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As I get older, I don't really buy the "see a problem" step. I'm not sure Facebook really solved any problem. Or Slack, or Twitter, or Snapchat. Or a lot of sof

by dvt 10y ago

As I get older, I don't really buy the "see a problem" step. I'm not sure Facebook really solved any problem. Or Slack, or Twitter, or Snapchat. Or a lot of software startups, for that matter. I'm sure I could write something contrived about either of them though, something using my 20-20 hindsight glasses: Snapchat solved ephemeral communication. I mean, yeah, I guess it did. But really, it caught on as a pseudo-sexting app. You could say Slack helped "corporate teams communicate better in real time" but we've had chat apps for like 20 years now.. it's basically a carbon-copy of IRC, anyway. I think a lot of people put way too much stock in trying to find a problem™. Just build something cool, or fun, or useful; and execute it well. IMO, execution will always trump the idea.

Gustomaximus 10y ago
> I'm not sure Facebook really solved any problem - I want to stay in touch with my social circle but just dont have time and/or physical presence to do this - I like to see what my social peers are doing in life but lose contact. - I like to tell the world what I am up to. Maybe not saving the world, but absolutely problem solving. 100% agree with you on doing something cool (with in reason of some business potential) as any new business is a roll of the dice. You may as well roll on something you enjoy regardless of outcome.
- dvt 10y ago
  All those problems had already been solved prior to FB. MySpace is the obvious example, but there was also Friendster, and a few others. I'm almost certain that FB's success primarily hinged on its exclusivity (Ivy League & a few elite schools -> colleges -> gen pop) and not necessarily on what it did.
  - nimchimpsky 10y ago
    And it did it better than any other company, in the uk we had friendsreunited, it was ugly and clunky.
    - twelvechairs 10y ago
      And here we sit 10 years later with ugly and clunky facebook
- pdm55 10y ago
  Another one: I have only just started using Facebook. Our group, BioHackQLD, is using it as a way to easily create a web presence i.e. our website with our bookmarks. I liked that the admin set up an "Ideas" page and a "Funding Sources" page. I mean it is dead simple to add a comment with a link to a relevant webpage. Easier and zero cost. https://www.facebook.com/groups/982643618435943/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/982643618435943/

by dvt 10y ago

Gustomaximus 10y ago

> I'm not sure Facebook really solved any problem - I want to stay in touch with my social circle but just dont have time and/or physical presence to do this - I like to see what my social peers are doing in life but lose contact. - I like to tell the world what I am up to. Maybe not saving the world, but absolutely problem solving. 100% agree with you on doing something cool (with in reason of some business potential) as any new business is a roll of the dice. You may as well roll on something you enjoy regardless of outcome.

dvt 10y ago
All those problems had already been solved prior to FB. MySpace is the obvious example, but there was also Friendster, and a few others. I'm almost certain that FB's success primarily hinged on its exclusivity (Ivy League & a few elite schools -> colleges -> gen pop) and not necessarily on what it did.
- nimchimpsky 10y ago
  And it did it better than any other company, in the uk we had friendsreunited, it was ugly and clunky.
  - twelvechairs 10y ago
    And here we sit 10 years later with ugly and clunky facebook
pdm55 10y ago
Another one: I have only just started using Facebook. Our group, BioHackQLD, is using it as a way to easily create a web presence i.e. our website with our bookmarks. I liked that the admin set up an "Ideas" page and a "Funding Sources" page. I mean it is dead simple to add a comment with a link to a relevant webpage. Easier and zero cost. https://www.facebook.com/groups/982643618435943/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/982643618435943/