How does I Want Sandy make money?
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Inappropriate?My impression is that they are a start-up and aren't yet making money, but I certainly could be wrong about that.
I’m hoping this hleps
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Inappropriate?I wonder about this as well. Normally, I am happy not to see ads everywhere, but in this case, it makes me wonder what's keeping IwantSandy going. After using Sandy a little longer, if her long-term usability turns out well, I would definately be willing to work around some ads, or even pay not to have to see them.
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Inappropriate?I agree; I want to see Sandy continue for a long time to come so I'm wondering how they're ever going to make money from it.
I’m curious
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Inappropriate?I actually thought about this a while ago. I think it'd be surprisingly easy for them: contextual ads.
Think about it. Most ads on the internet suck. Why? Because they're usually just noise. However, if you can target ads to people effectively, they can actually be useful. I'm not sure how everyone else uses Sandy, but I know that I wouldn't mind seeing advertisements that correspond to my @todo's sometimes. For example, if I send myself a reminder to book a flight, it wouldn't be too bad to see a small text-only ad with flight deals along with Sandy's reminder. To stick with the "virtual assistant" theme, Sandy can even say she found the deal for me!
Suppose I needed to remind myself to book a reservation at a restaurant. It'd be mighty useful if Sandy gave me a link to that restaurant (or even OpenTable) along with my reminder. That link could easily be a text ad; as long as it takes me to the restaurant's website, I don't really care what ad service I have to click through.
There are probably dozens of possibilities, and some might involve simple partnerships instead of ads, but I think that this is one web2 app that could actually benefit from a smart ad system. The key word here is "smart" though. I certainly wouldn't want to see ads for more mundane reminders (e.g. lawnmower ads for "remind me to mow the lawn" or those annoying "buy it on ebay" ads for..well pretty much anything).
Just my 2 cents...Values of N, keep up the good work!
I’m brainstorming
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That makes sense, but the question wasn't how *could* they make money, it was how *do* they make money? -
True, I guess I was just thinking ahead. -
Inappropriate?In the TownHalls, Rael has discussed this a bit. He is opposed to splattering ads all over the website (THankfully!), and currently focusing on affilliate program links connecting with your @birthdays and @anniversary's, as well as other tags (like @music going to iTunes or Amazon, etc). I'm not sure when this will go live, but it'll be a nice & subtle way to fund Sandy.
1 person says
this answers the question
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Yeah, I'd definitely be jumping ship if I saw ads all over the website, or if Sandy got spammy with them. Subtle's the way to go! -
Inappropriate?We're definitely all about the subtle.
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