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ABrandton Ask HN: MVP vs. Landing page

An MVP by definition is the very base point that you can convince people to buy your wares. Whatever form that takes will depend on you and your market. The point is to get whatever you have up there in your head and put it out into the world; who cares what that looks like. Landing pages are so popular because it's the path of least resistance in getting your idea in front of a sizable audience. Going straight to a working prototype for your MVP without hitting the landing page or comparable stage first sort of misses the mark on what an MVP is all about.

Instead of thinking of an MVP as a single _thing_, we just made things easy and called everything we did our "MVP" until we started doing recurring sales.

ABrandton Ask HN: Stuff you want but doesn't exist?

Have you seen cakehealth.com? Haven't tried it myself but like on par with what you describe, even integrates with your insurance directly.

ABrandton Ask HN: Is there an easy way(Cheap) to do market research?

What kind of budget are you working with? I've had success getting through customer discovery and validating demand with adwords. Basically just drove ~$100-200 to a basic landing page and decided a 20% conversion rate was worth pursuing further.

ABrandton Search federal hospital inspection reports

Thanks for the clarification. I'd be lying if I said I didn't deliberately use government in the title--rather than AHCJ or CMS--to garner more attention. For those unaware, CMS administers Medicare and for all intents and purposes sets the rules in US healthcare. Them enabling the publishing of these reports online is a strong show of support for the push for quality outcomes ("value over volume").

ABrandton Ask HN: My first full time job as a Product Manager. Any advice?

Read The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey. It's quick, cheap, and provides the most actionable advice of any management book I've come across.

When you're put in a management position its usually because you're good at doing something. Good do-ers tend to want to do everything themselves because they know best, but when you're in management that can cripple you. This book will prevent you from making all sorts of mistakes right off the bat.

http://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Manager-Meets-Monkey/dp/068...

ABrandton Ask HN: Why did Google create and invest in Android?

I think you're on the right track with Google wanting to increase their ad footprint. I tend to view every move that Google makes as an attempt to increase their ability to collect ad revenue. Even the self-driving car frees people up from staring at the boring road and offers an opportunity to look at ads.

Android can be explained in the same manner. Google saw the traffic potential the mobile web had, and they wanted to make sure they were the search engine of choice. The best way to do this is to control the software people use to access that mobile web.

ABrandton Ask HN: Could you give me some feedback on my startup?

I also like the idea and look, but have you thought about a different launch approach? When your content needs to be geographically dense to be useful, makes sense to limit your launch. For a non-FB example, you can look at companies like Uber, or even today's YourMechanic launch. Yes those are both service based, but it seems like you require a lot of users in one location to be truly useful just like them.

On a similar note, I put in Madison, selected car repair, and my search didn't return any results. Just kept on loading--not sure if this is due to traffic or just no results available.

Keep it up though! I can see real potential in this, I think you just need to keep tweaking to get there. I have faith :)

ABrandton Why you’ll likely have your DNA sequenced in 5 years

Although everything you say is true, there is a very clear benefit of genetic testing that exists today. Many drug interactions have a strong genetic link. Take the common blood thinning drug warfarin for example. It's considered a medical best practice to prescribe this drug to patient's with a variety of heart problems (irregular heartbeat, history of heart attack, etc). A single dosage has wildly different effects on different patients however. The same dosage can cause fatal bleeding in one patient, while in another patient have no effect at all. Without genetics, the proper dosage is a crap shoot. With genetics, it's an exact science (as it should be).

And this is just one single example. Research is revealing more genetic-drug links all the time with relatively small sample sizes. Genetic sequencing may not cure every disease like we were promised ~10 years ago, but it is saving lives and is essential to the advancement of medicine.

ABrandton YC-Funded ScreenLeap: Screen-Sharing Doesn’t Need To Make You Crazy

They could monetize as an enterprise, web-based GoToMeeting/WebEx competitor. Both are awful to use.

ABrandton The problem with startups is that they can’t solve the big problems.

There's actually a fairly decent chance that you do have a secure way to access your medical records online. About 38% of patients in the US have a record in an Epic (disclaimer: my employer) EMR system. If you're part of that population, chances are good that you have access to Epic's MyChart web portal [1]. Each organization brands this portal as their own so I recommend asking your doctor's front desk staff about it.

And more directly to the OP's point, Epic certainly was once a startup (3 employees 30 years ago, 5000 today) that has tackled some very big problems.

I don't refute that there are many more startups working on products that won't quite save the world, but is that such a bad thing? P.T Barnum was organizing circus acts while his contemporaries Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Morgan were shifting the very foundation of our society (literally and figuratively). Doesn't mean Barnum doesn't have a legacy of his own though.

[1] - Here's an example: https://mychart.clevelandclinic.org/

ABrandton Uber’s Surcharges Demonstrate The Harsh Reality Of Dynamic Pricing

I'm as big of a proponent of the magic that is supply and demand as anyone, but uber's pricing was not exactly transparent. Last night was the first time that I used the service. My first ride from my hotel in Chicago to my party destination at 9pm was $15, awesome. Not only was I thrilled by the quality of service, but I saw the message that fees would be higher that night and was expecting a higher price tag. Fast forward four hours later and I was ready to head back to the hotel. Same route, except this time the price was $54. Ouch.

The thing about market forces is that the buyer needs to be aware of the price in order to make a rational decision that affects demand and alleviates the strain on existing supply. Uber's app indicated I would be informed of the additional charge prior to my ride, but that certainly never happened. In that regard, I feel slighted and my feelings toward the company have been damaged as a result.

ABrandton How to Become a Must-Have

The OP does draw a comparison between his ideas and Moore's Crossing the Chasm. I agree there's a lot of buzz-like words thrown around, but there is substance here. There's an actionable suggestion for finding the monitizable pain (or any other term you want to give it). His plan instructs you to call a specific person, to convey a specific message, and measure for a specific success rate. I'd say this is useful and fresh advice in that regard.

ABrandton Ask HN: Are we losing all the older members

I've read HN about every day for over 3 years now. It's very much a different bunch commenting these days. I like to think that the older group has gotten so busy applying everything they learned here that they no longer have the time or need to be as active. Perhaps an overly optimistic view, but it beats worrying about HN becoming reddit.

ABrandton How do you get (free) publicity for your brand new startup?

I only took a quick look at your site, but it seems ripe for some cool promotional event to kick things off. Use your app to chalk up your city with all sorts of hints that lead to a prize. Kind of like a virtual scavenger hunt. Then write about it everywhere you possibly can (local blogs, craigslist, social networks etc.). Could lead to some real publicity as well. Good luck!

ABrandton Show HN: I created an iPhone app for my wild nights out

What kind of accuracy are you seeing with the background location check? Does the app accurately pinpoint you at Joe's Bar, or the dry cleaners next door? I think it's a neat concept and remedying your black out is only scratching the surface of possibilities. Nice work.

ABrandton Futuristic Location Platform Geoloqi Lands Funding

Marshall's proposed problem is just one of many. This may not be a financial success at the moment, but it looks like a forward thinking startup with a core technology that has the potential to be very influential in your daily life. Think about all the things you do each and every day in which your location is a key (independent? not a mathematician) variable. When <here> do x, when <there> do y. I think geoloqi's own homepage[1] has some pretty interesting use cases (under uses).

[1] - http://geoloqi.com/

ABrandton Drchrono (YC W11) Brings iPad-Based Medical Records To Doctors

I can't speak to any other YC company, but I think drchrono certainly stands on its own merits here. Great looking product + hot industry + ongoing major news topic = mind blowingly awesome press.

ABrandton Drchrono (YC W11) Brings iPad-Based Medical Records To Doctors

disclaimer: I work for Epic

Paper is drchrono's competition not because they can't go head to head with the major vendors, but because they're likely going after a completely different market. Epic targets the largest healthcare organizations (i.e. Kaiser Permanente) and thus our software is geared towards those specific use cases. EHRs have been in place for many many years in most organizations this size (100+ physicians). I would imagine that drchrono is instead targeting much smaller practices and facilities that still rely heavily on paper. This is a niche offering. Fortunately for them, a niche in healthcare IT is still very big business.

ABrandton The American suburbs are a giant Ponzi scheme

I actually live about 10 miles from both my work and where I play. Biking would add about 30 min to my commute each way. Culture probably has a lot to do with my desire too. Biking is almost a way of life in Madison. Creating these bike amenities would be the first step for any city to create this culture.

ABrandton The American suburbs are a giant Ponzi scheme

Three weeks ago I relocated to Madison, WI which (I'm told) is one of the most bike friendly cities in the US. I haven't ridden or owned a bike since childhood, but I wouldn't be surprised if that changes in the near future. Having trails that get you where you need to go simply turns the biking questions from "how?" to "why not?". Why continue a) paying gas prices b) causing unnecessary pollution and c) sitting on your a if a bicycle can truly fulfill 75% of your transportation needs. Time will tell but I definitely think availability of greenbelts can only be a good thing.

ABrandton Ask PG: Ever Considered HN Store?

Why not a store that aggregates and organizes all the HN-built apps out there? I'm sure there's an app built by an HN member that covers all the major tools startups rely on. Say you decide you need an A/B testing tool. Check out the HN Store and you'll be sure to see Visual Website Optimizer is a popular choice. Support your fellow Entrepreneur and get great software; its a win, win.

Probably something that wouldn't be incorporated into HN itself, but I could see the potential for success if someone else built it...

ABrandton YC S11 Rejection Letter

Your guys' support of the startup community and overall awesomeness continues to impress me! This is a great example of paying it forward with potential for future returns (some of those free accounts you give out will undoubtedly go on to succeed). Thanks for your contributions.

ABrandton YC S11 Rejection Letter

Your confidence continues to impress me. That being said, I believe its misguided here. The only time a serious investor is going to reach out to you is when you don't actually need their money (as the old adage goes).

...and I'm willing to make my pitch in person.

This comes off as, "you should be throwing money at me, but I'm a nice guy so I'll come and talk to you." I know that's not your intention, just trying to help. Good luck!

ABrandton Google Doc For Tracking Facebook/Twitter Shares for any URL

Great work, Tom! As a fellow non-technical hacker, I have to say I'm really impressed. I had no idea that Google Docs could be used in this way. I've always used Yahoo! Pipes for similar manipulation of APIs, but as a spreadsheet junkie I think your approach is far superior. Thanks for sharing.

ABrandton Review my startup: sanetax.com - A real Tax Professional prepares your taxes

The value proposition is extremely compelling (especially for someone like me who is still procrastinating filing...). Take a picture and have a professional do the work?! Yes, please.

That being said, I need to know more before committing. Who are these professionals? How much will it cost me? Am I guaranteed the max allowable refund? I applaud you for bringing simplicity to a field as complicated as taxes, but the devil is still in the details.

Overall looks great though! Let me know if I can help test at all, emails in my profile.

ABrandton 10,000 Shipping Containers Lost At Sea Each Year… Here’s a Look At One

My immediate thought was to assemble a crew of displaced fishermen to hunt and retrieve these shipping containers to sell at a discount. I suppose water damage would be too great for any products of value (electronics) though.

ABrandton Rate my startup: FaxIns.com, like Reddit for undigitized content

It is? My first thought was actually "brilliant!" I can see how this implementation is a bit of a joke, but there is a bigger issue here. There's still a disconnect between the digital and physical world. I think any attempt to merge the two a little more is a win.

ABrandton How We Went From Being Virtually Unknown to 3k Signups a Day in 5 Weeks

I agree that this coverage is only the beginning, but it seems that they're riding an extended wave of signups rather than just a quick burst. A week long stretch of 3k new users/day is an encouraging start. I truly hope that the virality they've built into the app will help sustain the growth a bit longer.

I don't think viral effects alone will be enough to turn the project into a sustainable startup however. The current value proposition of "see how worldly you are" doesn't have me reaching for my wallet anytime soon.

ABrandton Ask HN: Please review workola.com. Can I coexist with Facebook?

Quite honestly I couldn't figure out what workola _does_ after about a minute of scanning over the landing page. I see here that it's in the flavor of netvibes. On your site, however, you simply make mention of a "remote desktop" and have a picture of an iPhone. These two things (desktop and iPhone) paired together confuses me even further.

It all looks very nice, and I'm sure there's value to the concept, but your site simply doesn't convey what that value is. That being said, shoot me an email and I'd love to have a more in depth conversation!