HN, we're an open source nonprofit, and we'd like to collaborate with other developers. Check out our code here: https://github.com/empirical-org/quill
And if you'd like to contribute, we've got a few interesting projects in the works, including building a free writing section with NLP! You can reach me at peter (at) quill (dot) org
We're open source, and if you're interested, you can pull out code here - https://github.com/empirical-org/quill
Read more about it here: http://uguru.me/about
Anyway, sounds like a good idea. Good luck guys.
However, our product is different in the sense that it aims to connect people face-to-face with surrounding local talent.
Our full launch is coming very soon and will convey f2f at first glance.
Thank you for your feedback!
Best of luck to you and your project.
Also, where did I explicitly state that YC was only about money? I don't even think you can say I implicitly meant that or assume it was the gist of what I said.
I hate to be so hostile towards your idea but there is actually such a thing as a dumb idea and it's useful to point them out as such.
Here's an eloquent description of why what you said is inappropriate. When saying retarded, “What we mean is that he is as stupid as someone who is mentally handicapped, and we mean that in the most derogatory sense. The implication is that the only characteristic of mentally handicapped individuals is their stupidity."
It's not just about the ideas, it's also about the team, the people at YC have said as much in their press releases of the past. I would look inward before looking at your project.
A bit of unsolicited feedback: It would be great if you could start offering whole "cataloges" of websites (e.g. [1] ) in some way. I hope you guys are thinking about my need for discount quality whisky!
let me know if you want to talk more.
Got rejected :( But otherwise it has been really successful so far :)
I don't think the rejection has anything to do with the product itself. I reckon they got a lot of applications this year they wanted to fund that drowned out a lot of the other applications (such as mine, to ally different story though:)).
Originally had planned this as an app but took the idea to a startup weekend competition (we won) and mentors there were pushing me to find a monthly revenue model.
Now that YC has came and gone I may revisit simply building this as an app.
Think about it.. Same goes for you being with someone whose birthday pictures you're looking at and you can provide a context to them. Gifting is an area you can charge advertisers for. Think fashion!!! We take pictures all the time!! If you could provide the context to where the pictures were taken, the store it was taken in, and how there is a discount going on in that store, it would be amazing! Use the context of the photos, for instance, as 'subscriptions' to these contexts.
To elaborate, think of this scenario. I took a photo at H&M on Regent Street in London and then at Next further along the road. Since I took at photo at H&M, you can 'subscribe' me into H&M offers, etc. And same goes for Next. So when there are offers, an ongoing sale or either of the brands just looking to reach out to customers, you could be the conduit for them!!!!!!!!! THAT IS WORTH A LOOOOOTTT OF MONEY!
If you're not doing it, I WILL! :D :D
I too think you shouldn't give up. Just because there may be other competitors doing something similar -- even giants you feel you could never tackle -- doesn't mean you don't have something unique to offer that the competition doesn't.
Also, even if you don't topple the competition, who cares? If you have a product that others are interested in, your product has the ability to be much less successful and still yield you more of an income, just because you have much less overhead than the giants.
Worst case, you'll come out of it having gained a lot of experience -- you'll know the technology better, and will have learned some good life lessons. Then you'll be better prepared for the next YC app!
We should hang out :-)
Facebook does it, Dropbox does it, Google does it, Apple does it. There's nothing you can really do to usurp such entrenched and cohesive services who offer it as a part of their broader platform.
It's essentially a solved annoyance.
This is where I wish there was some, even a few words or a sentence, feedback.
We had 8 different alums look over the application and only one raised the competition issues (I think our system differences were clearer when you read the application). Consistently we heard about weakness of my co-founder experience wise and questioning of our 70/30 equity split.
Was it the idea? The team? Possibly the fact that YC has already funded a company very similar to us (Snapjoy) and another recently (Loom)?
Feedback should be descriptive, not prescriptive. "Spacing is good" and "this is clear" don't really add much, nor does "header?", especially without the designer's thinking.
I think the price point here doesn't make sense for the type of feedback you're showcasing in the screenshot.
Other than that, could be a cool product if done well. I know designers who, with good guidelines, could do this kind of thing really efficiently and well.
TBH: they were the first two reviews we got done and that is what the designers came up with.. we wanted to soft launch and improve rather than wait for the 'perfect sample'
we've since run about 10 more (actually getting a bunch of websites to review from HN) and the reviews are getting better so we'll be replacing those samples soon...
one thing that we've seen from these reviews is that there are some great projects out there that need website help - sometimes i think people lose site of the fact that even a small startup can look as big as Apple if they have a decent website.
(also note i'm a dev not designer - we started this idea because i've needed it countless times on projects i've been working on)
our thought on this would be mainly for people to check outsourced work is not way out of line.
in a 30-60 minute review you can't get too deep, but you can give a general opinion of the overall quality of the code and whether or not the developers are way out of line.
it might be more a sanity check for non-tech website owners.
we're working out designer guidelines now :)
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