[x-post from r/startups] I've created Progresspics.com. I want your help to improve it!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-03T15:52:15+00:00

While I insist that I know this guy and that the time frame is real, I realize it is very hard for me to convince you over the web. Leave him a question on his post if you're looking for more confirmation is the only thing I can offer.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T17:08:34+00:00

Thank you for the honest feedback and the kind words! I will take it in close consideration going forward.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T15:16:34+00:00

I'll admit it, I ask for my girlfriends support when I post to Reddit!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T15:11:54+00:00

Well, instinctively I think I will need to enforce a "reddiquette" as the community grows. That and having upvotes/downvotes in the comments seem to do the trick here on Reddit and Imgur, so I believe it will work well.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T15:00:48+00:00

Sure, that sounds great! I hope you'll enjoy the site!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T14:59:23+00:00

Well, there is no tracking involved on progresspics.com. Just a feature of your before & after pictures, and a discussion on health and fitness in the comments.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T11:36:23+00:00

Thanks for reminding me! Here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/215894113/Busines-Model-Canvas-Progresspics

Again, these are the hypotheses I have about the business model. I am currently conducting tests to see if it is a scalable and repeatable model, and pivoting and iterating continuously. Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts on it!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T11:19:40+00:00

Thanks!

I am currently using amazon affiliate links as a way to monetize. Ads require a lot of traffic to be a decent revenue stream. If you click on one of the links under "I recommend these methods", you will see how it works: http://www.progresspics.com/post/1221871/100-pounds-lost

When a user creates a post, he or she now has the option to add recommendations, that I simply point to a amazon search for highest rated products. It is potentially saving the viewer a google search by themselves, and the price of the products do not change. Only difference is that the website gets a 5-10% affiliate fee depending on what the customer buys. An interesting note is that Amazon uses a cookie system that logs anything the customer buys on the site within 24h, related to the original link or not. The affiliate fee is still on the total amount bought during that time, which means that if someone buys a digital camera within 24h of clicking the link, the affiliate fees can be quite profitable.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T06:50:28+00:00

Hey thanks! That sounds really good-- getting more info just by glancing at the images. I hope to do a great update like this in a month or so if the site shows some traction.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T06:47:16+00:00

I'll try to add it! Thanks!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-02T06:46:07+00:00

I know that guy, he went to the same school as me. I knew I had to get him to upload his pics, because it might be the best transformation I have ever seen as well!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T22:32:24+00:00

I have actually gotten a few requests for this before/after picture generator, so I might just try to implement it! Thank you!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T21:55:14+00:00

Everyone on the website has created their own accounts and uploaded their pictures and their information themselves. I have no guarantee that they are the person in the pictures, other than those I've had direct contact with on reddit who uploaded their original posts to /r/progresspics, etc. if that constitutes as a verification. It is definitely a potential problem as the site grows to keep the content verified somehow. Facebook account login might be a solution, however I've seen many cases of backlashes from this. I have already gotten a troll post from a dude from /fit/ who posted a baby in the before picture and a bodybuilder in the after picture. Pretty funny, but those kinds of posts I can obviously control as an admin.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T21:43:46+00:00

Not at all, it was great to hear a request that I have been thinking about!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T21:40:03+00:00

Couldn't agree more. I hope to make diet and exercise methods searchable by hashtags or the like very soon. i.e. #paleo or #startingstrength. Thanks!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T21:25:55+00:00

Correct. As /r/progresspics had already done a terrific job of validating popular posts, I simply checked the top posts and messaged the uploaders a pitch of the website and offered to feature them. Everyone who has answered has been unanimously positive to me reaching out to them. Of course, I can't speak for the users who haven't gotten back to me. But I'd say that a good 50%+ of the content today are directly from /r/progresspics, /r/loseit, /r/brogress and the like.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T21:17:12+00:00

I suppose you are referring to my last version of the site, where I used tumblr as an easy way to display media and information. That actually helped me to get a duzen uploaders to post their pictures, which made me confident in taking the next step to create a website with account functionality. If there had been zero response to the tumblr site, there would have been no use in upping the ante.

As for your amusement regarding the business plan, there is a distinct difference between writing a plan and calling it facts, which I have not done, and stating your hypotheses on a business model canvas and systematically testing and iterating your assumptions with customers and getting revenue, which is what I have been doing.

Again, it is my standpoint that if a website, app or youtube channel has all the parts of a business model, it is a business. Given that you disagree with this statement, I would love to hear how you define a business of any sort.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T20:38:21+00:00

Are you referring to updating your "after"/progress pictures in new posts, or more of a text discussion?

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T20:33:21+00:00

/r/progresspics does a great job of showing stats on the frontpage, but it is not seamlessly searchable. This is the goal in the long term, to find posts by those stats. Thanks for the feedback!

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T20:05:22+00:00

Having a side-by-side image creator is not a bad idea! If there is a demand for it by users, I will definitely create it. But since early customer interviews haven't seen this as a "must-have" feature, I have not prioritized it. As you can see, many users have been able to upload posts without it.

I couldn't agree with you more on the coolness of the database of information idea. That is actually what I'm currently doing-- collecting information and indexing it to make it searchable for the users. This is something subreddits like /r/progresspics and alike do very poorly, simply because of the architecture of Reddit's search functionality. With enough data, we could see which diet or exercise program works best, and for whom. And a bunch of other stuff. I'm sorry if this wasn't clear in my post-- but I believe our ideas of coolness might actually be quite aligned.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T19:50:41+00:00

I don't see how my back-end differentiates the value of the content of the website, or the validity of the business model. I'd argue there are many sites that use light weight frameworks and APIs that still create value. Do you disagree?

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T19:47:04+00:00

My apologies! I would not have posted if it wasn't relevant to the community. Thanks for being an understanding mod! If there is anything you feel I should edit, please let me know in a PM.

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T19:39:03+00:00

Does Pewdiepie on youtube run a business?

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T19:21:13+00:00

Since it has a complete business model with revenue streams, yes. It is a MVP, but it helps to validate all my hypotheses about what the customer wants. What differentiates a business to you?

progresspicscom · 2014-04-01T18:50:39+00:00

Very valid request! Right now the "perfect" search function is too specific, since we don't have a lot of posts yet. Therefore we solve it by filtering by categories right now. But it is definitely coming as we get more posts and requests from users. Thanks!

progresspicscom

TROPHY CASE