Doesn't this sort of remove the need for secrecy and development that you were thinking about? Did they get there ahead of you because they didn't worry about the sorts of things you did?
I think you're raising a good point there. I need to think about it more but I think you're right. It's good food for thought. On one hand I feel the need to stay in stealth till I have a working prototype to give me a headstart on the other hand if I would have been open about it from the moment I had the idea it could have allowed me to gather feedback from the start.
I currently still think I was wise to stay in stealth because my idea has no barriers of entry. However I am going to change my timeline and start being more open soon. I hope to have a private alpha in a few weeks time.
I think you made a point against yourself there. If it has no barriers to entry, then what's wrong with publicizing it? Obviously, one person has already done it. Part of what entrepreneurs often do is think their ideas are unique. But someone has just proven that its not, and I think you'll see others will as well. Being open about your idea and getting feedback is not really likely to lead to a bunch of new competitors. If there are no barriers to entry, then your business is all about the long haul and other factors, not surprising the world with it. Execution is where the battle lies now. Getting all the help and feedback you can get and getting the work done is more important than keeping it all inside.
This is why I love this site! You're absolutely right and I want to thank you for letting me see that. It is late here and I am going to get to bed. However when I wake up I am going to start with writing out more details on where I am at and what I am doing. I hope to post them here soon.
"A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study." - Chinese Proverb
I discovered, to my dismay, that a company launched earlier this week doing the same thing I had intended to do. After seeing the implementation, its 80% of what I had envisioned and I probably could have done better, but, after wandering around their site and considering the idea more, I realized that it was not as promising as I had thought.
So, in actuality, the launch saved me from spending a lot of time on something that probably isn't a great idea anyway.
