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Hi all, I started this project 2 years ago called Wise Charlie (www.wisecharlie.com) which focuses on mental models and critical thinking.
In 2017/2018, I was contemplating going to grad school or starting a project. I decided on the latter. After not really doing much, I picked up on it this summer due to Covid. I now have 100+ customers and a few hundred newsletter subscribers. It’s been rewarding so far and have improved my own thinking.
Happy to answer any questions.
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So, they want attention for...launching a website? That’s a tough row to hoe.
Mentor
How is Fuconomy’s value proposition different from any other social media network, which have existing and built in audiences, these days? Everyone is sharing their experiences daily already. If you want to create attention for it, you’re going to have to clearly illustrate how it’s different, compelling and newsworthy.
The most difficult part of this is I’ve been forced to do freelance work and they’re my lone client right now. I very much want a full-time position but they’re difficult to find. I have so much to contribute, but no opportunities to do so.
He’s a film maker? I’d lead with that - tell the story behind his motivation for doing it, why, how much personal time and money he’s invested in it, and agree the personal stories of those who have co tributes/benefits: try to quantify the problem this service solved; most news channels have a “everyday hero’s” segment at the end of their show... could work for that if you have strong imagery and a great roster of ordinary people who can tell their stories: as we approach the end of a very difficult year you could try pitch angles related to “the year in review” and put a spotlight on how Covid has impacted lives, and this “time capsule” captures it... Finally, could you create a challenge for schools to participate and make that a call to action?
Mentor
Smart advice on the personal angle here. Could do some hyper local media - where they live now, where they grew up and went to college. Also, trade outlets too.
One note on the school call to action... Might need a legal consult for underage video participation disclaimers, unless the filmmaker has worked with parental release forms before?
All of your points are well taken. Their main goal now is to drive more traffic to the site so they can share more stories. The issues I’m facing are twofold. First, the name. Even if I add how it’s pronounced, Fuconomy is slang for “f***ed up economy”. I don’t think the media will touch that. Second, while things are bad right now, people are feeling a sense of optimism because of the vaccines. Those who are feeling COVID exhaustion see a light at the end of the tunnel.
I had a long talk with the founder today. He told me he sees his site as a time capsule of sorts that will spotlight what we all went through. I’m not sure there’s a need for that. I told him we need to create content since that’s the only way we’ll be able to differentiate ourselves from social media networks. The guy is a filmmaker in LA. My suggestion to him is we put together a video package of the people who have shared their experiences. Let their words tell the story. I hope he listens. These are terrific people who I’d like to come through for. My concern is this has a limited shelf life and we’re likely far down the road with it.
There's nothing unique about this. And there's already more than enough content - so much content that people are fatigued of it. The media on every network have been sharing amazing stories - good and bad - every day, nearly all day, for eight months. Then there are blogs. And social media. Why would someone go to that site and share a story that - forgive my cold pragmatism - is a carbon copy of hundreds of thousands of others? And then there's the URL/name, which couldn't be more negative.
I know you want to help these people. In this case, that means being honest with them and telling them there is no "there" there.