Truth be told, we thought it looked weird, too. We don't use "webBeacons" or anything weird; just cookies. Google drops a few cookies for analytics, too, but that's it.
I'm going to go over the privacy policy today and make it reflect the reality that privacy, security, and ethical business practices are at our essence.
Since you read privacy policies closer than we do, could you recommend a good examplar of a friendly, non-legalese privacy policy?
Thanks for the feedback!
[Edit] I removed the weird WebBeacons reference, simplified the language, and added an additional message at the top. Does it feel less shady?
To respond to the general idea of the RFS, not RFS1 specifically: I think this sort of feedback to the startup community is incredibly valuable. I take it as an statement of "what they think the world needs/wants/would-pay-for right now." Having a sense for markets seems a bit like being able to predict the weather based on the way an old injury aches, and young entrepreneurs with a whole lot of energy don't usually have that sense. As one of them, I have to say it's nice to see suggestions of unsaturated/needy markets. It's icing that the advice is coming from someone who also can help bring proposed solutions to market.
As a side note, I'd really love if someone similarly informed did this with a philanthropic eye. Think "things the world could really use right about now," since those who feel the pains rarely are the ones with the ability to fix them on a replicable scale. Like a giant to-do list for humanity, maintained by people with a great degree of perspective. But I also have a hankering for a philanthropic equivalent of YC that funds and supports non-loss startups.
Ideas are cheap and I'm already committed to a project, so here's my take on the RFS. Imagine a site with the following attributes:
- Anyone can submit content in any language.
- Anyone can translate any content.
- Editors (initially the founders) select content that meets topic and language standards.
- Editors independently vote on content priority; site layout adjusts automatically based on editor consensus.
- Content authors (and translators, if any) get points proportionally to the editorial vote.
- A certain (large) number of points grants editorial access (having proven that they are invested in the site and get the standards).
- Points can be exchanged for world currency in either direction (bought/sold).
- People pay in points to access content (per article or per month).
- People start with enough points to give them access for a month or so.
- Eventually there would be editorial boards in different languages and ideally with different topics.
--
I know newsvine is kinda like this, but without the monetization. Newsvine also seems far more editorial than factual, and doesn't have the same "gotta earn editorial access" feel. Graduated karma-based community systems like stackoverflow (and HN) keep quality high longer. What do you think, would something like this offer a viable alternative to the journalistic status quo?
My company makes a product for exactly this purpose [1]. It's better for this sort of task than UserVoice because it works with an ordered list of preferences, not just plus/minus points, which yields far more granular voting. It allows realtime interaction and chat, too. I built it specifically because UserVoice wasn't meeting my needs for internal brainstorming/idea discussion at my previous startup. Let me know what you think if you try it out ([email protected]).
If you've got a group of people you trust (a team), let the group prioritize the list together. The result will be higher quality and more people will feel ownership of the ultimate selection.
I'm going to go over the privacy policy today and make it reflect the reality that privacy, security, and ethical business practices are at our essence.
Since you read privacy policies closer than we do, could you recommend a good examplar of a friendly, non-legalese privacy policy?
Thanks for the feedback!
[Edit] I removed the weird WebBeacons reference, simplified the language, and added an additional message at the top. Does it feel less shady?