YC: please, give me some feedback on startup business model
I need any feedback for my startup's idea and business model and would very appreciate your help. I don't want to go too deep into details, but one of the major points is that I'm going to ask subscribers to use my own IM client to stay connected (well, it could be some open protocol, like Jabber). I wish I can propose something easier, either SMS, or Email, or other IM (ICQ, AIM, Gtalk, MSN, Yahoo, ...). Unfortunately, no one allows to perform bulk messaging (or it's very expensive).
From the other side, my subscribers will have motivation to use it, to stay updated and connected. However, I'm not sure if downloading and installing one more client (and keep it running on your computer) becomes a barrier for a typical user and can keep them away of being my subscriber.
What do you think guys?
Oh, the business model is not connected to advertisement (although, it can take place), so it's not pay-per-view model. The reason why I am mentioning this, is that recently I've been told that such requirement can lead you to feeling like being back to late 90's, when the market was full of numerous toolbars, advertisement panels, etc and a lot of people still sick of it.
Thanks.