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Ask HN: The project you're working on already exists. What to do?

8 points by danoc ↗ HN
This just happened to me.

I know I could design a better site, but that doesn't change the fact that the fundamental idea and features are still the same. I don't want the other site's owner to feel like I'm copying his site. Has this ever happend to anyone? Should I just scrap my project or go with it? I'm also looking to avoid legal problems.

23 comments

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Peroni
Has this ever happend to anyone?

It happens to most people. Very few ideas are unique. In fact most aren't.

I'm also looking to avoid legal problems.

Is your product/service classed as competition or do they provide a product/service that's copyrighted?

danoc
My project is just a fun website and is kind of like DearBlankPleaseBlank, FMYLife, and TextsFromLastNight.

It would be like me creating a website called ScrewMyLife and finding out that FMYLife already exists. The only difference is that FMYLife is wildly popular and all clones automatically fail. My competitor has probably received a couple hundred thousand visits (the content is very viral), but not enough that a well designed website could easily crush it.

toumhi
It happens all the time. Actually you should be worried if it doesn't exist (it may mean there's no market for it - however another website doesn't imply that there's a market, but it's a clue). Also, you will know what to copy and what to do better!
danoc
It's funny you say that. I made a website last summer targeted to freshmen entering college. There was absolutely no market, so it did really well and got 150,000 visits in one summer. I got an offer to buy the site (for a couple thousand) and said no. The guy ended up creating his own site and out did mine in every way. That's partly why I decided to work on a new project mid-way through the summer.
toumhi
yes, it can also happen you discover a new market. In that case, great :-) However, I think many developers make a mistake of doing something that has absolutely no market...
[dead] 9ec4c12949a4f3
I know what you mean, I heard this guy was going to make some site called GesichtBuch, but some guy had already made MeineRaum before, and it was wildly popular,

Oh wait, that's facebook and myspace.

------

Ask yourself, are you making this platform to make your competitor happy? No? Why is this a concern for your business?

evolution
It happens all the time. What I've learned from past is if your idea is unique then it is likely that there is no market for it. Idea doesn't have to be unique, there can be two players in the market, it's execution that matters.
danoc
What if the features are the almost the same but the design/experience is vastly superior?

Imagine that FMYLife was created two years ago but never really went anywhere because it was poorly marketed and just looked like crap. You KNOW there's huge potential and it would do much better with an improved design/experience. That's sort of where I'm at right now. The problem is that the only new feature I can think of is to use Facebook connect to grab a user's like and suggest personalized content.

[dead] btc_man
Make your site anyway.
diolpah
'Has this ever happened to anyone?'

Yes. When we started our company, the space was already fairly crowded. We worked to do it better than they were.

Also, if you ever intend to grow, you will have to get over your fear of legal problems. Retain an attorney and run critical plans by him/her.

fjw
A few weeks ago, someone on here wrote that if you are pursuing a business with no competition, you are either a genius or a fool.
c4m
It is very rare these days that you'll come up with an idea that hasn't been done.

What's important is that you do it better than anyone else - so take a look at how they're doing it and figure out how you can do it better.

dgunn
We're actually about to launch (probably this weekend or next) a service that already exists. We just don't think our service has been done very well yet, so we're not that worried. We just decided that we won't over build it at first. We're launching something that solves the big problem and we'll see what the users want. Don't worry too much. Worse case, you have to make another startup. And that's just fun!
danoc
Thanks and good luck with your launch!
matmann2001
This kind of thing happens a lot more than you think. Unless the existing site has a patent thicket, my advice is go for it.

If this is a project that you care about, and one at which you can do a better job, then don't let anything hold you back. What would our world be like without competition?

Futur1st
Burger King was started even though there was already McDonald's...think of it as a validation of your idea and find a way to make yours better
keiferski
I would say: come up with a better idea. I know it's in vogue to claim that "ideas are worthless' and "it's already been done before", but quite honestly, I think that's crap.

Personally (me, one individual) have 4-5+ solid "ideas" with significant market research behind them. None of them have competitors, whatsoever, and all of them solve huge problems in the marketplace. The only thing holding me back is a lack of technical skill, which I am solving by learning how to program.

So, that being said, I would think a little harder. Rome wasn't built in a day, and an original idea isn't likely to come in a weekend.

danoc
The thing is that I was actually in the same position as you. I've been keeping a list of ideas (most crap, but some good ones IMO) for the past 5+ years. The only thing holding me back was technical skill as well. Now I finally have the skill to build it. I've been thinking about this site for at least three years.
rabidonrails
I think I remember reading something where PG addressed this issue. To paraphrase, you don't know if both you and your competitor are aiming for the same goal. Even though your products might look similar and provide similar technology, yours might be better for a certain vertical that isn't being addressed. Having similar or even the same idea isn't bad, just make sure to stay focused on what you're really trying to achieve.

Hell, there's a reason they haven't cornered the market.

Miquel2
Redefine the idea and be more innovative than your competitor. Your new project will be much better.
yannis
Ever been to a food court? They all essentially sell food and more or less all of them make a success of it. You need to get to the core of the idea and breed a USP around it.
daniel71l
Its actually a good thing you have found another site.

It validates your idea and gives you a focal point to differentiate yourself.

How can you be different? what can I do better?

how can I do a more customer centric solution?

how can I market better?

make yourself "not" the other site - how?