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0010101011:
Vaporware
(No, not as in see-through clothing.)
I get about forty crazy ideas a month for projects I’ll never complete (Foodums.com, TheYesPile.com, CategoryOTHER.com, etc.). And this WordPress platform with all of its open source goodness has made me decide to share my business ideas with the world. ‘Cuz I’ll never get the capital or the desire attention span to actually run with these ideas, but if someone out there in the ether does, that’s cool. Some props would be nice, free money would be better, but whatever.
Open source business idea number one, in category: vaporware, is a mashup between social networks and affiliate networks.
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Think: subaffiliate network with a dash of tina. You can’t monetize your MySpace page with GooGlads as it’s behind a login wall. And kids who know about affiliate marketing sure as heck don’t want to take the time to join affiliate marketing networks and make links to add to their profiles.
Solution? Trusted interface that plugs n plays product SKUs and makes a happy stylish badge for your social network profiles.
User experience: pick from a finite list of top brands, or just check the box that says “show the popular stuff!” and the badge can rotate the top converters. Color customization, etc. also possible. Key to success: MAKE IT SIMPLE. And make it cool. (eChikita minimall? Puhleez.) Profile owners can get paid out in PayPal, or maybe they just want free stuff. (Bonus: tie in with an existing currency for some brand^2 action … and breakage possibilities.)
Affiliate networks’ advertisers get increased distribution in an environment with no less control than paid media, affiliate networks get their standard overhead, vaporware gets to build new distribution and profit from the spread, kids get to make a few bucks and look cool by showing the logos they like on their profos …
Now, I’ve got about ten thousand process flows in my head about how this should be built and how the company should be run and how many relationship managers should be decked against fetching me steamed pork buns, but if you see this open source idear and wanna run with it, you’ll have to hire me as a moonwriter. Lighter.
Whatever.
5 Responses to “Vaporware”
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January 26th, 2007 at 12:28 am
I started to think about this and how are we going to make sure the kids pay their taxes?
January 26th, 2007 at 8:52 am
That’s in process flow #27
January 26th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
I have an open source business idea that I’m sharing because I really want to purchase this product.
Some software that allows me to keep one master calendar/task list on my palm but does not allow my palm to populate my various calendars from home/quicken/work with each other’s content.
Maybe this already exists. If so, they need to advertise with Googlads or soemthing.
January 26th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I was reading the myspace terms and ran into the following:
Non-commercial Use by Members. The MySpace Services are for the personal use of Members only and may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by MySpace.com. Illegal and/or unauthorized use of the MySpace Services, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of Members by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email or unauthorized framing of or linking to the MySpace Website is prohibited. Commercial advertisements, affiliate links, and other forms of solicitation may be removed from Member profiles without notice and may result in termination of Membership privileges. Appropriate legal action will be taken for any illegal or unauthorized use of the MySpace Services
Is it back to the old drawing board or did you have a way around this?
January 27th, 2007 at 2:40 am
Hmm. Process flow number twenty eight: relationship management with myspace executive team. If myspace gets a cut, they’ll keep the mouths shut.
also, i can imagine that the intent of the ts and cs was to prevent spammers from creating fake profos. if you get a groundswell of users who want the badge, and myspace threatens to kick them all out, i imagine mutiny. mutiny! mutiny.
Turns out an idea like this has already made its way up the ranks of the myspace executive squad, albeit by a dude who wears way too much hair gel and visits tanning beds too often (hi, jason!).
consider me pleased that this even caught your eye. duly note that there are more harebrained schemes to come. not that that should be any surprise. :)