Internet & Tech: Don't you hate it when your timing is off?

I had been tossing around this idea 2-3 months ago... and now it's a reality, but not by my own hand.

http://mypicklist.com

See the Techcrunch article for details:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/04/03/two-new-shopping-lists-with-different-goals

I couldn't find the right team to get around the idea in time and ended up passing on it.

Anyone else have experienced the pain of bad timing?

I guess we disagree on this particular venture, but I agree with you that there's an explosion in online companies right now doing anything and everything. Most of these are at best features that will not last long.

However, I do see value in what mypicklist is trying to do. They're not trying to live off of adsense, they're trying to compete with adwords/adsense by giving people the power to create their own advertisements through personal product recommendations and get paid when other people make purchases and/or click through to a retailer's site based on their recommendations. Several benefits include:

a) No lacklustre contextual ads - these are pinpointed by the author for the place they insert them (eg. article on new gizmo contains picture and link to retailer with gizmo for sale). Guarantees relevance much better than contextual ads.
b) Trust factor - as has been discussed elsewhere (see http://www.micropersuasion.com/2005/12/2006_trends_to_.html , http://www.genuinevc.com/archives/2006/02/musing_on_socia.htm for details) people in general and more willing to listen to soft sells from people they know than click so some anonymous form of advertising. Leveraging this entails better click-to-purchase rates and higher sales. Thus there's value in what they're offering for the advertiser.
c) Unobstrusiveness. This type of advertising has the potential to be embedded in online conversations without being annoying like the intellitext-type advertisings. If I'm interested in a particular shoe, I would be more than happy to click through to a retailer who can provide more specs and details on it, and am more likely to make a purchase once I'm there.

If they open up their model like Google has with adwords (eg. auctions to be placed for particular products), or if they also have a built in price comparison feature section like CNET, then they have a business model that is both sustainable and in a large growth area.

No worries - sorry if I came off sounding offended. It's fine if you dislike the concept, I was just trying to state why I thought it was a good idea.

I do like the opportunity, but I don't like starting from behind unless I feel like I have a strong team with me that can surpass what competition is out there. I pitched this idea to my existing team and contacts and got little support/interest, so it got moved down the idea pile. Now I'm busy looking at other ventures, so I'll have to pass on this one.

Thanks for the encouragement. I worry about starting from behind depending on the opportunity. As the Techcrunch artile mentioned, that is one idea that can be easily copied, which will likely lead to a plethora of similar sites. If that occurs, you need a couple of things working for you:

a) You have resources to attract quality advertisers
b) You have a unique spin/angle than can lead to a sustainable advantage
c) You can get your name out there above the crowd (through whatever marketing means available).
d) First mover advantage so you build a critical mass that makes it easier to attract each additional customer and/or user.

I'd rather spend my time looking at coming from behind on opportunities that have higher barriers to entry but similar rewards.

Hey rdewey,
What's your connection to TechCrunch?

Oh that's cool. Developing "e-friendships" with influential people is a great asset in this digital age of business.