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What does "it's a good start" really mean.

okvivi.com

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Re: What does "it's a good start" really mean.

#21

Post by protagonist_h »

Spenny wrote: post #13

I am not sure that the American viewpoint is necessarily bad in this case, especially as it pretains to working on projects. I think it is pretty safe to assume that people are more likely to pursue something further if they have positive encouragement. Thus, if "it's a good start" generally means that it is an awesome idea to a group of people, couldn't that be translated into meaning that those people continue work…

Yes, but positive feedback for an obviously-doomed project may lead a person to spend a lot of time on it and fail. Of course you never know -- many successful ideas were ridiculed initially. But still, HONEST feedback beats see-everything-through-rose-colored-glasses feedback any time.

Re: What does "it's a good start" really mean.

#22

Post by timknauf »

coenhyde wrote: post #7

As an Australian I can relate to this. Often American's think I'm putting our startup down, just because I'm not overly excited saying everything is awesome and fantastic. I'm extremely positive and have absolute confidence that we will succeed. But I prefer to look at things objectively and to tackle the problems. However American's translate my language into "my startup sucks". So recently I've been training myself…

We're just across the Tasman from you, and have experienced the exact same thing with our games startup. When my (admittedly modest, even by Kiwi standards) co-founder was over at E3, he reportedly initally caused great confusion amongst Californians by describing our games as 'merely' "pretty good".

Re: What does "it's a good start" really mean.

#23

Post by martinkallstrom »

I like the faux-2D diagrams that are in reality one dimensional. Inventive to label the Y-axis "stuff" and give it a recognizable curve to make the post seem scentific.

(Don't know how to rewrite the above to remove the traces of sarcasm. It's just an observation, I'm not trying to depreciate the OP)

Re: What does "it's a good start" really mean.

#25

Post by martinkallstrom »

martinkallstrom wrote: post #23

I like the faux-2D diagrams that are in reality one dimensional. Inventive to label the Y-axis "stuff" and give it a recognizable curve to make the post seem scentific . (Don't know how to rewrite the above to remove the traces of sarcasm. It's just an observation, I'm not trying to depreciate the OP)

After reflecting on this with a colleague I realized I was wrong. The OP has a thought-out reasoning around the choice of distribution of "stuff" as well.

Downvote well deserved :)

Re: What does "it's a good start" really mean.

#26

Post by paganel »

kslimbs wrote: post #18
TamDenholm wrote: post #4

I'd like to see a graph for British people.

Feedback from us Brits is even harder to parse. I always point those who are struggling to this handy table: http://yfrog.com/z/gy5gxvxj

Funny, I've worked for both British and American startup-owners, and I could certainly relate to both charts (yours, and the OP's). I liked the British style more, but that's maybe I'm also Romanian and as the OP also showed we're kind of used to being negative about all things :) Whom I didn't like at all were the French (I did work for such company for a year or so), but maybe that was caused by my former bosses having graduated from École Normale Supérieure which made them a little, how should I say, arrogant.

Re: What does "it's a good start" really mean.

#27

Post by [deleted] »

CeiII wrote: post #16
jcampbell1 wrote: post #5

This strikes me as very true, but irrelevant. As an American I say something positive to every startup founder I encounter, but secretly think they are nuts. Had I met the founders of these companies, below is what I would have thought: Heroku: Sounds nice but impossible to deliver. Even if you do, no one is going to trust their business to your startup's platform. Dropbox: Yet another backup solution that is going n…

"This strikes me as very true, but irrelevant" Not in the context of other people (specifically non-Americans) trying to understand feedback. I find I can say something to an American that is "fantastic!" only to be told by a German "that it would never work". It just emphasises the need to get feedback from multiple avenues, ideally from people who have different world-views. Your example reactions to the three star…

[deleted]

Re: What does "it's a good start" really mean.

#28

Post by ido »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #19
Okvivi wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are benefits and drawbacks to both being supportive even if you don't think that the idea is good, and to being brutally honest. After living here long enough I'm no longer trying to judge, it's just the way things are, and I just learned to translate. That's why I made the graphs. I think it's only irrelevant if you understand this difference of translation and adapt to it. Not everybody understands it…

I think your piece is interesting, informative, useful, and well written. I just don't think others' opinion on ideas are particularly relevant. My opinion on Dropbox/Heroku/AirBnb's ideas would have all fallen on the left side of the bell curve, which only shows my opinion on ideas is irrelevant. I am just saying that the position one is placed on the bell curve is not important. Understanding different cultures is…

    I just don't think others' opinion on ideas 
    are particularly relevant. My opinion on
    Dropbox/Heroku/AirBnb's ideas would have all 
    fallen on the left side of the bell curve, 
    which only shows my opinion on ideas is 
    irrelevant.
I think what you are trying to say is "take advice/opinions with a grain of salt".

I've recieved plenty of bad (and good) feedback on products that ended up being successful, but if someone who is considered a world-renown expert in my field tells me I have problems A, B & C I'm going to listen carefully.

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