Comments on: IDEA #43 – Everyone Has Neighbors http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/ Serial entrepreneur and former early @TechCrunch Writer. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:10:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: James D Kirk http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-512 James D Kirk Sat, 24 Mar 2007 19:24:03 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-512 I think you may be right Steve. In another part of my life, property management, I had an idea once for buying apartment buildings (well I do that part of it from time to time) and setting up a server on the premises, securing an account for broadband and then enabling each of the units with access to the Internet connection. Part of this "service" to the renters (that would <em>obviously allow me to charge higher rents</em>) would be email services and something not dissimilar to this idea, being able to know who lives in 5C, 10D, etc. Then I started working out the technical side of it and while there's nothing particularly hard, I realized that in addition to being a "Landlord" now I've become an ISP of sorts, and would have to take on all of the maintenance and service that might require. Plus, I was going to register a domain for every building so that individual units would have accounts that looked like: http://4330.BroadwayCt.com/unit/5C and an email address would be: joeTenant@4330.BroadwayCt.com But, the more I thought about it, the more I came to the same conclusion you just commented on, and that is people "think" they have privacy in this world (though I question the validity of that thought, that's another story) this would just "blow" where they live out of the water from a privacy perspective. So, I pretty much dropped the concept at that point, and haven't bothered going down that road, though I still think retrofitting apartment buildings to be wired for high speed connections might be a good idea. <em>Go Boldly!</em> I think you may be right Steve. In another part of my life, property management, I had an idea once for buying apartment buildings (well I do that part of it from time to time) and setting up a server on the premises, securing an account for broadband and then enabling each of the units with access to the Internet connection. Part of this “service” to the renters (that would obviously allow me to charge higher rents) would be email services and something not dissimilar to this idea, being able to know who lives in 5C, 10D, etc.

Then I started working out the technical side of it and while there’s nothing particularly hard, I realized that in addition to being a “Landlord” now I’ve become an ISP of sorts, and would have to take on all of the maintenance and service that might require. Plus, I was going to register a domain for every building so that individual units would have accounts that looked like:

http://4330.BroadwayCt.com/unit/5C

and an email address would be:

joeTenant@4330.BroadwayCt.com

But, the more I thought about it, the more I came to the same conclusion you just commented on, and that is people “think” they have privacy in this world (though I question the validity of that thought, that’s another story) this would just “blow” where they live out of the water from a privacy perspective.

So, I pretty much dropped the concept at that point, and haven’t bothered going down that road, though I still think retrofitting apartment buildings to be wired for high speed connections might be a good idea.

Go Boldly!

]]> By: Steve Poland http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-513 Steve Poland Sat, 24 Mar 2007 02:17:13 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-513 On second thought, I think people are still skeptical about putting their address online -- and knowing that online people could show up at their door. I don't think my friends/family would appreciate me inputting their address into this system. On second thought, I think people are still skeptical about putting their address online — and knowing that online people could show up at their door. I don’t think my friends/family would appreciate me inputting their address into this system.

]]> By: Techquila Shots » IDEA #46 - Who Do You Vouch For? http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-511 Techquila Shots » IDEA #46 - Who Do You Vouch For? Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:32:48 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-511 [...] idea is somewhat similar to two recent ideas — “Everyone Has Neighbors” and “Social Connections Search [...] [...] idea is somewhat similar to two recent ideas — “Everyone Has Neighbors” and “Social Connections Search [...]

]]> By: Steve Poland http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-510 Steve Poland Sat, 17 Mar 2007 06:56:40 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-510 @Andrew -- that site looks somewhat dead; they haven't updated <a href="http://www.meettheneighbors.org/public_news.html" rel="nofollow">their news</a> since Aug 2005. @Andrew — that site looks somewhat dead; they haven’t updated their news since Aug 2005.

]]> By: Andrew Goldberg http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-509 Andrew Goldberg Sat, 17 Mar 2007 02:57:38 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-509 I was about to start a site to do something similar when I found this one - www.meettheneighbors.org/ I was about to start a site to do something similar when I found this one – http://www.meettheneighbors.org/

]]> By: Colin Dowling http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-508 Colin Dowling Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:37:57 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-508 Very cool theory, but I wonder about the implementation. I think that many folks who would venture online to meet their neighbors would be similarly comfortable walking up and saying "hello." Then again, maybe there is an element that would like the online but avoid the interpersonal. A spin-off/addition to this idea for monetization would simply be demographic info for limited areas, i.e. "Hyde Park in Austin currently has 2653 single people who make more then $80k a year, and went to school in state, etc. etc. My marketing and sales position craves such niche demo information but very little of it is available without paying out the nose for a customized study. Very cool theory, but I wonder about the implementation. I think that many folks who would venture online to meet their neighbors would be similarly comfortable walking up and saying “hello.” Then again, maybe there is an element that would like the online but avoid the interpersonal.

A spin-off/addition to this idea for monetization would simply be demographic info for limited areas, i.e. “Hyde Park in Austin currently has 2653 single people who make more then $80k a year, and went to school in state, etc. etc. My marketing and sales position craves such niche demo information but very little of it is available without paying out the nose for a customized study.

]]> By: Dave Armstrong http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-507 Dave Armstrong Fri, 16 Mar 2007 12:52:55 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-507 I'm not so sure about this. The most effective way to meet your neighbors is to walk up and say hello. Bake them some cookies or something and drop them off, etc. A web site to meet people who live right next to you? Only true web-junkies would partake in that. I think this idea carries the web too far -- we need to enhance our life with web tools, not replace it. Step outside if you want to meet neighbors. I’m not so sure about this. The most effective way to meet your neighbors is to walk up and say hello. Bake them some cookies or something and drop them off, etc.
A web site to meet people who live right next to you? Only true web-junkies would partake in that. I think this idea carries the web too far — we need to enhance our life with web tools, not replace it.
Step outside if you want to meet neighbors.

]]> By: Robert Dewey http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-506 Robert Dewey Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:30:28 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-506 Rayden; You've missed my point. If you have a successful service, focus on driving users to the service and worry about monetization later. Why fret over monetization when people won't even use a free version of your service? Just because there are 10,000 other services doing it doesn't mean they are as good. I would have been willing to pay for Google if they didn't figured out a monetization strategy. That's how much value it had to me. Could I have lived with the other guy? Yeah. But I would much rather pay Google to keep them alive than switch. That's pure value. Rayden;

You’ve missed my point. If you have a successful service, focus on driving users to the service and worry about monetization later. Why fret over monetization when people won’t even use a free version of your service?

Just because there are 10,000 other services doing it doesn’t mean they are as good. I would have been willing to pay for Google if they didn’t figured out a monetization strategy. That’s how much value it had to me.

Could I have lived with the other guy? Yeah. But I would much rather pay Google to keep them alive than switch.

That’s pure value.

]]> By: Rayden http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-505 Rayden Fri, 16 Mar 2007 04:33:38 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-505 If it's a service people can't live without, chances are that there are already 10,000 sites catering to that idea. If it’s a service people can’t live without, chances are that there are already 10,000 sites catering to that idea.

]]> By: Robert Dewey http://www.stevepoland.com/idea-43-everyone-has-neighbors/comment-page-1/#comment-504 Robert Dewey Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:13:36 +0000 http://stevepoland.com/?p=158#comment-504 Some ideas don't need a business model right off the bat... Especially if it's a service people can't live without. Some ideas don’t need a business model right off the bat… Especially if it’s a service people can’t live without.

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