[nqzero]

REQUEST FOR IDEA:

i have a backend tech stack that i believe is scalable and efficient (REST or websockets). i'd like to prove this out with a demo or app. i can do a pure-js SPA frontend (eg fitno.us) but i'm terrible at UI so it's not gonna be pretty

is there a free service that i could provide that people would use at high scale ? there doesn't need to be a way to eventually monetize it

required: store data to database optional: rest calls to 3rd parties

anyone have an idea they're willing to share ?

[peterburkimsher]

My FBI guy: a moderated chat app.

Instead of just a 2-way chat program, there is a 3rd participant "the FBI guy" who also joins the chat. Every message sent must get approved by the FBI guy before it goes through to the recipient.

It should also be possible to send messages to the FBI guy directly. e.g. "Does she/he like me?"

[nqzero]

i like the concept (and it's sort of the inversion of another chat app idea i've been tossing around along the lines of cyrano de bergerac) but i don't see what's going to drive adoption

what's the motivation for a user to use this app vs un-moderated chat ? is it driven by the moderator, eg a parent wanting to limit what their kids can say or see ? or is it one of the 2 chatting parties that prefers to have someone else sanitize content before they have to see it, eg to ensure that they don't get d*ck pics ?

in the latter case, what motivates the moderator to participate ?

[peterburkimsher]

I think it would have to grow (or die) virally. Like GMail in the early days, moderators would get accounts by being invited.

Although there probably is a way to pitch it as a parental control, I think other demographics could enjoy it too. As you say, the moderation basically ensures no creepers or d*ck picks. That will probably encourage more female users to trust the platform, which would certainly help to boost overall numbers.

It could be a means of chatting to strangers, where the moderator chooses 2 people to pair up. That could get interesting. The idea is still pretty half-baked, but I'd like to explore it more, and maybe use it as a testing ground for decentralised chat technology.

For people who are unsure about social norms of chatting to people, such as those with Aspergers, autism spectrum, or who are just plain shy, I think being a moderator would be a great way to learn how to have an ordinary conversation. I'd also want to make the website fully accessible, with text readers for the blind, and automatic language translation so that people can make friends in other countries.

[tiborsaas]

+ the agent can retract words or make edits. retracts are visible, but edits are just counted.

this sounds fun :)

[nqzero]

and chain the fbi-guys together into a game of telephone

[ackbar03]

How much do users pay for the privilege to use this app?

[peterburkimsher]

No idea, I'm a programmer not a businessman. I don't think OP actually minds about income: "there doesn't need to be a way to eventually monetize it"

I guess some money could be made by using the chat logs to train AI chat bots, and selling those bots. I have no idea how that would work in practice though.

[stevekemp]

The traditional answer for people wanting to get free load is to run an image-hosting service:

* Accept uploads.

* Push them to S3 / similar.

* Marvel as you have to filter out nasty images.

* Struggling under the load of hotlinked images.

* Start performing rewrites to serve ads.

* Add chat/comments to try to build a community.

* Get more and more slow and ad-heavy over time.

The process repeats every few years.