6 ms·

I remember reading a comment on HN a while ago about the "basic" ways to create value (and make money) that really resonated with me. I can't for the life of me

by heipei 7y ago

I remember reading a comment on HN a while ago about the "basic" ways to create value (and make money) that really resonated with me. I can't for the life of me find it again. It was broken down into things people want like "information that others don't have" and "moving things from place A to place B where they wouldn't be otherwise" etc. Anyone remember that?

joshdance 7y ago
Interested if you can find that.
xwowsersx 7y ago
How recently?
- marcosdumay 7y ago
  Based on what I remember testing against the parameters, somewhere around 2013 - 2015.
FK3LRnamzX 7y ago
Just in case, have you tried using https://hn.algolia.com/ https://hn.algolia.com/?
sebg 7y ago
Remember it and have looked but haven't found it either. I think Paul Buchheit was even in the comment chain and expanded the list or argued against parts of the list or augmented parts of the list.
coreymatyas 7y ago
For once my slightly obsessive bookmarking habits come in handy! http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/catalog-of-wealth-creation-mechanisms.html http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/catalog-of-wealth-creatio... From this comment tree on the original discussion of pg's "Frighteningly Ambitious Startup Ideas": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3687080 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3687080 The whole tree is definitely interesting in addition to the blog post linked. Also, a follow-up post a few days later: http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/wealth-production-mechanisms-followup.html http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/wealth-production-mechani...
- heipei 7y ago
  Thank you so much, so it wasn't a comment but a full-fledged blog post. I've literally been searching for that for at least half an hour, so thanks again.
- anaxag0ras 7y ago
  Speaking of bookmarks, I'm curious how you organize your bookmarks and personal knowledge base. I'm currently using Evernote, and it's ok, but I'm looking for something better.
  - bluebit 7y ago
    What's wrong with standard Chrome bookmarks?
thecupisblue 7y ago
Well, if you consider material things as information, than the best way to create value is provide "Provide information where it's wanted" and "Optimise information delivery". When people want information they don't have and you either can create it (by combining information, which too comes at a cost - money, time, materials) or know how to obtain it. When people already have the information or a system put in place, you can always create value by cutting the path to information they want or need - that being optimising the system, processes, creating new ones, lowering inertia (how much willpower needs to be invested for me to obtain the information), providing it cheaper, faster, with more quality or cutting out other middlemen. You can use this framework to minimise some even more complex providers, for example, let's take an iPhone - It is a path to information (communication device) that distinguishes from others by helping people get to information in a faster, easier and more quality way. That's why Apple focuses so much on product design and UX and keeps it's customers - they can get to information with the path of least inertia, so Apple keeps most of iOS stuff the same through years - the "used to it" part is keeping low inertia for people so they can carry their habits through new devices instead of changing them. But some other places where the product gains much traction is because people want a signal boost of their socioeconomic status - that is not an easy thing to display, but a newest iPhone is a pretty optimised signal boost for that too, so it in a way optimises information delivery there too.

by heipei 7y ago

joshdance 7y ago

Interested if you can find that.

xwowsersx 7y ago

How recently?

marcosdumay 7y ago
Based on what I remember testing against the parameters, somewhere around 2013 - 2015.

FK3LRnamzX 7y ago

Just in case, have you tried using https://hn.algolia.com/ https://hn.algolia.com/?

sebg 7y ago

Remember it and have looked but haven't found it either. I think Paul Buchheit was even in the comment chain and expanded the list or argued against parts of the list or augmented parts of the list.

coreymatyas 7y ago

For once my slightly obsessive bookmarking habits come in handy! http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/catalog-of-wealth-creation-mechanisms.html http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/catalog-of-wealth-creatio... From this comment tree on the original discussion of pg's "Frighteningly Ambitious Startup Ideas": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3687080 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3687080 The whole tree is definitely interesting in addition to the blog post linked. Also, a follow-up post a few days later: http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/wealth-production-mechanisms-followup.html http://blog.rongarret.info/2009/10/wealth-production-mechani...

heipei 7y ago
Thank you so much, so it wasn't a comment but a full-fledged blog post. I've literally been searching for that for at least half an hour, so thanks again.
anaxag0ras 7y ago
Speaking of bookmarks, I'm curious how you organize your bookmarks and personal knowledge base. I'm currently using Evernote, and it's ok, but I'm looking for something better.
- bluebit 7y ago
  What's wrong with standard Chrome bookmarks?

thecupisblue 7y ago

Well, if you consider material things as information, than the best way to create value is provide "Provide information where it's wanted" and "Optimise information delivery". When people want information they don't have and you either can create it (by combining information, which too comes at a cost - money, time, materials) or know how to obtain it. When people already have the information or a system put in place, you can always create value by cutting the path to information they want or need - that being optimising the system, processes, creating new ones, lowering inertia (how much willpower needs to be invested for me to obtain the information), providing it cheaper, faster, with more quality or cutting out other middlemen. You can use this framework to minimise some even more complex providers, for example, let's take an iPhone - It is a path to information (communication device) that distinguishes from others by helping people get to information in a faster, easier and more quality way. That's why Apple focuses so much on product design and UX and keeps it's customers - they can get to information with the path of least inertia, so Apple keeps most of iOS stuff the same through years - the "used to it" part is keeping low inertia for people so they can carry their habits through new devices instead of changing them. But some other places where the product gains much traction is because people want a signal boost of their socioeconomic status - that is not an easy thing to display, but a newest iPhone is a pretty optimised signal boost for that too, so it in a way optimises information delivery there too.