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Go Fucking Do It
- jabits 13y agoIf I had the points, I would downvote this. Titles like this are rude and meaningless. Will not bother reading.
- lexcorvus 13y agoThere's a karma threshold for downvoting comments, but stories can't ever be downvoted (though they can be flagged, again subject to a karma threshold, so perhaps that's what you meant).
- mootle 13y agoThe startup is just a simple webpage that takes your money if you don't make a deadline you set; And the author is a self-procclaimed "entrepretraveler".
- ZenPro 13y agoQuotation marks for startup as if you are trying to express disdain? You might want to actually structure a coherent, credible response otherwise you are simply lowering the quality of posts of HN. Regardless of your opinion of the idea/execution it qualifies as a startup. The same "startup" tags could be applied to Quora (I write content for free, you make people log in to view it to profit) or any other number of enterprises. EDIT TO ADD: Poster has removed the tags around startup without adding in his edit history to show it.
- xtc 13y agoHow in the hell is this a start-up? It's a website.
- ZenPro 13y agoIt fits the criteria of being a startup. It scales and it is not spec work. Why do you think it is not a startup?
- xtc 13y agoDoes every project someone spits out on a domain name automatically constitute it as a start-up? Is he intentionally building a solid business around this and actively trying to scale it? Is there anything to this other than a preposterous personal goal and obtaining that sweet HN cred? This is a personal project with no intended future other than the experience. Calling it a start-up is going overboard.
- ZenPro 13y agoDo you think you are the person that gets to be the final arbiter on whether the OP is or is not forming a startup? Do you think HN front page is a good start to scaling...? Why do you think you are qualified to pass judgement or even question whether his intention is to build a solid business? Can you even define a 'solid business'? Are startups solid in any definition? Surely once a business idea has scaled/matured into something solid is no longer a startup? Are personal projects and startups now mutually exclusive? That must be news to Martha Stewart, the boys at innocent Smoothies (sold to Coca Cola) and the entire forum of Mumsnet. Not to mention these guys - http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224357 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224357 You might not like his proposal but you don't get to label it a non-startup when it actually fits every technical definition of the criteria. Oh, and by the looks of this thread his potential customer base might be polarised but the idea is pretty validated. People are putting down money and defending the brand. Sounds like he has a business to me...
- xtc 13y agoNo I am not, nor did I assume that grand position. Good for scaling? Possibly. Good in general? It does not mean anything especially if you compare to the garbage that winds up within the top 20 links each day. I defend my position as a sentient being that can offer sane judgement. He's doing 12 'start-ups' in 12 months. I should not have to say anything else to justify why this is such an absurd idea. His reasoning is that he can do this because someone else completed 180 projects in 180 days. The analogy alone should tell you that he is not taking this as seriously as he should for each to be considered a start-up (realistically). Practice is excellent but he's doing this for the number not for the raw value of any particular experience. Start-ups are solid in the definition that they should have a reasonable business plan to expect anything of value (experience, cold hard cash, what have you). There are objective manners in which to approach whether something has merit as opposed to viewing business plans in a nebulous fashion believing that 'everything is possible!' Personal projects and start-ups are not mutually exclusive, nor did I state this. I said that a project should not automatically become a start-up.
- notimetorelax 13y agoIt's the project name, but you're right some may be offended by it.
- jotm 13y agoIt's actually a great idea. May need some refinement, but it has potential for all the self-employed people out there who struggle with meeting deadlines and achieving goals...
- Milkyme 12y agoWhat exactly do you mean by 'refine'?
- jabits 13y agoedit: sorry. Nevermind. In a bad mood. I get a little tired of some of the naming these days. Its like, what are you going to do, Go home and say to your kid, Hey try that just f do it library
- oneeyedpigeon 13y agoIt's unclear whether, on gofuckingdoit.com, the penalty fine gets paid to the friend acting as a referee, or the owners of the site.
- drewmate 13y agoIt seems like it goes to the owners of the site... which gives me an idea for a business. I will be the 'friend' for anyone who signs up for this service, and when they fail, I'll charge them $5 to lie to GFDI. It's bulletproof.
- fnbr 13y agoAgreed. I would sign up if the money went to my friend (with a reasonable cut to the owner), but not if the money goes to the owners.
- paulgb 13y agoWell, if you don't want the money to go to the owner, that's all the more incentive to Go Fucking Do It ;)
- riggins 13y agoI hope the developer lets us know how this goes. I'm kinda dying to know if people actually sign up to send some random website money. As it is, I'm almost wondering if its satire.
- pieterhg 13y agoIn the back of my head was letting the user pick a charity and/or indeed letting the user specify a third friend to send it to (and maybe take a cut from there). I'll keep reading what everyone here thinks and implement that once there's some consensus.
- oneeyedpigeon 13y agoHaving it go to the first friend encourages an obvious bias, although that just depends on how much you trust that friend. Having it all go to you, the site owner, seems a bit unfair (a massive reward/effort ratio!) and nominating a charity would be an excellent way of mitigating that. I've heard of a similar incentive-based scheme in which you pay money to an entity you dislike (e.g. democrat donating to republican party) if you fail.
- primitivesuave 13y agoAwesome app and beautiful interface! I think I'll sign up for it tomorrow...
- _xczx 13y ago12 startups in 12 months? That's just strange.
- primitivesuave 13y agoOr one startup that pivots 12 times a year.
- zalzane 13y agoI think he's trying to take the same approach that mobile game developers do - generate lots of smaller titles instead of one big one so you have more chances of hitting it big.
- watwut 13y agoI think that game a month challenge was primary meant to be for fun, learning and to motivate rapid prototyping. It has nothing to do with generating big hits.
- gkya 13y agoThat's actually utterly idiotic; as in “12 songs in 12 months” or “52 paintings in 52 weeks”. One does not routinely come up with good ideas or get inspired.
- ZenPro 13y agoThis is so wrong I don't know where to begin. Your comment is also blatantly ignorant of the high output of artistic work that was produced "on spec" during the renaissance and other artistic periods. 52 paintings in a year was not uncommon for painters that are now revered as old masters. Good ideas and inspiration are, despite your opinion, largely a product of routine. The routine of capturing thoughts and directions followed by the routine of planning, implementation and possibly review. The idea of a tortured artist throwing a smattering of paint at a canvas in frustration because his "spark" is gone is largely a figment of the modern imagination. Art has been made to order on demand for most of history. EDIT TO ADD: Downvoting without a response? Thanks for proving my point.
- jjin082693 13y agoWhat I don't quite understand is: what kind of person would rather pay 25USD to some -- for all intents and purposes -- unknown organization over a good friend whom they know will hold them accountable. Plus it'll be a whole lot harder to lie to a friend; with this, it's as simple as clicking the other button.
- dajohnson89 13y agoIf the money went to the friend, it would be easier to recruit them. Although in that case, they will have a perverse incentive to hinder your progress. Perhaps it's better to have the money go to a non-profit org of your choice.
- jjin082693 13y agoHa. In that case I guess it'd be up to the user to choose their friend wisely. An option to choose where the money goes definitely seems in order.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- ZenPro 13y agoI have seen this a number of times but the money goes to a charitable cause instead. Oprah Winfrey also pioneered it via television. Not totally sure why a random stranger would forward you money for procrastinating but that does not mean they won't. In Europe anyone accepting transactions online is bound by Distance Selling Regulations which means they can demand their money back within 7 days, no questions. I would factor that little admin nightmare into your business/legal plan.
- keesj 13y agoThe 'Distance Selling Regulations' does not apply for "contracts for services where you agreed to the service starting before the seven working days has expired"[1] [1] http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/distance-selling-regulations http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/distance-s...
- ryanseys 13y agoSo a few buttons and a credit card field is all it takes to be a "startup"? I think I'll write myself a startup tomorrow. Edit: Or today even, you know, in the true nature of the post.
- ZenPro 13y agoWhat do you think a startup requires? The idea scales, it is not spec work. According to YCom criteria it is a startup. shrug
- danellis 13y agoyawn Enough with the "shock" titles. You're not impressing anyone. Grow up.
- morgante 13y agoLove it. The idea has been tried before, but I've never seen an incarnation this simple. I like that there's no requirement to create an account (for either me or my friend) and the UI feels perfectly sized for the complexity of the task. Plus, it works. I'd been meaning to clean my desk for weeks, but after assigning $50 to getting it done today I finally did it.
- heurist 13y agoYou could hire someone to clean an entire apartment for $50.
- morgante 13y ago> You could hire someone to clean an entire apartment for $50. Obviously the point is to not lose my $50.
- heurist 13y agoI get the point. I'm saying that if you're willing to potentially lose $50 over 5 minutes worth of self-discipline you might as well spend it on a cleaning service and get a few hours worth of self-discipline instead.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- throwawayLSKDNF 13y agoAwesome! I just added some short-term 100-dollar TODOs. (1) The product needs a basic F.A.Q. (What, exactly, happens to my card information? You don't put a hold on the funds, right? Do you know your shit with respect to securing your servers?) (2) Take my email. Send me a confirmation. Remind me the day before. And then email me the conclusion.
- rartichoke 13y agoThe big problem I see is how do you pick the accountability partner? It needs to be someone who you would trust with an arbitrary amount of money because as soon as there's an ounce of distrust then the entire idea falls apart. I'm not going to put up $250 if I think there's even a 0.0000001% chance the accountability partner will improperly log that I didn't do it.
- eurleif 13y agoThe money doesn't go to the accountability partner. So if they place any value at all on your friendship, why would they do that? There's nothing to gain. Also: >I'm not going to put up $250 if I think there's even a 0.0000001% chance the accountability partner will improperly log that I didn't do it. Really? An expected loss of $0.00000025 bothers you?
- rartichoke 13y agoIt doesn't matter where the money goes to in the end, the only thing that matters is the risk taker loses the money. There's a very big difference between "internet friend I've known for 4 years and I would consider him a decently close friend" and "I'm willing to hold this guy accountable for $1,000". I think you guys under estimate at how hard it will be to find an accountability partner who is actually worthy. Your family members will have a bias to not let you lose the money. Really close friends (the people you can trust) might too but the questionably close friends aren't quite trustworthy enough to let them decide on your $500, etc..
- eurleif 13y ago>It doesn't matter where the money goes to in the end, the only thing that matters is the risk taker loses the money. Sure it does. It's the difference between expecting people to behave morally and expecting them to behave in their own rational self-interest. The latter isn't completely reliable, but it's a much, much safer bet than the former.
- 13y ago