Life Lessons

I disagree with the last one.

 

Why, Bill?

 

That last one describes the mindset I had back when I sunk over $50,000 into developing a website. This took place in 2000. I still think that it was a genius idea that would have been very successful. I was never able to get a website that was free of major bugs, no matter how much money I would pay to programmers. Finally I approached a top web development firm. They charged $5000 for a quote. The quote was something ridiculous - I think it was $250,000. In any case, I learned the Hard way that it is better to have never tried, then to have tried and failed.

 

I can see why you feel the way that you do, Bill. Sorry that this happened. However, if you still think that it was a genius idea that would have been very successful, why give up? Unless, of course, it is the money. That really was a large investment.

 

@Bill Bauer

Wordpress came out after 2000 and it has dramatically changed what is required to create a website. Based on the numbers I'm sure you were doing more than a basic blog but websites have gotten A LOT easier and cheaper to make.

 

It is too late now, as several years after I had to walk away from the project, I saw other websites doing something along similar lines.

Fifty thousand is an especially large sum for a kid in his early 20s. Basically I threw away (by investing into my dream = that website that never materialized) most of the scholarship money that I got as a result of hard work...

 

What website most encompasses that idea currently? I'm assuming you would've made it big..

 

That is quite a hard pill to swallow, Bill. I'm still not convinced that you threw it away, though. Life is about risk taking, in my very humble opinion.

You are in good place, career wise, now. I believe you are a University professor? If I am correct, then that is something to be very proud of.

I really do understand your disappointment.

 

It wasn't a simple website. It had to do with a database. Even in the year 2000, it didn't cost $250,000 to create a homepage/a simple website...

You are correct, but I wish I were retired (which I might have been, had the multiple programmers that I paid a lot of money to were to be qualified enough to produce a product that would actually work).

I paid over $50,000 to learn that people will take on a job, even when they know they can't complete the job.

It was supposed to be a porn search engine. The idea that I had, ensured that everyone had an incentive to advertise my search engine...

 

If Bill says Amazon I'm going to faint.

 

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

 

Porn.

 

I haven't revealed the actual idea. I just revealed the end result.

 

I assume it has to do with fetishes...

 

Yes, back in 2000, I was trying to get programmers to create a front page similar to that of PornHub. But that wasn't the idea that had convinced me to go ahead with the project.

 

What's done is done... you are most certainly not alone with having taken a risk and failed. Such is life. My projects have always been way too ambitious. I need to reboot my brain so I can start creating again. When I came down with tinnitus after a bad acoustic trauma and ear infection, I felt a sharp stab into my brain... honestly.

I'm trying to recover from brain damage and get my mojo back. You're a great guy Bill, I wish you success with any ventures you undertake in the future... but really what I want is for you, me, and all the folks here to get some hearing back and for the tinnitus to be quiet. Good on you for trying, you should be proud of that.

 

Yes, that would be the greatest gift of all.

 

@Bill Bauer - as tough as losing money is Bill, and I have lost a similar amount by trusting people in business projects, perhaps even a bit more - losing our health, our silence, our peaceful composure is infinitely worse, wouldn’t you say.
With our health impaired we are forced to go on partially compromised.

(With regard to those who have let us down Bill,
I know you have always agreed with Sartre,
“Hell is other people...”)

 

Interesting. Is it really that expensive to create a decent website? Are contracts very complicated to get money from people clicking etc.. what is that called? Clickbaits and all that.. I mean, you have to sign like standard agreements with Google and the like?

I read some blogs about this FIRE (financial Independence retire early BS) and these guys say nothing really interesting and apparently make big bucks just running those blogs.

 

In my case, the website had a database. The search results displayed to each user had to depend on the search query as well as on a number of other things.

I never got to that stage, but I don't think it would have been a problem.

I feel horrible about all of that effort (coming up with a cool idea that had a lot of potential, trying to create that website). Simplicity is what it's all about. Take, YouTube channel CreamHeroes. The owner knew that people liked to watch cat videos. But how does one get enough content to update one's channel daily? Also, how does one stand out from the crowd (many people have cats and upload videos about their pets to YouTube). The answer to those questions is amazingly simple - get seven cats. Now you stand out and have enough content to keep the audience entertained. Result - in a little over 2 years, CreamHeroes got close to 2.5 million subscribers and over 600 million views. I think this means that the channel has already earned over $600,000 in income, and it is obviously in a great position to continue making money.

 

Next time hire me

 

Woowww, I am amazed people can make money like that!

I read a terrible story about a guy trying to promote a YouTube channel and by mistake signing one of those standard agreements (the wrong one) with YouTube that worked the other way round: YouTube or its group of companies promote the channel and content and every time anyone visits or clicks, THEY make money, and the guy has to pay.

It was on the news, but the guy was a minor and got off without paying… that's why I asked about the clickbait, and money for clicking or viewing

I barely use YouTube so dont really know how making money there works.

 

I think that niche has now been filled...

 

Yeah, I can imagine..

I have sometimes day-dreamed about setting up a little business but I make a couple of numbers and they honestly dont seem to add up.

 

Looks promising.

'I have normal hearing or very minimal hearing loss but I sure hope this will cure my horrible tinnitus'

Stanford's Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss