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It seems like you're going out of your way to avoid describing the value these products provided. Especially in your characterization of Google. Pinterest prov

It seems like you're going out of your way to avoid describing the value these products provided. Especially in your characterization of Google. Pinterest provides entertainment, product discovery, and community. Snapchat enabled a new type of communication by removing self consciousness. Airbnb provides quality lodging at low prices. Facebook provided authenticity, exclusivity, and increased information density through timeline. Google provided far better search results.

dvt 9y ago
> Pinterest provides entertainment, product discovery, and community. This is kind of a non-statement. You could say that just about any internet based social network startup provides "community" and "entertainment" -- and yet many completely fail. This is quintessential grasping at straws and a posteriori reasoning. > Snapchat enabled a new type of communication by removing self consciousness. So did Yik Yak, so does IRC, so do anonymous forums, so does Kik. Again, this is kind of a ultra-general non-value value proposition. Why Snapchat got funded has nothing to do with the idea -- and everything to do with traction. > Airbnb provides quality lodging at low prices. So does hotels.com or (if you haggle a little) Craigslist. > Facebook provided authenticity, exclusivity, and increased information density through timeline. The timeline wasn't around when FB launched (back then we had the wall). I'm not even sure what "information density" means (or if it's even a good thing), it seems like 20-20 rear-view justification for FB's success. MySpace probably provided more authenticity, anyway (I could customize my page way more).
- brucephillips 9y ago
  Just to hone in on one example, do you really not see any benefit to using Airbnb over Craigslist for short term rentals? Even in the beginning? I can argue the other side, I think quite clearly, but I first want to make sure that's actually what you're claiming because it seems so demonstrably untrue.
- Hasz 9y ago
  Maybe more specifically, the value of all these networks lies in the network part. The tricky part is convincing the people that will use it to become part of the product.
- afarrell 9y ago
  > So does hotels.com or (if you haggle a little) Craigslist. hotels.com doesn't work as well as airbnb for rural areas and even in cities, you don't get to see anything about how flats are set up in the local area. The idea of trying to book accommodation for an anniversary weekend seems utterly mad. How do you comb through results? How do you pay? How do you view the reputation of the place? How do you know there aren't going to be animal bones all over the walls? Yes, you can ask all those things and go back-and-forth. Yes, you can set up a separate paypal payment, but all of that is time spent and additional worries.

dvt 9y ago

> Pinterest provides entertainment, product discovery, and community. This is kind of a non-statement. You could say that just about any internet based social network startup provides "community" and "entertainment" -- and yet many completely fail. This is quintessential grasping at straws and a posteriori reasoning. > Snapchat enabled a new type of communication by removing self consciousness. So did Yik Yak, so does IRC, so do anonymous forums, so does Kik. Again, this is kind of a ultra-general non-value value proposition. Why Snapchat got funded has nothing to do with the idea -- and everything to do with traction. > Airbnb provides quality lodging at low prices. So does hotels.com or (if you haggle a little) Craigslist. > Facebook provided authenticity, exclusivity, and increased information density through timeline. The timeline wasn't around when FB launched (back then we had the wall). I'm not even sure what "information density" means (or if it's even a good thing), it seems like 20-20 rear-view justification for FB's success. MySpace probably provided more authenticity, anyway (I could customize my page way more).

brucephillips 9y ago
Just to hone in on one example, do you really not see any benefit to using Airbnb over Craigslist for short term rentals? Even in the beginning? I can argue the other side, I think quite clearly, but I first want to make sure that's actually what you're claiming because it seems so demonstrably untrue.
Hasz 9y ago
Maybe more specifically, the value of all these networks lies in the network part. The tricky part is convincing the people that will use it to become part of the product.
afarrell 9y ago
> So does hotels.com or (if you haggle a little) Craigslist. hotels.com doesn't work as well as airbnb for rural areas and even in cities, you don't get to see anything about how flats are set up in the local area. The idea of trying to book accommodation for an anniversary weekend seems utterly mad. How do you comb through results? How do you pay? How do you view the reputation of the place? How do you know there aren't going to be animal bones all over the walls? Yes, you can ask all those things and go back-and-forth. Yes, you can set up a separate paypal payment, but all of that is time spent and additional worries.