wishlist
Today I thought of an idea. A real honest-to-goodness web 2.0, Google-buyout-typed idea. I mulled it over in my head for hours. I started spending the VC money in my imagination. Information Architecture - check, Web 2.0 design - check, Offshore Programmers - check…
I’m not one to give away ideas like this, but in this case I’ll make an exception.
I thought of an unfilled need, which is where all great inventions begin. I realized that my parents and family can only buy me gifts when I tell them what to get me. For the past 5 years or so, I have been religiously updating my Amazon Wishlist for this reason. When they buy from the list I am happy. When they deviate, it gets returned.
But Amazon has its limitations. I often find and buy great things for myself and others in small boutique and design shops online. All year long I find little things, perfect gifts, that I would love, but I don’t buy. Sometimes I bookmark or del.icio.us tag them, but many other times I forget. More recently I have been using 37 Signals’ Ta-Da list to add items to a makeshift to-do list called “buy.”
So it dawned on me. A simple, AJAX-ified, wishlist website, where I can mark and track things I want to buy or I want to be bought for me. Simple, fun, unbelievably popular in my head. Quick Google search for “wishlist” reveals nothing similar. I go to Wishlist.com, and of course it exists, but it is a stupid Web 1.0 gift registry site.
And then, in my head, I pick the perfect Web 2.0 name. Like many of those who came before me, I chose to skip the “e” altogether: “Wishlistr”. So good.
So to double-check, before heading over to godaddy to register it, I typed it in the address bar: wishlistr.com.
Yeah, I know. It exists. And it is EXACTLY as I pictured it. I haven’t signed up yet. It hurts too much. I wish them luck, and this Christmas, I’ll be pointing the family there instead of Amazon…
I dunno … another site where I enter my personal information for … what … so I can direct people to view the things I want them to buy me? I recently signed up to do an online music thing where I can mash samples and create my own music, etc. Seemed like a reall cool idea at the time. I’ve never been back. Not because I’m disinterested. I just … I don’t know. I realized that I’m done with signing up for online shit I never update or re-visit. And I’m starting to worry about all of my personal information languishing on sites I’ll never return to. And God knows I get enough unwanted spam. I’m also leary of the “Google Buy Me” get rich quick business model. Do people really need this? Probably just me …
If you can believe it, I actually had the exact same idea about 6 years ago and did what you did…except with the “wishlist.com” URL. I went to network solutions and discovered the damn thing had been registered just that year…right when the dot come explosion was going on. When I visited the site it had one of those “Under Construction/Coming Soon” type messages…and I assumed they would do exactly what I had in mind…partner with big name e-tailers and let users post their desired items consolidated from multiple sites to share with friends and family. I’m an idiot for not going back to discover that wishlist.com is now just a lame gift registry. Damn both of us.
All I have to say is “Eish!”
For those of you who are unsure of what it means…. I apologise!
I know how you feel. For instance, my web site is titled seven squared because my friend and I were going to write and illustrate a graphic novel based on the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son myth. After we thought up the whole story, backstory, plot points, etc we learned that one of my favorite authors (Orson Scott Card) wrote a whole series (Alvin Maker) based around that very same idea. It still hurts me to no end. Sevensquared.com is now just my portfolio site - I’m unsure if the novel will ever be written…