View Full Version : thinking-small.co.uk
AntAvison
15th May 2009, 13:36
I'm in the process of setting up a new website.
It focuses on people in the community helping others by sharing there skills.
Instead of contacting a large garage for your car service I'm trying to encourage people to look in there local area for a neighbor who can do it.
Kinda like a community skills index...
So I'm looking for INDIVIDUALS, not businesses, to sign up to this website, you will notice it's a bit basic at the moment, but more and more has been planned for this in the next few weeks.
Please sign up today... IT'S FREE, you'll never get charged, it's all about helping you to help your neighbors.
www thinking-small co uk
Great Idea!
I often frown upon efforts on here by some businesses looking to cash in on a problem another is having....
My personal favorites are where a small company asks for help with a sales-script and is then expected to pay for it.
If a company needs help with a sales/marketing strategy then fairplay, a bit of networking could be good for both parties.
Nixies
15th May 2009, 15:18
I just tried to join clicked on the GET LISTED button. Then I persumed that I was registering but it refused me entry. Might be worth specify this it's a bit confusing.
Nice Idea though
eventdomain
15th May 2009, 15:39
Sounds okay in theory.
besides the years it will take to build the site, then promote it etc - it will take such a long time to do, with no guarantee enough people will use it.
Services just don't suddenly find websites and add themselves, it doesn't work like that. Sorry, but I've got incredible experience of this as I run a publishing company.
New start-ups wont get the interest - to get the thousands of businesses listed, which make up your resource. Have you thought how you're going to get past this first major hurdle or are you seeing cash signs?
AntAvison
15th May 2009, 16:10
I just tried to join clicked on the GET LISTED button. Then I persumed that I was registering but it refused me entry. Might be worth specify this it's a bit confusing.
Nice Idea though
When you click GET LISTED it checks if you are logged in before sending you to the members area... if you are not logged in it asks you for your username and password at the User Login page....... if you aren't registered, and I assume you'd know if you'd signed up or not... then there are register and forgot password links on that page too.... I thought it was all pretty simple.
AntAvison
15th May 2009, 16:13
Sounds okay in theory.
besides the years it will take to build the site, then promote it etc - it will take such a long time to do, with no guarantee enough people will use it.
Services just don't suddenly find websites and add themselves, it doesn't work like that. Sorry, but I've got incredible experience of this as I run a publishing company.
New start-ups wont get the interest - to get the thousands of businesses listed, which make up your resource. Have you thought how you're going to get past this first major hurdle or are you seeing cash signs?
Yes, I see what you mean, but this is a FREE service, not aimed at businesses at all... it's aimed at communities, individuals, people who are willing to massively undercharge in order to help other people out....
Why pay cost plus 120% to a money driven organization, when you can get it from your neighbor......
I'm not thinking of the money at all yet, I'm thinking about getting a service up there, telling my local community about it, getting it used and then maybe start spreading the word to the wider area.
IT's FREE, I make nothing on this, I'm doing it to help people!
Great Idea!
I often frown upon efforts on here by some businesses looking to cash in on a problem another is having....
My personal favorites are where a small company asks for help with a sales-script and is then expected to pay for it.
If a company needs help with a sales/marketing strategy then fairplay, a bit of networking could be good for both parties.
What do they do when you frown upon them? Repent?
(And why do they then become favourites?)
:rolleyes:
OP, nice idea: it'll take a shed load of work, but the very best of luck with it.
stugster
15th May 2009, 16:34
I often frown upon efforts on here by some businesses looking to cash in on a problem another is having....
Tell me about it. Makes me mad.
eventdomain
15th May 2009, 18:37
people who are willing to massively undercharge in order to help other people out....
If individuals massively undercharge, then they must be charging something, then that suggests these ARE businesses. If they do it for free then its a favour, but they aren't going to do that.
If your service advertises free favour for favour offers, then it becomes a different model, and whatever this idea becomes, will need cashflow to make it work and cannot see how you can give up crazy amounts of time to run this totally for free. You will need to cover running costs at least, and you're motivation wont last long without incentive.
People will expect this to be free and it will have to be to draw in these good samaritans. Personally, I feel 'volunteer service for service' wont have the numbers required to build a large resource to cover enough areas, towns etc. Might be too small a thing or too complicated for one man band type of operation.
The finding of these samartians and mailing involved to get this filled will be crazy. Planning the many hundreds of categories or link structure requires domain knowledge or experience of volunteering, services out there. The planning alone is a tremendous job, so what makes you think you can do this?
I kind of like this idea, but sounds like a minefield to manage such a resource.
AntAvison
15th May 2009, 18:50
If individuals massively undercharge, then they must be charging something, then that suggests these ARE businesses. If they do it for free then its a favour, but they aren't going to do that.
If your service advertises free favour for favour offers, then it becomes a different model, and whatever this idea becomes, will need cashflow to make it work and cannot see how you can give up crazy amounts of time to run this totally for free. You will need to cover running costs at least, and you're motivation wont last long without incentive.
People will expect this to be free and it will have to be to draw in these good samaritans. Personally, I feel 'volunteer service for service' wont have the numbers required to build a large resource to cover enough areas, towns etc. Might be too small a thing or too complicated for one man band type of operation.
The finding of these samartians and mailing involved to get this filled will be crazy. Planning the many hundreds of categories or link structure requires domain knowledge or experience of volunteering, services out there. The planning alone is a tremendous job, so what makes you think you can do this?
I kind of like this idea, but sounds like a minefield to manage such a resource.
The idea is for people to look at their community, ask the question, can someone on my street do this for me, I have got a good script running and ready to implement that will work out the distance between the user and the advertiser and display only results within 1km... Nowhere on the website does it mention money etc... it is upto the advertiser to quote for the job, it is also upto the end user to decide if they would like to use this individual or not.
I am able to give up so much time and effort for this due to a business venture I recently entered into, this give me an income for doing nothing but answer one or two support calls per month. Sure, Eventually I will introduce something like a 'Sponsored Links' scheme where people have the option to pay a small fee in order to have there listing at the top.... But not yet.
eventdomain
15th May 2009, 20:09
The idea is for people to look at their community, ask the question, can someone on my street do this for me, I have got a good script running and ready to implement that will work out the distance between the user and the advertiser and display only results within 1km... Nowhere on the website does it mention money etc... it is upto the advertiser to quote for the job, it is also upto the end user to decide if they would like to use this individual or not.
I am able to give up so much time and effort for this due to a business venture I recently entered into, this give me an income for doing nothing but answer one or two support calls per month. Sure, Eventually I will introduce something like a 'Sponsored Links' scheme where people have the option to pay a small fee in order to have there listing at the top.... But not yet.
Okay, but the first main obstacle is to fill this with community service providers. How will you go about this?
What type of website is this - a search engine?
AntAvison
16th May 2009, 08:19
Okay, but the first main obstacle is to fill this with community service providers. How will you go about this?
What type of website is this - a search engine?
Basically, at first I will spread the word locally, get it up and running in this area, once I've got everything working as I want it I'll start SEO and some marketing etc.
It is a search engine, but basic, if you search for Electrician in LS19 it will pull up all the records that match that.
This part of the website is already working.
eventdomain
16th May 2009, 12:31
Spreading the word is always a good idea, but how will you do this? This is much harder than you currently think it will be.
Your main advantage is this is a search engine that offers something different, but even with that - this will not be easy and you must be clear about how you will get people to it, and that means filling it first - nobody will return to an empty website. Once filled with service providers - then and only then can you realistically promote this.
Web design of this site will be SO crucial to it's success - an ordinary plain directory script will not work well. Also how you market using the site, is also important and if you get that wrong, it won't help.
You will likely underestimate the time and cashflow needed to do this, so if you think it will take you 12 months to set this up - think again. More like 5 years, is more accurate! and you cannot avoid this one single thing, and it has nothing to do with cashflow plunged into this - that won't help much actually. The effort and time is always an issue and can't be avoided.
Good luck with it.
admagic
16th May 2009, 15:18
Great Idea!
I often frown upon efforts on here by some businesses looking to cash in on a problem another is having....
My personal favorites are where a small company asks for help with a sales-script and is then expected to pay for it.
If a company needs help with a sales/marketing strategy then fairplay, a bit of networking could be good for both parties.
There is an impossible conundrum in there somewhere
Some businesses sell stuff.
Others sell the knowledge that helps businesses to sell stuff.
That is their livelihood, and just as businesses that sell stuff cannot give it away, businesses that help businesses to sell stuff cannot give away their product either!
And whilst some of us lend a hand with in depth stuff about sales and marketing, it is hardly unethical for those in that business to charge for their knowledge ...which is very expensive to acquire...
There are very few of us who are not here promoting something or other...
Having said that, I hate spam forums!.... Look at the legal threads and many of the answers tends to be..."we can help with that, please contact"
The compromise is giving a couple of ideas that provoke a sale in the fullness of time.......however the balance is always a problem.