Crazy Business Idea 6: Antisocial Websites

December 11th, 2006

During times of caffeine-induced jitters, I sometimes come up with business ideas that seem great at the time, but probably aren’t. In the spirit of sharing, I thought I’d let some of these concepts loose on this blog for public scrutiny (or ridicule). Please let me know your thoughts, especially if you’d like to open up a franchise.

The Business: Antisocial Website.

Description: There are many websites out there asking for your time and urging you to be participate and be more “social.” The anti-social bookmarking model is the opposite – enabling the antisocial user to seem more social than they really are.

Example: An automated gift-giving website. The user uploads a list of friends’ mailing addresses. Next, user inputs date information regarding each gift recipient’s birthdays, anniversaries, or other upcoming events that require a present. Specific items can be selected, but the user can also fill in a questionnaire listing each person’s likes and dislikes, allowing the website system to randomly select a gift for them. This system allows the user to automate gift giving several months or even years in advance.

A week before an event, the site system randomly selects a present from Amazon fitting the gift recipient’s described profile and sends it sent to the recipient. An email listing what the item was is sent to the user so they can keep track of what gift was given.

By using this site once a year, the user can avoid the hassle of shopping and picking out gifts, saving them from the social responsibility. Hence, an antisocial website.

Target Market: Lazy people, anti-social individuals, folks strapped for time, men in general, unimaginative shoppers, potted plants.

Problems:

People might be offended to learn their gifts were preselected months in advance. Gifts may lack that personal touch. Users run the risk of purchasing items that are woefully out of date by the time the actual gift date arrives. Users run the risk of offending the gift recipient if the recipient is no longer a friend – or deceased.

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