Just had an idea for a website.

m83

Hi All,

Complete eureka moment in the shower a while ago! Obviously I can't say much about my idea, it's very web 2.0 community based but if it catches on I think it could be huge.

But where do I go from here into getting this idea online?

Cheers in advance.

mukki

better not be another bebo

write it all down before you forget

aidan_walsh

m83 wrote:

where do I go from here into getting this idea online?

1) Develop idea.
2) Develop website.
3) Buy hosting and domain.
4) Profit. Or not. Either way.

Cannot be any more specific on any of that until you're willing to give more details.

m83

mukki wrote: »

better not be another bebo

write it all down before you forget

It certainly isn't

aidan_walsh wrote: »

1) Develop idea.
2) Develop website.
3) Buy hosting and domain.
4) Profit. Or not. Either way.

Cannot be any more specific on any of that until you're willing to give more details.

Thanks Aidan. I'm just going to brainstorm now for the day to see if it would be a worthwile investment of my time. Unfortunately I can't give you any more information right now and I still have to work on the mission statement myself.

So whats a good site to register on that allows for decent bandwith if it were to catch on?

PS. Sorry if i'm coming across like a moon eyed n00b, i just don't want to let my technical inabilities get in the way of what could possibly be a decent idea.

aidan_walsh

m83 wrote:

So whats a good site to register on that allows for decent bandwith if it were to catch on?

There is a sticky at the top of the forum. Shop around and see what you can find. There have also been any number of hosting posts here before, try a search.

That said, leave off getting a host until you know what your requirements are going to be, both hardware and software wise.

Bob the Builder

aidan_walsh wrote: »

That said, leave off getting a host until you know what your requirements are going to be, both hardware and software wise.

Get advice before buying anything or doing anything. No website developer likes workign with tacky hosting services. Let them tell you what they want.

Brainstorm and do market research for the next few weeks, and learn about advertising(or whatever you have of maiking cash/profit). Weigh up the income versus expenditure, commitment, etc.

If you really do see this idea turning into the successful reality, go see a web consultant/designer/developer, and make sure they have your confidence before you tell them anything confidential.

Good luck with your idea.

CuLT

nevf wrote: »

Get advice before buying anything or doing anything. No web designer likes workign with tacky hosting services. Let them tell you what they want.

Whatever you do, do not get advice on hosting from a web designer. For large projects their opinion on hosting is often less than worthless, it can be downright harmful (simply because it's uninformed).

A developer should be able to let you know how the application is going to scale, and thus what sort of hardware requirements will be necessary.

From a design perspective, the hosting is irrelevant.

EKRIUQ

m83 wrote: »

Hi All,

Complete eureka moment in the shower a while ago! Obviously I can't say much about my idea, it's very web 2.0 community based but if it catches on I think it could be huge.

Why not google your idea to make sure your the first, as you may not

Rollo Tamasi

Do you have any idea how much money might be needed to develop your idea? I know you said it wasn't a Bebo type site you are thinking off but to develop a site like that you'd be in the million euro ball park fairly quickly.

A VC might be needed.
http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/Grow/Finance/VentureCapitalists.htm
http://www.ivca.ie/

Bob the Builder

CuLT wrote: »

Whatever you do, do not get advice on hosting from a web designer. For large projects their opinion on hosting is often less than worthless, it can be downright harmful (simply because it's uninformed).

A developer should be able to let you know how the application is going to scale, and thus what sort of hardware requirements will be necessary.

Yep, your right, thanks. I should have said developer, but that said, anything is better than someone who is totally uninformred going out and purchasing web hosting.

I was working with a client before Christmas who paid €280(per year) for 2 .ie domains, 8mb hosting(yes, thats right, 8mb) with no databases or PHP. When I installed a CMS on it(248kb in size), it was removed because it was overloading the server, and nobody was even using it yet, except me. It was impossible to work with.

BingoBongo wrote:

Why not google your idea to make sure your the first, as you may not

qft. Every idea that I ever had, I checked Google and found that idea in there plenty of times already.

m83

Sorry I only have time for a really quick reply. Thanks everyone for your input so far. I had a really positive day working with the idea and think I have something unique and exciting on my hands. There's absolutely nothing like it out there either from what I can see.

I won't be divulging much information yet but i'll be back soon i'm sure with more questions.

p

Read this, and ask yourself if you're one of those people:
http://www.mikeindustries.com/blog/archive/2008/02/slam-dunk-startups

If you really believe in the idea then take out a loan and run with it.

nevf wrote: »

qft. Every idea that I ever had, I checked Google and found that idea in there plenty of times already.

An idea itself isn't worth much. It's implementing it well that's key. Flickr was sold for millions to Yahoo, but Photo sharing sites had been around for years. The key with them was a good pricing model and innovating far past their competitors. An idea doesn't have to be original to be a success, but having a very good team involved is crucial.

m83

Thanks for that "p". I'd absolutely love to take out a loan and get the site up and running ASAP. But i don't have the technical expertise for the site build. This is the main issue i'm trying to get around now as i'm quite confident in the concept of how the site works.

I still haven't found anything online or from the various patent searches i've done that is similar to it.

I really believe in this idea and can see it to be a highly lucrative investment. Because of the unique business model advertisers and users would both benefit hugely from being a part of it. It's also at its core, based around scaling up, the skys the limit if it worked properly. And I've spent alot of time now envisaging how it might work once I get it going. I can only wish it was up now as it would be such a useful website.

I fear I have something big on my hands here, possibly too big for a small fish like myself. This is why i've been so private about it.

Question, would it be best to patent the idea now before i've talked to anyone or just get it online so I don't miss the boat as the internet moves so fast? Obviously the patent will need funding and that won't be so easy for me. Also, how relevant are patents to online ventures? I know Friendster has the social networking patent so how are all the other sites like Myspace and Bebo allowed to operate? Also, Rollo Tamasi, you mentioned that Bebo was around one million to setup. Can anyone crudely or otherwise breakdown this cost so I might be able to estimate my own setup cost more accurately?

Thank you all.

AARRRGH

Write down exactly what you want done. Put the job for tender on www.scriptlance.com

An Eastern European/Indian/etc. developer will be willing to develop it for cheap. Probably 2k max. Most likely a lot less than that.

The hard part isn't developing the site, or even the idea you have. Loads of people have loads of brilliant ideas which go nowhere. The hard part will be getting people to use the site. This will require a lot of work/time/money.

tigerforest

i think that if you really want it set up the way you wnat it to be and want to keep growing it, then i think youd be better off sticking with an irish developer but i do acknowledge that you could save yourself money by following dublindudes suggestion, but is it worth spendin a bit more initially to get it set up the way you want it?

AARRRGH

Surely a developer is a developer, whether he is Irish or foreign?

How will the Irish developer get it "the way he wants" and "keep it growing" any better than a foreign developer?

IMO, with years of outsourcing experience, there is very little difference, apart from the price and a few small language issues.

/let's not get into an Irish developer v outsourcing debate
//tigerforest, from your previous posts I can see you're an Irish developer yourself Just stating this for the record...

p

m83 wrote: »

Thanks for that "p". I'd absolutely love to take out a loan and get the site up and running ASAP. But i don't have the technical expertise for the site build. This is the main issue i'm trying to get around now as i'm quite confident in the concept of how the site works.

Well, I meant take out a loan and hire someone to build it for you. For the small of a decent car you could pay a company to get a basic website up an running, depending on the complexity of your idea.

But either way, remember the idea is secondary, you need the skill & passion to see it through. What happens after you build it? How will you promote it, get new users etc.... Lots of things to think about.

You can't really patent an idea anyway, merely an implementation.


Feel free to PM me if you want any advice in private. If it was something I thought was worth it, I might get involved in it.

yeraulone

m83 wrote: »

Question, would it be best to patent the idea now before i've talked to anyone or just get it online so I don't miss the boat as the internet moves so fast? Obviously the patent will need funding and that won't be so easy for me. Also, how relevant are patents to online ventures? I know Friendster has the social networking patent so how are all the other sites like Myspace and Bebo allowed to operate? Also, Rollo Tamasi, you mentioned that Bebo was around one million to setup. Can anyone crudely or otherwise breakdown this cost so I might be able to estimate my own setup cost more accurately?
Thank you all.

Getting a patent all depends on the idea. You might not get one if the idea is too generic.

Given your concerns about cash flow and patents, If I was in your shoes, the first thing I'd do, is put together a solid business plan, with your idea, financials etc. I'd look to forming a partnership with a developer who believes in the idea as much as you do. Maybe you could get a confidentiality agreement drawn up, and ask anyone you wish to form a partnership with, to sign it before you talk about your idea. Next, I'd build a prototype, and then (as someone else suggested here) approach venture capitalist companies, and see if they can hook you up with potential investors.

m83

Hello again,

I would have gotten back sooner but I'm between ISPs at the moment. Regarding the website, I'll hold my hands up and say I've found two others out there that offer a somewhat similar service. Still, only two competitors is excellent for me as it proves the idea works and neither of them cater to the Irish market at all which is where I intend to focus the site completely.

In my opinion none of them have gotten the execution of the idea right so I still can have something unique to offer. In fact, I had the majority of my ideas on paper before I found the two sites and was able to come away from my computer quite happy that I could do it better. It was certainly interesting to go through a lengthy creative process and then to log on and see something similar already out there. I guess it's good at times to remember that YouTube was far from being the first video hosting site so I'm still very positive about the venture.

The idea does not need patenting either which is definitely a good thing for my bank balance. But I'll still be keeping it under wraps so not to lose a foothold on the Irish market when I go live. I'm already very passionate about getting this site up as I believe it offers an excellent service, has a clear niche in the market and could be very lucrative if people latch on to it.

I've been working hard getting my head around all the jargon: PHP, MySQL, Joomla, etc as it's all new to me. I don't intend on making the site myself but managing it through CMS and perhaps having remote assistance if required/in budget.

Right now I'm in the process of getting a business plan together. With it I plan on raising capital through a bank loan and/or a start-up business development grant. I don't think VC is for me at this time. The capital would be to fund the build either through a local firm or via the likes of scriptlance.com. It would also be required for hosting and other administrative fees.

I have no problem at all if the site doesn't do well financially as I really believe in the service it provides and am not just looking to make a quick buck. Being but a web user myself (~20 hours/week) rather than a developer I have a very good indication of what the end product should look and feel like. I think this will stand well to me and to the people that use it. I've alot to learn but that's not to say that it can't be done either.

Thanks for the comments so far. I look forward to the day I pull this thread out of the archives and update it with a url, mods permitting of course

EKRIUQ

Is this a troll?

m83

BingoBongo wrote: »

Is this a troll?

wtf?! Get a clue mate. If you've a problem with my post then PM me and I'll happily answer your question. Pfffft...

p

Hey there. Good luck with your idea. 2 comments.

Don't target the Irish market. It's too small a market to make serious cash on. It'd be relatively easy to target the UK market which has far more monetary potential.

Secondly, I'll just have to make a note about your point about a web user meaning you'll know what the site needs. I use buildings every day, but that doesn't make me an architect. A web company and designer's job is to figure out your audience and create a sign geared towards them, so do be aware of that. If you're going to pay someone to create a site for you, they'll have tons of experience in that regard and it'd be a shame to waste that if you think you know best already.

EKRIUQ

wtf?! Get a clue mate. If you've a problem with my post then PM me and I'll happily answer your question. Pfffft...

Ah, M83 why so hostile, come over here and give Bingobongo a great big hug:)

And we'll go skateboarding together

BIngo

m83

p wrote: »

Hey there. Good luck with your idea. 2 comments.

Don't target the Irish market. It's too small a market to make serious cash on. It'd be relatively easy to target the UK market which has far more monetary potential.

Secondly, I'll just have to make a note about your point about a web user meaning you'll know what the site needs. I use buildings every day, but that doesn't make me an architect. A web company and designer's job is to figure out your audience and create a sign geared towards them, so do be aware of that. If you're going to pay someone to create a site for you, they'll have tons of experience in that regard and it'd be a shame to waste that if you think you know best already.

Cheers for that.

BingoBongo wrote: »

Ah, M83 why so hostile, come over here and give Bingobongo a great big hug:)

And we'll go skateboarding together

BIngo

Hmmm....

AARRRGH

m83 I really think you need to take my "how will I get visitors" comment earlier seriously. Anyone can think of a good idea and get a site online. That's the simple part. You need to work out a plan to promote your site.

aidan_walsh

BingoBongo wrote: »

Is this a troll?

BingoBongo, if you have a problem with a post, use the Report Post button. Thanks.

m83

dublindude wrote: »

m83 I really think you need to take my "how will I get visitors" comment earlier seriously. Anyone can think of a good idea and get a site online. That's the simple part. You need to work out a plan to promote your site.

I know you're dead right and I have been spending ALOT of time working on this. Initially I believed getting the site running was going to be the hardest part but I'm quickly learning that getting traffic will be the greatest problem.

This is one of the reasons why I want to make the site exclusively Irish, at least for now anyway. The service I'd be providing would be much much easier to market here rather than abroad.

I know I'm new to getting a site up but I've been using the web heavily since 1997 and know what kind of marketing has and hasn't appealed to me. I know I can't code but that isn't to say I'm not up to date on what sites work and don't work. Like I say, I want to offer a rich user experience and if it does begin to snowball the site should turn a profit. If not, it really isn't the end of the world, I'll still have my fulltime engineering job and don't see myself being financially ruined.