Re-Inventing Our Wheels

So have you ever come into work on a Monday morning thinking that your plans will be laid out and wrapped up with a nice little bow? And when you are ready to open up your day's agenda, there will be no surprises? Typically when that happens, you are probably nursing the residual effects of the weekend's hangover (Or if you're a Charger fan like me, you're still a little buzzed from a strong effort of trying to drink away the pain of another loss).

Either way, that was the general sentiment I had walking into the office yesterday. I had done a weekend's worth of talking about Gotta Guy, shared the idea with friends, argued with others about the methods of spreading a utilitarian app on Facebook, and still (stupid as it may sound) thought that we were doing the right thing.

I was out of line!

The fact is that when building an application for an environment in a constant state of reinvention, your immediate objectives have to ebb and flow while still keeping the "Big Idea" in your crosshairs. What I'm trying to say is that no plans are concrete and nothing is guaranteed.

Take the case of Gotta Guy. The idea is that we'll have an application that will be filled with user-generated content that will be very user-friendly. We have architected a complex database to handle and search all of the information that we plan on storing. We have designed the application to make any kind of information accessible within a couple of clicks. For the voyeurs, browsing amongst friends would be simple.

Like I said before, the plans were in place and we just wanted to get it live which would work to teach us what we should have been considering all along in the planning. What happens to the first 200 people who install the app? Will they just stall out? Do they have any information to browse? Do they have ANYTHING to do? And the unfortunate answer that I had to come to terms with was 'probably not.'

Back to the drawing board, right?

No.

Re-Invent?

Yes.

Look at the Rolls Royce, a dime-piece of a car. It really is. It has all the bells and whistles that you could possibly want on 4 wheels. That was our application. But that's not what Facebook users are buying. Facebook users are looking for the Honda Accords of applications. I say an Accord because that was my first car when I was 16 and it did everything that I wanted out of a car. It went when I hit the gas, it stopped when I hit the brake, and generally speaking (while stealing Facebook’s own words), helped me "connect and share with the people in [my] life."

So, all clever juxtaposition aside, we're stripping it down. We're planning on giving users what they need with little focus on what we think they may want. Plus, would you rather us listen to you when you tell us what you want rather than come up with it ourselves?

Stay tuned...

Well I'm pleased to announce to everyone that we are going to be headed to our first networking event tonight to mingle amongst the social networking crowd. That's right, what a better way to get to know the Social Networking landscape than to network...socially. Ha!

Tonight's event "Drinks and Apps" is an event organized by one of the Godfathers of social media, Michael Burke. Although we will save the story of how our paths crossed for a later date (it involves a bar crawl and Santa costumes), I will say that Michael is the co-founder of a company called AppsSavvy (www.appssavvy.com). The company is a direct sales team for leading applications and developers in the social media space. His experience in the industry is extensive and invaluble to us in our stage of development.

We're very excited to go out and meet some of the other players in the social media space. Developers, marketers, big brands, small brands, and everyone in between will be amongst those cheering this new budding industry. Just as the Googleers of the mid-ninties jumped in head first to Online Search, I'll be tipping a few back with like-minded folks looking to get a better understanding of the world known to many as Social Media.

See you on the other side...

Here we go!

It's coming down to the wire. Plans are in place. We're fine tuning the design. And we're really excited to have this idea take off.

The application is named Gotta Guy. No it's not a dating site, but you can check out other user's profiles. It's not a matching service, but you can find yourself something you need. We're creating a Facebook application that will allow users to store, share, and recommend service providers to their friends.

Now, I'm sure you go to Google or Yelp or CitySearch when you're looking for a plumber, a dentist, or a pediatrician. Yes, all those listed above have information that you may be looking for. You can call the office, but you'll probably get the same response from everyone: "We are the best." You can read the reviews, but who knows if the person writing the review is even trustworthy?

Gotta Guy will allow you to enter the information of the service providers that you use. So now you will have all the information about the service providers that you use in one place. You will also be able to search among your social networks to find out who other people use - other people that you know and trust.

In the past I've searched for mechanics and eye doctors on Google. I've searched for florists on CitySearch. I've searched for a cleaning service on Yelp. In all honesty, the providers I end up using are the providers that are recommended by friends. And this is the case for everyone I've talked to. Why wait for the friend to call you back when you can just log into you Facebook account?

We all do it. We are all voyeurs. In fact, a word that gets tossed around my group of friends when referring to Facebook is "creepy." You can creep around, looking at peoples pictures, check out what they've been up to, revisit with old friends (minus the actual 'visit' part), and now you'll be able to see who they use as a hair stylist or a locksmith. You can read their reviews and determine if it's someone that you want to use. It's that easy, and if your saying to yourself that this guy doesn't know what he's talking about, then ask yourself: how often do you log into Facebook just to see what's going on with your friends? How often do you browse through your friends' profiles to see where they're working now or who they're dating? How often do you friend request a new collegue or co-worker and try to get to know them through their profile prior to getting to know them in person?

Me...I'm guilty.

I also want to make sure that we take the transparent approach to building an application. I want to create something that people not only want to use, but that they need. I can't give you what you want unless you tell me about it; I can only assume so much. Consider this a forum to bitch, moan, complain, compliment, give suggestions, give a pat on the ass, whatever you feel - put it into words.

Thanks!