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Hacker news for problems would be great then.

ImprovedSilence 13y ago
Yeah. I really like the idea of someplace to wax poetic about unformed/really out there ideas, it really jogs the brain into super creative mode, and is just super fun to do.
soemarko 13y ago
Yep. And while I was composing this reply saying the community could help consolidating the problems and stuff, I realized it already exist, it's called StackExchange.
cadalac 13y ago
They should add it as a section to their site, similar to how we have the ask section here.
femto 13y ago
Or perhaps a kickstarter or indiegogo, that is driven by those with a problem, rather than those with a solution? Someone could post a "project wanted" and others could join in, until a critical mass is achieved and someone with the right skills sees it as a validated product and choose to build it and is okayed by enough backers. At that point, the funding from those that said "okay" kicks in and away the project goes.
- avalaunch 13y ago
  Interesting idea but it'll need some work. Let's say I have a problem - it takes too long to get from point a to point b. Do I propose a solution to the problem or just post the problem? If it's the former, my suggested solution may be too far reaching or not far reaching enough (teleportation vs make faster cars). If it's the latter, it may be easy to get people to agree a problem exists but hard to get them to agree on what a good solution would be. Of the two, the latter is probably the better option. Perhaps I list a pain point along with the amount I'd be willing to pay to have that problem solved. Others do the same. There's no tipping point because it's unlikely that by simply having a problem I'd also know how much it would cost to solve the problem. At any point, users/companies with the skills to solve the problem can propose solutions along with their minimum funding requirements and relevant credentials. I can select more than 1 solution and whichever solution reaches their minimum funding requirements first gets my pledge. Or instead of trying to compete with kickstarter, this could simply be a step that happens before campaigns are launched on KS. People list their pain points and the amount they'd be willing to pay to have them solved and then you charge companies to add their solution/link to their KS campaign.
  - femto 13y ago
    Yes, there would have to be some negotiation/matching on price. I'd see it as an iterative process, whereby a set of backers post a problem, with or without a cost estimate. The solver puts forward a proposal with estimated costs and each backer chooses whether they want to accept that proposal. The process then iterates until a tipping point is reached in the funding. Good idea to see it as an addendum to an existing service rather than a service in its own right. Or an amalgam might work, whereby the "kickstarter for problems" is a separate service, but on reaching the tipping point the project morphs into a regular kickstarter project, that has already reach its tipping point. This would require each backer to also have a kickstarter account (if not the kickstarter project would come up below its tipping point), but it would save a minimum viable product from the complexities of having to handle money.

Yeah. I really like the idea of someplace to wax poetic about unformed/really out there ideas, it really jogs the brain into super creative mode, and is just super fun to do.

soemarko 13y ago

Yep. And while I was composing this reply saying the community could help consolidating the problems and stuff, I realized it already exist, it's called StackExchange.

cadalac 13y ago

They should add it as a section to their site, similar to how we have the ask section here.

femto 13y ago

Or perhaps a kickstarter or indiegogo, that is driven by those with a problem, rather than those with a solution? Someone could post a "project wanted" and others could join in, until a critical mass is achieved and someone with the right skills sees it as a validated product and choose to build it and is okayed by enough backers. At that point, the funding from those that said "okay" kicks in and away the project goes.

avalaunch 13y ago
Interesting idea but it'll need some work. Let's say I have a problem - it takes too long to get from point a to point b. Do I propose a solution to the problem or just post the problem? If it's the former, my suggested solution may be too far reaching or not far reaching enough (teleportation vs make faster cars). If it's the latter, it may be easy to get people to agree a problem exists but hard to get them to agree on what a good solution would be. Of the two, the latter is probably the better option. Perhaps I list a pain point along with the amount I'd be willing to pay to have that problem solved. Others do the same. There's no tipping point because it's unlikely that by simply having a problem I'd also know how much it would cost to solve the problem. At any point, users/companies with the skills to solve the problem can propose solutions along with their minimum funding requirements and relevant credentials. I can select more than 1 solution and whichever solution reaches their minimum funding requirements first gets my pledge. Or instead of trying to compete with kickstarter, this could simply be a step that happens before campaigns are launched on KS. People list their pain points and the amount they'd be willing to pay to have them solved and then you charge companies to add their solution/link to their KS campaign.
- femto 13y ago
  Yes, there would have to be some negotiation/matching on price. I'd see it as an iterative process, whereby a set of backers post a problem, with or without a cost estimate. The solver puts forward a proposal with estimated costs and each backer chooses whether they want to accept that proposal. The process then iterates until a tipping point is reached in the funding. Good idea to see it as an addendum to an existing service rather than a service in its own right. Or an amalgam might work, whereby the "kickstarter for problems" is a separate service, but on reaching the tipping point the project morphs into a regular kickstarter project, that has already reach its tipping point. This would require each backer to also have a kickstarter account (if not the kickstarter project would come up below its tipping point), but it would save a minimum viable product from the complexities of having to handle money.