

Why being first doesn't matter. - georgel

I have been working on my startup since August, and released our app (Gruburg) in November. The day after it got released, Google HotPot was announced. Since what I made was basically the same as Google's new product, my spirits were destroyed.<p>Fast forward to today. At this point I am on the third version of the app, with social features and other things. I am even giving people money to use the app! Nothing, stuck with just organic(read: slow) growth. Foursquare releases their update today and its 1:1 with my app features. Why would anyone download another geolocation app, if they already have one that friends use?<p>Spirits destroyed, I am thinking of killing Gruburg. Being first (or having grand ideas) means nothing to me now, regardless of execution.
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elektrolyte79
It's been said many times that there is no such thing as an original idea,
that everything created in the world is a derivative of or inspired by
something else. For the most part I think this is true but it also depends on
how you define originality. If you're a purist, which is sounds like you are,
then originality is extremely hard to achieve. I mean, the very essence of
inspiration means being inspired by the idea, words or work of someone or
something else. I think a better way thing to strive for is creating something
useful, something that brings people joy and/or improves their lives. In the
end, if you're work is derivative of something else, who cares, as long as
it's not plagarism and you've made meaningful changes or improvements that
differentiates your product from the inspiration - then originality starts to
not matter so much. Don't start by trying to reinvent the wheel - maybe start
out by trying to make it better or more useful for a particular group of
people.

Good luck!

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baremetal
Consumer marketing is hard, the people are flighty.

