Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#81

Post by adrinavarro » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:05 PM UTC

7402 wrote: post #54

I launched http://www.notaplex.com for the iPad: "Nota plex - write notes, lists, and outlines." None of the note-writing apps that were available were what I wanted, so I learned iOS programming and wrote this one. Also I got to use old-school lex & yacc programming for the in-line calculator part.

That reminds me to this app: http://www.thinkbookapp.com/ (I used comic zeal, from the same publisher)

I've always wanted to use something like that to take notes quickly, does it combine well with a bluetooth keyboard?

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#82

Post by simplegeek » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:09 PM UTC

Hi guys, I started selling an ebook and haven't earned a single $ yet. Though I've been making constant improvements.

Slightly taking advantage of this thread: is there anyone who has successfully sold ebooks on Internet? I definitely need some help. Thanks in advance.

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#83

Post by dot » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:09 PM UTC

nhebb wrote: post #49

I updated my circa 2007 website design last week to a more modernized look based on twitter bootstrap and my sales plummeted. Does that count?

A/B test, yadda yadda...

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#84

Post by prezjordan » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:10 PM UTC

jontonsoup wrote: post #13

I built http://stalltalk.info/ . Its a toilet based social network. The amount of fun I have had with this far outweighs the profitability.

This sounds like an amazing project! I bet you taught/learned quite a bit - I'm looking to start a couple hackathons at my school (barely any webdevs!) and I'd love to churn out projects like these.

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#85

Post by prezjordan » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:11 PM UTC

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #41

I launched http://websocket.us/ to tell people about WebSocket. Unlike its competitor, websocket.org, it's not for profit.

Been looking for something like this for quite some time! May I donate?

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#86

Post by genwin » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:16 PM UTC

nhebb wrote: post #69

mikedmiked wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you were to include screenshots and write a blog post on this it could generate a discussion which could get you some useful feedback (and promote your site on HN).

That's a good idea. I'll write a postmortem after the fact, but right now I'm busy reverting the site to its former state. Conversions dropped ~75%, so it's beyond the point where its practical to tweak the design in order to get it back to par. The entire goal was to increase conversions. It didn't. Rewind.

Please do write that postmortem. I'm very interested in the subject of older designs that are more popular than the ones using the latest & supposedly greatest tools.

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#87

Post by dfgonzalez » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:20 PM UTC

ComNik wrote: post #19

I started Rankique - http://www.rankique.com/ - basically a price tracking app. Made about ~20$ so far, so it's "profitable", but you get the point..

Made something similar just tracking products in Argentina, where I'm from, pretty much the same concept but I don't understand why don't you put a big nice button with an affiliate link to buy the best price listing you found for today, that would help, believe me :)

This is my version: http://numok.com

PS, the guys from priceonomics.com seems to be the leaders in this.

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#88

Post by khayati » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:32 PM UTC

tosh wrote: post #43

https://www.blossom.io because we haven't implemented payment yet :D

LOVE your fake screenshot though.

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#89

Post by AtTheLast » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:32 PM UTC

xpose2000 wrote: post #56

I created a site based off of the idea of Facebook Timeline, except for a professional player's career. It's called Player Career Timeline. It works for just about any NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL player and the data goes back 5 years. For example, LeBron James' career timeline: http://careers.fantasysp.com/player/nba/lebron-james/ It works by aggregating thousands of stories over the years and assigns them to a specific pl…

This is really cool. The timeline helps provide some meaning to a players stats. Also, it's a great way to get a quick overview of a players career or recent history.

Re: Ask HN: who started something in 2012 that didn't or won't become profitable?

#90

Post by mariocesar » Sun, Jun 10, 2012, 4:35 PM UTC

pre wrote: post #20

I built an AWS image for launching a bunch of machines and using them as a Blender Render farm. It'd need work to make it secure enough for public use, and I have too many other things on to get around to that. It does what I need though, and I like the feeling of power of clicking a button and knowing so many large computers start calculating for me :)

You have to know, if you release it. I will buy it!