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Feedback for New Idea Please!
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08-03-2013 10:46am#1Hi guys,
I have come up with a new idea, and want to get lots of feedback on it first, before I go inquiring too much about building it.
I don't mind 'giving the idea away' - I'm a big believer in that it is more important to get feedback and to tell people about your idea.
The idea is this - a website where anyone can ask you a question. The tagline might be:
QuestionPlace (not the real name)
'Don't ask anyone, ask someone who knows'.
This is how it works:
-You create your own page on the website, takes a couple of minutes. This would be similar to a page on about.me, for example. If your name was Mike Smith, your page would look like this:
QuestionPlace.com/Mike-Smith
On your page, you fill in your bio, or import from Twitter.
Now, let's say you are an authority on social media, or you are a sports coach, or maybe a photographer. There are tonnes of people out there with questions around different topics all the time, and who would love to pick the brain of an expert in the field, or at least someone who works in the area and has lots of experience, etc (and maybe contacts, etc too).
On the other side of it, this could be a great brand-building and lead generation (although not the primary aim) for those who set up a page.
Example: someone is a photographer and someone pops on to ask some questions on buying a new camera. Some advice given then maybe turns into a job at the wedding of the cousin of the person who asked the question. Just an example, you could apply it to anything.
How is this different to asking a q on a forum? On a forum, you don't know who's who, and you can get people just firing up random/silly responses. It's also far less targeted than approaching someone you know is going to know the answer, or at least have plenty of great pointers for you.
How is this different from Quora or Formspring? Quora - the focus is on the question, and it's more like a forum - people throwing in their tuppence worth, as opposed to directing the question at one particular authority / knowledgeable person.
Formspring is mainly for fun, and is kind of like Facebook for questions. This idea would be more geared towards sharing knowledge and expertise, and much more geared towards business, hobbies and interests.
Think about it, where on the internet can you ask a person a direct question?!
All feedback welcome!
EDIT: If you could add 'Cool Idea' or 'Not so much!' in the subject line of your response, it would be a help! Thanks!0
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Exactly. It gives a more professional feel to the site and it validates people as the experts they say they are.
Very true. I was thinking of having sign-in via Twitter and LinkedIn initially, but leaning more towards LinkedIn now! Gives that professional vibe for sure.
Do you happen know anything about how easy/hard it might be to build something like this using LinkedIn oauth / verification...?
See how I could be asking you this question on my site if you had your own QuestionPlaces page??! 0 -
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Do you happen know anything about how easy/hard it might be to build something like this using LinkedIn oauth / verification...?
See how I could be asking you this question on my site if you had your own QuestionPlaces page??!
The best place to start is probably in here somewhere https://developer.linkedin.com/apis0 -
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Peterdalkey wrote: »Show me the money?!
It may well be a great idea, and useful too, but is it a great commercial money making idea, can't see it.
Peter
They probably said the same about Twitter and Facebook Peter
No a valid point - but as smash says there, this is more a project concept. My sole aim would be for it to become popular and to be genuinely useful and valuable to lots of people. If it makes money, then great too of course. I could see lots of ways as to how it could, given the right level of traction and usage.
-A 'contact exchange' system - allow experts to email/contact users for a small fee or after they purchase credits - if a user has indicated interest and has opted in to receiving emails (you would not be opted in by default).
-Freemium type elements, e.g. become a 'featured member', become more prominent in / appear top of search results when someone searches for an expert, etc.
Lots of options there..
Leaving out the money for a minute, do you think it's a good idea Peter - not sure what business you're in, but would you create your own page, if you had the chance, or wanted to broaden your contacts, get out there more, etc?0 -
They probably said the same about Twitter and Facebook Peter
No a valid point - but as smash says there, this is more a project concept. My sole aim would be for it to become popular and to be genuinely useful and valuable to lots of people. If it makes money, then great too of course. I could see lots of ways as to how it could, given the right level of traction and usage.
-A 'contact exchange' system - allow experts to email/contact users for a small fee or after they purchase credits - if a user has indicated interest and has opted in to receiving emails (you would not be opted in by default).
-Freemium type elements, e.g. become a 'featured member', become more prominent in / appear top of search results when someone searches for an expert, etc.
Lots of options there..
Leaving out the money for a minute, do you think it's a good idea Peter - not sure what business you're in, but would you create your own page, if you had the chance, or wanted to broaden your contacts, get out there more, etc?
I think you'd need to look at the two highlighted bits together. If the site was making money for you, then why would the experts want to work for free to keep it going?0 -
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Peterdalkey wrote: »To be honest I think it is a crap business idea, essentially trying to do a variation of what had already been done. Totally lacking in an innovative step and really nothing compelling in the proposition to make anyone want to pay. LinkedIn is supposed to do that but I don’t think there is a market for a Mother Theresa version.
LinkedIn is an employees site to a great degree, loads of cvs up there waiting to be approached/headhunted. Most of the industry groups are bull**** selling posts. You don’t see many real entrepreneurs wasting their time on it, but then again they are not looking for a job!
Other than that if it has a nice name it could make you millions.. or not!
Cheers
Peter
Correct - 'supposed to do that' but doesn't, and is not designed for what I am looking at building.
Mother Teresa version - not sure what you mean, but this is not a charitable endeavour, the idea would be for it to make money, but not everything is about money Peter - Facebook for example was born out of someone's desire to just build something cool. If you read the posts again you won't see me call it a business idea.
Not sure you understand how the internet works either 0 -
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Peterdalkey wrote: »Very poor riposte, put your toys back in the pram like a good child.
Just to help you understand it a little better. One gets lots of requests from linkedin "connected persons" looking to establish communications so that they can sell you something, well then at least we know why they are there! never ever heard of anybody contacting someone to know if they could buy off them.
Atomico, if you are really under the age of 18, I apologise for treating a minor trying to learn something on the Business and Enterprise forum in such a grown up adult debate manner.
Cheers
Peter
The man calls someone's idea a 'crap business idea' and then admonishes the poster for not participating in a grown up manner. Amazing
I don't need to 'understand it a little better' - you are demonstrating that you don't understand what LinkedIn is. It's a place where people make connections, demonstrate expertise, and look for a job. My platform allows people to build their authority and establish their presence in a much more simplified, dedicated way.
Even celebrities could use it to establish an official channel where fans could ask them questions, they could host Q&A, etc.0 -
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Don't drag me into this. I'm not investing, I'm just offering advicePeterdalkey wrote: »I will leave it to yourself and smash so, nobody else seems interested.
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Peterdalkey wrote: »I will leave it to yourself and smash so, nobody else seems interested.
Well what I find on Boards Peter is that the posters can be a skeptical bunch. Usually if it's obviously not a good idea, people tend to not shy away from saying so, and you get a lot of posts. So you're on your own for the minute anyway, maybe someone else will be along with more constructive feedback 0 -
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All good points, I have thought of most of these myself. I don't think they necessarily add up to meaning that the idea wouldn't work though, because it is open and applicable enough for a large number of people to still want to use it.
For every CEO who is too busy, there may be a photographer or even, I don't know, a DJ, who is happy to answer questions on what life is like as a DJ! In other words, it could be what people choose to make of it.Well that is all very well but are you expecting these experts to give up their time for free ? because if you are then I see little incentive for them to do so. There are some CEO's on Quora who give amazing insights but they are very much in the minority- people who are experts in their field are extraordinarily busy and often don't have the time or the inclination to be answering questions from some randomers on the internet. Without a paid model where the expert has something to gain (other than 'reputation') I can't see it working tbh. Also if it is for free then you'll attract all kinds of trolls, spammers, etc.
Agreed that there will be loads of CEOs and well-known 'thought leader' types who wouldn't have the time to use it, much too tied up with other ongoing projects, and day-to-day work, etc. That's exactly the reason why there wouldn't be a paid model here, or a financial incentive - I doubt these same CEOs are going to be on a site looking to make $15/question every other day They're going to be on the site because they like it, they want to pop on every so often and answer a few questions here and there, engage with folks and pick up that 'direct line' to whoever is following them. Maybe even a little ego boost for some.
They aren't there to serve an audience or fulfill a service (for which they'd want to be getting paid) - they are there because they want to be.As you say Reddit has their AMA thing as an add-on. If your idea is successful and you proved it then there is nothing to stop any big sites like Linkedin doing the same, it would be just a matter of adding a button to someones profile where they would have said they're willing to answer questions.
I thought of exactly that myself re LinkedIn - can't see them being bothered to be honest. I doubt they are suddenly going to decide to turn people's profiles into Q&A pages. Even if they did, it would be far from the primary focus of the site, I would imagine things would start to get a bit cluttered if they decided to do it as well.
You could really bring up that point about any idea to a large extent. 'I have a photo app, but what if Facebook tweak Instagram to do what I'm doing', etc etc.
There's also plenty of room for everyone, especially when an idea is very clearly and tightly focused around one key concept, as opposed to something that is as multi-functional and 'broad' as LinkedIn.0 -
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Peterdalkey wrote: »2x 2 posts (11/12 &18 /19) and then a 3 sequential post 32-34 all by the OP! Is this a record?
The OP is so far ahead of the game here, the only surprise is that this brilliant idea has not been taken up by the top US tech VCs. I bet Bono is watching every move and will pounce early.. you never want to miss the Elevator.
Have you picked up your copy of Internet for Dummies yet Peter? 0 -
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Heated topic..
There are some good points, bad points and some frustrated peeps and from what i gather from what you have said only a few business models that i can gather from this..
1. Advertising Business model - Query based Paid Placements.. Eg. Seomoz in the Online Marketing Questions, Intromercials, before the user gets to the content usually seen on America Websites (New York Post,Times etc) or last but not Least Content Targeted Adverts .. Google adsense its doing this on boards to the Right of this post as i type.. (Eg. boards making 100k+ a year on this)
Oh and also user Regristration - content-based sites that are free to access but require users to register and provide demographic data. Registration allows inter-session tracking of user surfing habits and thereby generates data of potential value in targeted advertising campaigns etc
2. Infomediary model - Traditional banner advertising from Seo moz in the Online marketing forum etc boards.ie do this very effectively, also done deal is another perfect example. Go between car sections, dog and you,ll see highly targeted banners.
3. Afflifilate model - Think of adverts with sales going directly to you such as - Amazon, Commission Junction etc .. lots of these around just the commission based model essentially. Amazon being much more highly targeted but there are sites where you can gleem affliate banners for 60% commissions.. :P
4. Subscription Model - Users pay a yearly,monthly subscription model to ask as many questions as they like or 5 or 1 per month etc, Quora have this and i suspect they will incentivise this eventually. I think at the moment you have to earn points
Person to person interaction ? - €25 to ask Michael dell about supply chain ?
Person to group interaction ?? €10 to ask 10 expercts abotu supply chain ??
A lot of videos on seomoz that are free will be part of this soon i think, Subscription model to get a 30 min video on a certain topic, entrepreneur topics etc.. Think of Ted videos that are a premium edition to your subscription for an extra €5 per month..
Also people pay beleive it or not for Namechanges, Avatars, Expert User Avatars, Site Donater on other forums :P Lots of cash in this model
5. Utility model - Pay as you read approach to your subject, similar to the Wired magazine subscription, new york times, you can only read 10 articles per month unless you pay the subscription of $6.95
In march 2010 Quora was rumour valued after funding @ $1b and declinded a buy out of 300m clams - as a start up with intial venture Capitol offered ..
As of 2012 its has now settled after second round funding at just over 400m .. So its worth a few pennies i can say that.
Personally i think its a good idea from what you have but you didnt exactly convey what you wanted to do with it and it strayed into a heated post with Peter.. In his defence i can stand behind his business acumen, maybe not so much on 1 or 2 of his comments or yours but hey - its a forum after all.
80% of this forum dont like me for my midnight laptop rambles where i neither edit nor stop to develop my thoughts in a fluid manner and often type totally the opposite of what im trying to say making me like a right **** .. either way, i think you should kiss and make up dudes its a learning forum after all..
I think your on to something but you need to nail down your strategy from the get go, and be more concise on what business model you have from the few i have above..
Best of luck with it either way - good idea buddy
The Apprentice0 -
The Apprentice wrote: »Heated topic..
There are some good points, bad points and some frustrated peeps and from what i gather from what you have said only a few business models that i can gather from this..
1. Advertising Business model - Query based Paid Placements.. Eg. Seomoz in the Online Marketing Questions, Intromercials, before the user gets to the content usually seen on America Websites (New York Post,Times etc) or last but not Least Content Targeted Adverts .. Google adsense its doing this on boards to the Right of this post as i type.. (Eg. boards making 100k+ a year on this)
Oh and also user Regristration - content-based sites that are free to access but require users to register and provide demographic data. Registration allows inter-session tracking of user surfing habits and thereby generates data of potential value in targeted advertising campaigns etc
2. Infomediary model - Traditional banner advertising from Seo moz in the Online marketing forum etc boards.ie do this very effectively, also done deal is another perfect example. Go between car sections, dog and you,ll see highly targeted banners.
3. Afflifilate model - Think of adverts with sales going directly to you such as - Amazon, Commission Junction etc .. lots of these around just the commission based model essentially. Amazon being much more highly targeted but there are sites where you can gleem affliate banners for 60% commissions.. :P
4. Subscription Model - Users pay a yearly,monthly subscription model to ask as many questions as they like or 5 or 1 per month etc, Quora have this and i suspect they will incentivise this eventually. I think at the moment you have to earn points
Person to person interaction ? - €25 to ask Michael dell about supply chain ?
Person to group interaction ?? €10 to ask 10 expercts abotu supply chain ??
A lot of videos on seomoz that are free will be part of this soon i think, Subscription model to get a 30 min video on a certain topic, entrepreneur topics etc.. Think of Ted videos that are a premium edition to your subscription for an extra €5 per month..
Also people pay beleive it or not for Namechanges, Avatars, Expert User Avatars, Site Donater on other forums :P Lots of cash in this model
5. Utility model - Pay as you read approach to your subject, similar to the Wired magazine subscription, new york times, you can only read 10 articles per month unless you pay the subscription of $6.95
In march 2010 Quora was rumour valued after funding @ $1b and declinded a buy out of 300m clams - as a start up with intial venture Capitol offered ..
As of 2012 its has now settled after second round funding at just over 400m .. So its worth a few pennies i can say that.
Personally i think its a good idea from what you have but you didnt exactly convey what you wanted to do with it and it strayed into a heated post with Peter.. In his defence i can stand behind his business acumen, maybe not so much on 1 or 2 of his comments or yours but hey - its a forum after all.
80% of this forum dont like me for my midnight laptop rambles where i neither edit nor stop to develop my thoughts in a fluid manner and often type totally the opposite of what im trying to say making me like a right **** .. either way, i think you should kiss and make up dudes its a learning forum after all..
I think your on to something but you need to nail down your strategy from the get go, and be more concise on what business model you have from the few i have above..
Best of luck with it either way - good idea buddy
The Apprentice
Great post Apprentice, some great points made and thanks for taking the time! I guess one or two of my posts were a bit smart, have to say I was taken aback by one or two comments there early on though. Maybe Peter will end up being one of my beta-testers, you never know!
Cheers0 -
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Hi there, thank you for the feedback.I've read through this and I honestly cannot see the point. Its just another 'similar' site to the others. If I was a DJ, which I am, and I need an answer to a question I Google it. And I'll probably find a thread or forum somewhere with a similar problem, join and ask the main thread poster who answered it. Same goes for my development work, I'll Google and 99% of the time end up on StackOverflow and ask there.
If StackOverflow didn't exist, and I was proposing setting it up, would you say there'd be a good chance that you would think it was pointless and 'just Google it'? You even say that if you need an answer to a question you google it - but then you admit you end up on a particular site which serves your need better than Google, or a random article you might find in search results.
The web is a big place (don't need to tell you!), and there are many different ways of structuring, presenting and organising info, and many different ways that people can interact with one another around that content/info.
Sites may appear 'similar', but when you look a little closer, they often have a specific angle or something that serves a need better than another site (or fulfills it in a way no other site does).If we take the 'expert' side to it, thats a good angle but seriously how to you qualify someone? The Internet is full of posers, people who are good at copy & paste and WikiPedia spoofers. Even Wikipedia has had its fair share of bad press over bad articles apparently written by experts. You will never ever be able to qualify someone to a professional standard.
Whats different about this site?
It's not about verifying experts though. It's an open platform, and I have some mechanisms in mind to ensure people are who they say they are, etc. It wouldn't be a platform for advice, it's a platform to ask a person a question -and there are a number of ways that people could use such a platform.0 -
If StackOverflow didn't exist, and I was proposing setting it up, would you say there'd be a good chance that you would think it was pointless and 'just Google it'? You even say that if you need an answer to a question you google it - but then you admit you end up on a particular site which serves your need better than Google, or a random article you might find in search results.
If StackOverflow, with all its features, didn't exist I'd be hounding you to do it. I mean that.
I appreciate this idea is your baby so to speak but I genuinely cannot see the niche or that glimmer that puts its above anything else thats already out there. If someone approached me to code this, I'd say no. Simply because I can't see the return in effort. And I'm not talking about money, I mean I'd only want to create something that was actually new and different even if it never paid me back.
Yes it takes a little from here and there, but from my reading of it, its Yahoo Answers that emails a real person directly and who in turn answers back. Would that be a fair summary? Please correct if I'm just not seeing it.
Had you suggested whats a few posts back i.e. €25 to get a real solicitor to answer a question etc I'd say go for it. In fact I'd probably invest in it. But a community website answering questions, I'm sorry but as a business it just won't work. You won't retire on it anyway.0 -
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