

Ask HN: Looking for feedback/recommendations - Hoot.com  - lsternlicht

We are about to launch hoot.com through Facebook friends, which we figure will reach approximately 5000 people immediately. Before we do, I thought that HN would be a good place to ask for feedback and comments.<p>Thanks in advance.<p>Leo
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dcbrandao
Requiring a user to type in a zip code for the registration is awkward when
all that is required is a country (and zip codes only apply to the united
states).

I like how it find matches for products that have already been entered when
you submit a new one, but it seems that only the first submission will set the
product's URL and description, which is what most people will see when they
view an item.

Also, it's not obvious at first what URL should be submitted for a product. I
wanted to add 'Blast Corps.', but still am not sure what should be done for a
product no longer in retail.

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anigbrowl
What's the point? Am I going to win any of these items, or earn a discount? Or
is this the internet equivalent of window shopping? Seems like a complete
waste of time to me. Sorry :-/

edit: it's the window-shopping that I don't get. The implementation of the
idea looks great, I just fail to understand why anyone would engage in this
activity to begin with.

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lsternlicht
Yeah, you do get the point. It allows people to endorse products so that other
people can "window shop" what people like.

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noodle
interesting concept, but i don't know how interested i'd personally be in it
until it starts to pick up on trends.

like, it sees what i hoot and compares me to other people's hoots and suggests
things for me to look at based on how i hoot.

i'd think that this is where the power would be, not to just see what gets the
most hoots.

