YC: Please, criticize my startup!
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Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#22Here's two random data points for you:
1. I, coincidentally this morning, just asked my first question on LinkedIn. I had my first answer in 25 minutes. Done.
2. S&P runs a service called Vista Research. They've built a stable of experts in various vertical markets, and they've cultivated an advisory client list. So the clients come in with crazy questions about things impacting their business or investment decisions and S&P hooks them up with the Expert to answer. The Experts bill the client, and S&P also bills the client as a subscriber with access to all the experts. (I'm an 'expert' and get a question once a month or so. It's never turned into business for our company yet though.) Theirs is a super-premium service for people making $million decisions. It's also heavily manual. Recruiting experts, selling clients, matching clients to experts, etc. Maybe there's some web2.0 optimization of that niche to be had.
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, some of the will be different, some of them will be pretty similar to Google Answers' style.
You'll need to articulate your goals better if you're going to get funding or customers. So far, I know that it is like Google Answers, but not, because it is "Instant" (as in, it takes up to an hour) and has multiple answers (like other answer services). It sounds like you're offering an answer service with a deadline, which is great, because now all you have to do is figure out what kind of questions people will as…
I already showed an example for questions, which I see to be typical there: which shirt to choose, where to shop, which club to go for, what present for girlfriend to buy. Also, we could be a great match for market research during the product development cycle. I don't see problems how to compensate everyone (the client pays for getting answers), subscribers will get attracted by the challenging style of the process and ability to get paid. However, what I really concerned about is whether this idea sound interesting for potential clients or not. Speaking about competition, it's always good and it speeds up the progress. Besides, the market always has a tendency to change the business model within time.
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Unless you're offering Jeopardy style prizes (or at least something worth paying attention to), I don't see how you'd get particularly well qualified answers in a short time period. Expertise isn't cheap, and expertise on call is downright expensive (when I was a consultant I charged an annual service fee just for the privilege of calling my cell phone number outside of business hours)...so if someone can make $100+/…
I wasn't very clear with my point. We're not about professional services, but with something, which doesn't need a degree or special skills. Like choice between red or black shirt, one nightclub or another, how good is some idea, the best gift for the girlfriend, etc.
Ah. OK, then it's a terrible idea. ;-)
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#25Why not ask your beta testers or don't you believe in generating information by using your own service?
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wasn't very clear with my point. We're not about professional services, but with something, which doesn't need a degree or special skills. Like choice between red or black shirt, one nightclub or another, how good is some idea, the best gift for the girlfriend, etc.
Ah. OK, then it's a terrible idea. ;-)
Can you tell me why? I'd really appreciate this kind of feedback.
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#27Why not ask your beta testers or don't you believe in generating information by using your own service?
Beta testers are already hooked-up, so their opinions would not be too objective. I need some thoughts from those, who never used us before, but now can get an opportunity to try.
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ah. OK, then it's a terrible idea. ;-)
Can you tell me why? I'd really appreciate this kind of feedback.
b/c if i want to ask those types of questions i can ask (in order).
my friends on gtalk/yelp/google
furthermore, i would never in a million years think of paying for the answer to a question such as "which color shirt do i wear" or "where do i shop for X".
i have a brain, and the internet offers answers to those questions for free, and it doesn't take an hour.
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ah. OK, then it's a terrible idea. ;-)
Can you tell me why? I'd really appreciate this kind of feedback.
Here's the harsh answer:
Why would I want to pay you to tell me what nightclub to go to, what color shirt I should wear, or what I should buy for my girlfriend?
Those are things that either a) I should already know or b) I would find out from my friends and family.
Re: YC: Please, criticize my startup!
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you tell me why? I'd really appreciate this kind of feedback.
b/c if i want to ask those types of questions i can ask (in order). my friends on gtalk/yelp/google furthermore, i would never in a million years think of paying for the answer to a question such as "which color shirt do i wear" or "where do i shop for X". i have a brain, and the internet offers answers to those questions for free, and it doesn't take an hour.
Well, #3 is not good choice. ;) That's even not a subject for discussion. Besides, our potential clients already gave up on Google when they are coming to us. #2 - well, maybe yes, maybe not. We make it easier. And #1 - not much people have hundred of friends on IM. And sometimes, it'd be nice to know 50 opinions, instead of 10 (someone's typical online IM active list). (And well sometimes you don't want you friend know that you're interested in SOME THINGS :P
Don't forget that if you know where is the best retail store close by, some people don't, and they are not that happy to invest hours looking for it.
Speaking about my example with shirt/club/etc, these are really bad examples, saying about paid questions; but they are good if they'd be free (and they would).
However, just a silly example. I'd like to buy a gaming console, but I don't know which one. I have close to 100 of active contacts in my IM, but barely few of them know something about gaming consoles. So I'm about to spend several hundred dollars, and (me, personally) would be happy to spend $10 or $20 in advance to gather opinion of 50 or 100 people about the gaming consoles before making a purchase. And I want it now. Not tomorrow. Not after the week of gathering all pros and cons.