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Ask HN: KidFriendlyPlaces.org - Feedback, opinions, guidance sought

8 points by PencilAndPaper ↗ HN
I have launched what used to be my side project/hobby. I am brand spankin' new to all of this startup stuff, so any and all advice any of you might have regarding what I have built would be very much appreciated!

http://kidfriendlyplaces.org/

Thanks!

11 comments

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companyhen
It's hard to scroll down without zooming out on the map because there is no max-width for the container the site is in.

Logo could use some work. The word (BETA) is too big for my taste.

Either geotarget the location and zoom in there, or start zoomed out more because I live nowhere near where the map is zoomed in at.

These are just a few of my opinions.. nice idea overall.

PencilAndPaper
Awesome, thanks!

Were you on a mobile device?

It does/should prompt you to share your location so that it can zoom to your area accordingly. Did it not prompt you? (uh oh)

companyhen
I just noticed the top bar says it wants to use my location [allow/deny], sorry about that! :)

I'm in Chrome on a 13" MBP. I allowed it, but I think it zoomed in a little too far, you should try giving a wider outlook in the general area the user is located in.

dgunn
I think you should get rid of the word Beta. It's a "kid friendly" site that a bunch of moms are going to find through search. None of them are going to know what that means. That said, it probably won't hurt anything. I just think people go out of the way too often to let people know that their site should be treated like an unfinished toy. It's not a toy. You made something you think is useful. Tell them it's useful and see if they tell you otherwise.

Any plans on how you're going to make this a startup? Making money etc?

PencilAndPaper
Thanks. Beta isnt necessary, you are right.

Money... not sure yet.

Thinking of charging a couple of bucks for people to post events/extra curricular lessons (festivals, summer camp, karate). Also thinking of charging a couple of bucks for businesses to run promotions in the popup info window of a their place in the map. Maybe later on the data will be useful for real estate, kinda like Walk Score. (??) Im more nerd than business, so I am having to think in new ways on the money question!

Asparagirl
Mommy and geek here. I like the site! But is there any chance we can have the data declared open, or made available through GeoJSON or things like that? If we're going to take the time to contribute new data, I'd like to know that it's not just ending up proprietary for your site.

Also, FYI, "nursing spots" may be state-law dependent in the US. In California, for example, every public spot is a nursing spot. :-)

jfoster
Agree that making the data open is something that it makes sense for savvy users to ask for. Do you think it would make sense from PencilAndPaper's business perspective, though? Regardless of open vs proprietary, there will be some users willing to contribute, so the data can probably be collected either way. If the data is open, there's an opportunity cost of a significant competitive advantage.
PencilAndPaper
>>If the data is open, there's an opportunity cost of a significant competitive advantage

I think I get what you are saying, but if you could elaborate on what you mean by this, it would also be helpful!

:)

jfoster
Well, as I see it... suppose you can collect the data regardless of whether you consider it open or proprietary. Under the "open" model, you get the advantage of (at least from some perspectives) doing the right thing by the community. The downside for you is that emerging competitors can take your data as a starting point rather than needing to go through the effort of building their own data. If you choose to keep the data proprietary, it could be one of your competitive advantages.
PencilAndPaper
I am all about Open here. I like that idea, but I am holding off on being too serious about money-implicating stuff for now. Just want to work on validating the concept: will people actually use the site, am I making any design or technical blunders that are preventing that, etc.

I WANT to go Open, and totally would if groceries were also Free and Open and my landlord decided not to charge me rent. We'll see where it goes and how much money promotions and event postings could bring in.

I am glad you are bringing that up though. I should start thinking about it harder.

Re nursing, it turns out from a survey of prospective users of the site that very few people are interested in looking for 'nursing spots'. I initially added it on the advice of a friend who was a very new, shy breastfeeder. I agree on your politics.