The biggest waste of e-space ever
I was browsing Hacker News recently and stumbled across an article on ReadWriteWeb critically discussing the trends of the whole “Web 2.0″ BS that’s been going on for way too long and calling out entrepreneurs and challenging startups to actually make something of value, for once.
This is where I discovered a huge waste of web real estate. Colossal. Elephntine! The first idea that popped into my head was a centralized website that allows people to donate to particular causes, be it donating $50 to Darfur, or a blanket to Tibet. ONE place where people can go to give.
Go ahead, check it out. Be amazed. Such a powerful address, yet it’s not being utilized as anything but an obsolete weather checker for Redwood City, California and Brownsville, South Dakota. I have a hunch the webcam “feeds” are old pictures that haven’t been updates in ages as well. It wouldn’t surprise me.
So here’s a call to action: Someone acquire this domain and put it to good use. By that I mean, give the world something valuable to use.
Ideas that spread, win
Seth Godin could explain this idea in depth, and he touches on it many times (such as in Godin’s TED talk). I would just like to emphasize the underlining principle behind finding success.
- You can take a bad or boring idea and make it work through tons of effort and a pinch of luck.
- Or you can take an idea that spreads–something remarkable– and let your biggest fans, the people who want to listen to what you have to say, evangelize your product or service for you.
I think people like to over-complicate their marketing, and I’ve found that they either start out with something people don’t want or they just try too hard to push their products in front of people. This leads to a massive slip in interest and conversions–these people weren’t looking for the product, so odds are it doesn’t tickle their fancy and they will forget about it as soon as the next person approaches them trying to shove their product in the person’s face.
- Find your evangelists first. Let them feel welcomed and like a part of your system. Watch your product grow.
