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Apply HN: FundChan.com – funded channel messaging

4 points by jimbursch 11y ago

FundChan is a messaging auction platform where senders place bids to get their message to the front of the recipient's message queue. This addresses the problem of communication in asymmetric relationships -- I know you, but you don't know me, so how do we open a channel of communication that works for both of us? Enter FundChan.com, which is live and fully functioning at https://fundchan.com https://fundchan.com. (note: I have zero traction/users, which is why I am applying to YC). Here are examples of asymmetric relationships/use-cases we may address: In Hollywood: -- fan/celebrity or C-list actor/A-list director In Silicon Valley: -- salesperson/CEO or CEO/investor In World: -- advertiser/consumer FundChan features person-to-person direct messaging as well as targeted public messaging. I have been working on this project for over 10 years now, so, yes, I am obsessed. The project has also evolved and iterated over the years as my understanding and approach to the problem has changed, as well as my programming skills (php/mysql). I am ready with answers to your questions! Feel free to post hardball comments -- I can take it.

jimbursch 11y ago
Here are a couple of videos that describe the conceptual underpinnings of FundChan. Please forgive the low production values -- I fully own that I am a dork. These videos were posted many years ago, so you can get a sense of how the project has evolved. Charting the mindshare market https://youtu.be/5EJGF7hddc8 https://youtu.be/5EJGF7hddc8 I Hate Advertising https://youtu.be/TyuVeIIRb8o https://youtu.be/TyuVeIIRb8o
jimbursch 11y ago
Here is the video I submitted for my YC application (hyperlinked): https://youtu.be/OIdjmDEQrEw https://youtu.be/OIdjmDEQrEw
buss 11y ago
Seems like you have a pretty hard chicken-and-egg problem, since you've been working on this for so long without traction. How are you going to attract users? What have you tried and why have those things failed? If I was a celebrity or someone important, why would I sign up to receive unsolicited messages for a pittance? I feel like you have a value mismatch -- people worth contacting want a strong filter (high $ value), and the people that want to contact them won't want to spend that much. The only people who will be reachable will have a low value and probably aren't worth contacting. How do you know people want this?
- jimbursch 11y ago
  Excellent questions - thank you! I'm going to answer your questions in reverse order. How do you know people want this? First off, I want it, and others will want it if it is designed and presented properly -- that is what is taking me 10 years to figure out. Regarding the second question, there is a problem with the way you frame the question. "Unsolicited messages for a pittance" -- of course nobody wants that, but there is some amount for which anyone would welcome an unsolicited message. Me, I would welcome receiving a 25 cent message. There are advertisers who are paying a lot more than that to send me unsolicited commercial messages, and it comes to me as junk that I resent. For the celebrity, the situation is the same. There is some amount that any celebrity would accept. There are fans who are willing to pay some amount. I would be willing to pay a few bucks to send a message of admiration and support to Edward Snowden. In the FundChan system, my bid would be competing with other admirers to get to the front of the line. If I bid enough, he gets my message. If I am outbid, he doesn't get my message, I keep my money. How are you going to attract users? YC Startup School (great videos!) taught me that I have to do things that don't scale to get early traction. Right now my plan is to campaign to get what I call high value targets into FundChan -- people other people want to reach. This could be celebrities (I'm in Los Angeles, so Hollywood is a natural) or, if I get into YC, I will campaign to get sought-after members of the YC community. So, how much would Sam Altman be willing to accept to read a message? Who would be the highest bidder to send him a message? This is simple supply and demand. If the supply (Sam's attention for a moment at a given price) meets demand (the amount the highest bidder is willing to pay) then we have a market. In the FundChan system there are two data points for every user: Notice Price and High Bid. The Notice Price is the bid amount set by the user that will trigger a text or email notification. This is a price signal from the recipient to the sender. High Bid is the currently highest bid in the recipient's message queue. This is an indication of the demand for the recipients attention. As a sender, I decide if I want to bid high enough to get to the front of the message queue, or if I want to bid high enough to trigger a notification. What do you imagine would be Sam Altman's Notice Price and High Bid?

4 points by jimbursch 11y ago

jimbursch 11y ago

Here are a couple of videos that describe the conceptual underpinnings of FundChan. Please forgive the low production values -- I fully own that I am a dork. These videos were posted many years ago, so you can get a sense of how the project has evolved. Charting the mindshare market https://youtu.be/5EJGF7hddc8 https://youtu.be/5EJGF7hddc8 I Hate Advertising https://youtu.be/TyuVeIIRb8o https://youtu.be/TyuVeIIRb8o

jimbursch 11y ago

Here is the video I submitted for my YC application (hyperlinked): https://youtu.be/OIdjmDEQrEw https://youtu.be/OIdjmDEQrEw

buss 11y ago

Seems like you have a pretty hard chicken-and-egg problem, since you've been working on this for so long without traction. How are you going to attract users? What have you tried and why have those things failed? If I was a celebrity or someone important, why would I sign up to receive unsolicited messages for a pittance? I feel like you have a value mismatch -- people worth contacting want a strong filter (high $ value), and the people that want to contact them won't want to spend that much. The only people who will be reachable will have a low value and probably aren't worth contacting. How do you know people want this?

jimbursch 11y ago
Excellent questions - thank you! I'm going to answer your questions in reverse order. How do you know people want this? First off, I want it, and others will want it if it is designed and presented properly -- that is what is taking me 10 years to figure out. Regarding the second question, there is a problem with the way you frame the question. "Unsolicited messages for a pittance" -- of course nobody wants that, but there is some amount for which anyone would welcome an unsolicited message. Me, I would welcome receiving a 25 cent message. There are advertisers who are paying a lot more than that to send me unsolicited commercial messages, and it comes to me as junk that I resent. For the celebrity, the situation is the same. There is some amount that any celebrity would accept. There are fans who are willing to pay some amount. I would be willing to pay a few bucks to send a message of admiration and support to Edward Snowden. In the FundChan system, my bid would be competing with other admirers to get to the front of the line. If I bid enough, he gets my message. If I am outbid, he doesn't get my message, I keep my money. How are you going to attract users? YC Startup School (great videos!) taught me that I have to do things that don't scale to get early traction. Right now my plan is to campaign to get what I call high value targets into FundChan -- people other people want to reach. This could be celebrities (I'm in Los Angeles, so Hollywood is a natural) or, if I get into YC, I will campaign to get sought-after members of the YC community. So, how much would Sam Altman be willing to accept to read a message? Who would be the highest bidder to send him a message? This is simple supply and demand. If the supply (Sam's attention for a moment at a given price) meets demand (the amount the highest bidder is willing to pay) then we have a market. In the FundChan system there are two data points for every user: Notice Price and High Bid. The Notice Price is the bid amount set by the user that will trigger a text or email notification. This is a price signal from the recipient to the sender. High Bid is the currently highest bid in the recipient's message queue. This is an indication of the demand for the recipients attention. As a sender, I decide if I want to bid high enough to get to the front of the message queue, or if I want to bid high enough to trigger a notification. What do you imagine would be Sam Altman's Notice Price and High Bid?