I love this idea, I want to do it. However, the biggest thing missing that I see here is the ability to a) tell you what timezone I'm in and what (approximate) time(s) I'd prefer the call to be made at; and b) leave a short note with additional information that will help you make the call.
For example I would consider getting this for my business partner because I think it would make him laugh, but I would want to tell you to call around 9:30 am EST and explain that he's my business partner and that if he asks why the heck you're calling him, to just say that his employees think he's super.
Would also be a good idea - maybe just for the fun of it - to have a stepped pricing plan.
So for $2 a month, someone will call you once a week and tell you that "You're adequate". :)
Seriously though, a cheap pricing plan (something less than a beer) for someone to do something similar via Social Media (Twitter, Facebook) might work too.
That was a fun hack. When i originally launched it - it proxied all the updates through the users accounts. ;) needless the users were like "wtf." heh. I removed that feature
I'm not sure that I get it. Isn't this a bit shallow? Surely it takes some of the joy out of being told that you're awesome if you have to pay people to tell you that you're awesome? A bit like paying people to be your friend?
Eh, no offense intended -- I was being short and direct, not getting personal.
But, this is one of those quirks of "geekish" conversation that can really, really irritate non-geeks (or, geeks like me that aren't in geek-mode): someone mentions a personal issue, and the geek -- who has probably at some point tried every non-obvious solution to some problem only to discover that it was the obvious solution that worked -- asks the person if they've considered the obvious.
The problem is that this often doesn't translate well to non-technical matters. By asking why I don't just call them and say the same thing myself, you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered, or that you have some unique insight into a personal situation, even though you have zero information about it.
That didn't offend me, but it is something that can bother people sometimes. This time I just chose the most direct method of letting you know that you didn't know enough to even ask such a question. I didn't have the time nor inclination yesterday to write anything longer, but I didn't want to leave your question unanswered since so many people seemed to think it was legitimate.
Someone in "non-geek mode" would just explain the situation, rather than go to all the trouble of typing in an elaborate explanation of geek vs. non-geek culture (and still not explain anything).
Thanks for your geeky response - upvoted with a smile.
>you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered
I didn't mean to imply this. I was (and remain) genuinely curious as to why you think hiring someone to tell a family member they're awesome would be more effective than simply calling them up and telling them yourself.
I took your reply as rude because you had introduced a personal issue on a public forum but didn't define your boundaries of what aspects you were willing to discuss publicly; and when I inadvertently crossed one such boundary you cut the line of questioning off abruptly rather than offering an explanation.
Again, thanks for clarifying where you were coming from.
Create a community - I'm sure if you created a separate section for people who would love to call your customers (and maybe even make a couple bucks), it would be therapeutic for them as well:)
So, I'd be happy to buy this (for a family member), but I can't tell when you'll call, and I can't tell how I get it to stop once I do buy it. Every day for a month is gonna be a bit much; by the end of it, they might be willing to pay to stop it.
Also, some kind of sample recording would be great. Is it gonna be cheezy? Cheeky? I'd like to know.
Please tell me this is not real and website feels like spammy ebook sale websites, especially the colour scheme, use a theme from or CSS template to fix it quickly.
You know I would love a recommendation of a good theme. Once I get the site ready to start throwing traffic at with AdWords, I'll A/B test and post results on HN.
Amazed at e no of replies received. Guess simplicity rules! Can't wait for the results. It would be great to see some number on signs/subscription/cancellation, etc.
Did you do any testing on this - as in, having a person use the service for 2-3 months? My feeling is that it might take off as a novelty, only to wear off quickly.
Hmmm. The best citation you can come up with for your claim on your about page that "Getting positive social feedback, via a daily reminder call, is instrumental to progress." is a book on personal development by Steve Pavlina?
My understanding is unwarranted ego-boosting can actually be harmful. But that does not mean people won't use the service.
Positive social feedback is super useful in achieving goals.
Also, I totally agree that it's key to have a balanced and accurate sense of self. But the vast majority of people are affected by social feedback. c.f. this study at Wake forest University http://psp.sagepub.com/content/29/5/623.abstract.
Positive social feedback is useful, but I think that I would take issue with the definition of social here. Social means genuinely social, not a paid reproduction of social. I would think that people who would genuinely enjoy this service may have some self-image and narcissism issues which would be better served by spending the money addressing those.
This is the same kind of awesome as claiming to be an amazing Casanova due to having slept with many prostitutes. It's not always about the action, but the intention.
you know, that's actually an interesting quirk in human psychology, and one that i'm going to have to figure out how to confront in my marketing messages. the truth of the matter is that you wouldn't get tired of it. it's just that in your mind, you imagine the succession of day1,day2,day3 consecutively, but in reality, a lot of your exposure burnout "resets" in a 24 hour period.
I think this should be a "Review My Idea" given how the site looks quick and dirty.
I like the idea, but I'm not sure I'd actually want someone calling me with regular reminders. Personally, I'd probably get pissed off and stop picking up the number. like the idea mentioned by pwim; make it a one time thing. I'd pay for that. You could always have the option of a subscription based or single use.
You could pay someone to remind someone you care about. Like, if you were going on a long journey or travelling, or lived in a different time zone from someone special to you.
Or you could send an email. Wouldn't it be worth more if you reminded them rather than a hired stranger reminding them, even if you can't remind them every day or every month?
There's surely a market, that point I do get, (how big I guess we'll find out) but sometimes I don't get this kind of allocation of resources. Just because you can do something, it doesn't mean you should.
Anyway to the point: the site is awful. Bright yellow background? It's too simplistic (too 90s) and it just seems like a "scammy" site--which ironically (by some's standards, anyway) it might as well be.
So my friend described it as an "almost ironic Saturday Night Live" type look. I'm inclined to agree, especially coupled with what has been described as the "1996" style design. But you know what? I have no idea whether that matters or not. Once I start throwing traffic at the site (tomorrow, maybe?) I'll be able to A/B test: what's better - overpriced stock photo, or picture of actual awesomenessreminder greeters?
I think this is more interesting as a one time thing. Sort of like a slightly more modern singing telegram. I just can't imagine enjoying getting that call every day.
"You're good enough, you're smart enough, and, gosh darn it, people like you."
101 comments
[ 0.20 ms ] story [ 124 ms ] threadIs there any plan to make "Monday / Friday" plans or something less frequent?
We can call whenever you want - just indicate the days you want us to call (or not call) on the new form.
I'd like to see a smaller plan size, something I could do on a one-off basis to someone on twitter.
For example I would consider getting this for my business partner because I think it would make him laugh, but I would want to tell you to call around 9:30 am EST and explain that he's my business partner and that if he asks why the heck you're calling him, to just say that his employees think he's super.
So for $2 a month, someone will call you once a week and tell you that "You're adequate". :)
Seriously though, a cheap pricing plan (something less than a beer) for someone to do something similar via Social Media (Twitter, Facebook) might work too.
But, this is one of those quirks of "geekish" conversation that can really, really irritate non-geeks (or, geeks like me that aren't in geek-mode): someone mentions a personal issue, and the geek -- who has probably at some point tried every non-obvious solution to some problem only to discover that it was the obvious solution that worked -- asks the person if they've considered the obvious.
The problem is that this often doesn't translate well to non-technical matters. By asking why I don't just call them and say the same thing myself, you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered, or that you have some unique insight into a personal situation, even though you have zero information about it.
That didn't offend me, but it is something that can bother people sometimes. This time I just chose the most direct method of letting you know that you didn't know enough to even ask such a question. I didn't have the time nor inclination yesterday to write anything longer, but I didn't want to leave your question unanswered since so many people seemed to think it was legitimate.
>you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered
I didn't mean to imply this. I was (and remain) genuinely curious as to why you think hiring someone to tell a family member they're awesome would be more effective than simply calling them up and telling them yourself.
I took your reply as rude because you had introduced a personal issue on a public forum but didn't define your boundaries of what aspects you were willing to discuss publicly; and when I inadvertently crossed one such boundary you cut the line of questioning off abruptly rather than offering an explanation.
Again, thanks for clarifying where you were coming from.
Pricing?
(hello @ awesomeness reminders . com)
No, seriously, I would pay for that!
The "You suck" version on the other hand has 7Bn potential users, each of which would probably be able to use the service for n other people (n > 1)
Also, some kind of sample recording would be great. Is it gonna be cheezy? Cheeky? I'd like to know.
I signed up, why not?
I think telling people they are awesome is a great idea. I agree that the website needs work. I like the charging for real people to do it.
My understanding is unwarranted ego-boosting can actually be harmful. But that does not mean people won't use the service.
Also, I totally agree that it's key to have a balanced and accurate sense of self. But the vast majority of people are affected by social feedback. c.f. this study at Wake forest University http://psp.sagepub.com/content/29/5/623.abstract.
This is the same kind of awesome as claiming to be an amazing Casanova due to having slept with many prostitutes. It's not always about the action, but the intention.
harvard psychologist daniel gilbert goes into detail about some studies that describe this in his book stumbling upon happiness, which i reviewed here. http://www.zacharyburt.com/2010/06/stumbling-on-happiness-pr...
if you end up getting the book, you may be particularly interested in the salty chip study.
I like the idea, but I'm not sure I'd actually want someone calling me with regular reminders. Personally, I'd probably get pissed off and stop picking up the number. like the idea mentioned by pwim; make it a one time thing. I'd pay for that. You could always have the option of a subscription based or single use.
Of course, that may not extend to everyone. I imagine a reasonable portion of the self help community would embrace this sort of thing.
Anyway to the point: the site is awful. Bright yellow background? It's too simplistic (too 90s) and it just seems like a "scammy" site--which ironically (by some's standards, anyway) it might as well be.
Have you compared the cost/effect of using Twilio vs a real person?
"You're good enough, you're smart enough, and, gosh darn it, people like you."