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Ask HN: Rate my startup: Quirk

12 pointsby andrewacoveover 14 years ago
Quirk connects your social network profiles to a QR code. Scan to connect.<p>http://www.getaquirk.com/<p>Please check it out and let me know what sucks, what works, and if you'll ever use it.<p>Thanks!

8 comments

snowmakerover 14 years ago
Andrew, this is cool. Love the name, by the way - "Quirk" for a QR code company is very memorable.<p>A few suggestions:<p>1) Agree with the other posters about an explanation on the home page.<p>2) The process by which I had to choose a permalink was confusing - why do I need to choose a permalink before I get my quirk? It would be way more dramatic to have the QR code pop up immediately after I FB connect. This could also help with (1) - you could caption it "This is your personal QR code!"<p>3) With FB Connect, you can import not just name, but profile photo and other public data. I'd expect you to generate a profile page at my permalink seeded with that information.<p>4) Obviously, the mobile apps are pretty key. I sent the QR code to my phone via text (I like that feature, btw). But pretty soon it will get buried in my SMS inbox. I need a way to pull it up immediately, like a Quirk app would do.<p>5) I like the idea of getting conference organizers to embed quirk codes in name cards. But before I would actually do that, I'd probably want:<p>a) Really good profiles at the permalinks<p>b) Customization / branding. It's my conference so I want to promote myself, not getaquirk.com. Branded profiles and conference-specific quirk codes would be key.<p>c) Analytics / insight into how people are using it.<p>Of course that's just my guess - you might talk to some conferences and go through the exercise of selling them on the product to figure out what's truly important to them.<p>(edit - formatting)
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photon_offover 14 years ago
I love the concept of having an image be my GUID. In fact, I like the concept of cute little square images being aliases for something else, and that there exists a way to decode them. This is such a high level and useful idea that it's bound to succeed for somebody.<p>The value I see here is the platform, not the "social networking bla bla bla" service. In other words, I would aim to become the platform for QR-to-URL mapping. As of now, you are a QR-to-very-specific-URL mapping service, and the specialization you are taking (a page of my aggregated social networks) is nice, but IMO isn't the most interesting aspect of this. It's more of a demonstration of the usefulness of the idea as a whole.<p>I'm imagining a world where I see Quirks on product packaging, on product advertisements, on business cards, coupons, promotions, and just about any other surface where I'd otherwise encounter a cumbersome URL. The convenience? I just point an internet-equipped digital eye at it, and I can view the website. By cramming a URL into a Quirk, and printing that Quirk on something, one includes a seamless path from a physical item to it's digital representation. Of course, that pathway needs to be thoroughly tread in order for it to be popular. I see two main obstacles. First, iPhones and other similarly functional devices aren't quite as widespread as they will be. This works in your favor: pretty soon everybody will have these devices and you're service will be more valuable.<p>The second, where you should aim to come in, is that there needs to be <i>one</i> place that these QRs are registered. This is the type of idea, like Twitter, Facebook, and the ".com" TLD, the has a feedback look of pervasiveness and usefulness. If you became <i>the</i> place to create QR-to-URL mapping, you'd have a stake in whatever QR (actually, just image-to-URL) evolves into down the road and whatever it is used for.<p>That's my take on this idea. It seems extremely likely that there is already a QR-to-URL mapping service available... and if there isn't there more definitely should be. We're talking paradigm here. Those quirks you see on product packaging? Well, it's a given there to be used with "getaquirk" (or whichever company does this and gets lucky), just as @whatever means twitter.<p>If I were you, I'd put all my effort into getting your idea validated (and vetted) and branded. Realize your biggest obstacle is not that you must become ubiquitous for this idea to succeed , but that you must seem like you're the service that is <i>going to be</i> ubiquitous. Realize that anybody using your service is investing their time and energy into the platform. Why buy a .info domain when .com is available? You need to be the .com. You need to get traction before all else. Get big names using this, make the "getaquirk" viewer app on all major platforms; stake your claim.<p>Here's a really quick win for you: Quirks should contain some sort of inerit branding in them. Perhaps a digitized "Q" in the upper right, or something. This would be your "@".
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zooeyover 14 years ago
I think you must insert what are the benefits for people to use it. Just a phrase. Why I have to use it? What is in it for me?<p>Your homepage it's too "obscure".
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canterburryover 14 years ago
Andrew,<p>First off, it was very cool to chat the other night at the night owls. Very much appreciated your thoughts on connecting to different APIs.<p>I do agree with the other reviewers that the purpose and uses for this product need to become more obvious. I would suggest including some brief illustrative use cases on the front page for people to start salivating over what cool things they can now do that they couldn't before. Having to read the FAQ via "What's Quirk" should not be the primary way visitors learn about your product.<p>Also, for the dramatic effect of getting your Quirk, why not actually generate it right on the front page with a subtext of "make this Quirk do...." with options for people to chose from? I think that would also help communicate the use of the product better.<p>Also, why can't I just paste a link (any link to anywhere) that I want my quirk to go to? You could make it a pass-through your site and probably find business models for that as well (I am making the assumption that the Quirk embeds the link back to your site specifically but could go anywhere).<p>"Link your social network accounts" makes me believe I will get a Quirk that takes people to my actual Facebook profile rather than a Quirk profile.<p>Smaller Things:<p>Once logged in, when I click you logo, it doesn't take me back to your front page as I would typically expect.<p>When I chose to log in via Facebook and then subsequently denied your oauth request, i just get an error page on your site.
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pedalpeteover 14 years ago
The first test I give any 'Rate my start-up' is to go to the homepage without reading the submitters post.<p>The question I ask my self is 'do I know what this is and how I'd use it just by looking at the homepage?'.<p>Unfortunately, your description isn't on the homepage. "see, scan, connect" may mean something to you, but it doesn't mean anything to me.<p>On the homepage, I get that the barcode has something to do with app scanning, but it doesn't tell me much more. What do I get if I scan the image? What am I supposed to get? Do I want it?<p>Your 'faqs' page isn't a whole lot better. I'd suggest getting something on that homepage which is a quick "we're making the world a better place by..."
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exlineover 14 years ago
Agree, great name for the product. I'm starting to see traction around QR Codes. Your timing might be very good.<p>The value proposition is not very clear. Why would I use your product, what is the <i>benefit</i> of using it. It appears that your business model is to target conferences, is that correct? Will it always be free to everyone else?<p>One minor issue, on the FAQ page, it says: "A Quirk is a type of QR code, a two-dimensional barcode represented by a pattern of black and white squares (like the one at the top of the page)." But there is no a QR code on the to of the page.
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ronnierover 14 years ago
Clickable <a href="http://www.getaquirk.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.getaquirk.com/</a>
jesusabdullahover 14 years ago
Looks neat, though I don't have a smartphone. Someday maybe, huh?<p>I guess my question (and I find myself asking this question of pretty much any free service) is: If it's a startup and it's free, how are you going to make money off it?
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