Competition Questions


6 Votes
1 Answers
1.69K Views
Anyone entered last years MassChallenge?

I just entered MassChallenge.org and I was wondering if anyone had some experiences to share from last years event? Or any tips or tricks on what to do or what not to do there.

asked Apr 7 '11 at 00:31
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Mat Banik
325 points

9 Votes
4 Answers
2.73K Views
Giving away a software program for free: competitors' responses?

I have a small startup that developed a software program. I've copyrighted the software and am working on patent protection, and I've started some marketing. It has been a very low-cost effort so...

asked Mar 19 '11 at 12:11
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User6492
1,747 points

1 Votes
2 Answers
3.21K Views
Deciding how broad or narrow a market to aim for

When you're not sure which market is worth aiming for, how do you figure out whether to go for a broad market (with lots of competition) or a narrow one (with no competition but good chance to slip...

asked Mar 20 '11 at 08:47
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Platinum Azure
133 points

7 Votes
4 Answers
2.72K Views
Starting a company with a very similar competitor already in place

I have a tech startup I'm looking to do in the mobile applications space. I thought my idea was very unique and my business partner and I spent about a week coming up with planning, name, concept,...

asked Mar 23 '11 at 09:14
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Nick
1,171 points

12 Votes
5 Answers
8.75K Views
What is the secret of Dropbox's success?

Why is Dropbox so much more successful than many other sites that offer/offered essentially the same service?

asked Mar 11 '11 at 23:05
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Zippy
871 points

9 Votes
12 Answers
3.98K Views
Irrational fear of existing competitor?

Currently in my niche, there are one or two other competitors. Every time I go on their site, or download their software, my heart pounds. I get extremely anxious at how professional and elegant...

asked Feb 3 '11 at 04:37
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Kim Jong Woo
644 points

5 Votes
2 Answers
2.44K Views
How do AdWords spy services work?

There are several services like SpyFu, AdBeat & ispionage which advertise they can provide the keywords, budget, ad copy and other information which competitors use in different ad networks...

asked Feb 4 '11 at 03:57
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Tony Henrich
283 points

6 Votes
4 Answers
3.7K Views
Advantages and Disadvantages of Making Source Code Public

I like the idea of open source collaboration and making our code for our application we are building public on github. This would allow people to give their input and even allow certain parts of...

asked Jan 11 '11 at 07:25
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User6488
31 points

1 Votes
1 Answers
2.41K Views
Approach competitor before marketing new software program?

I set up a company and had a software developer create a new software program for the company. I thought that the idea for the software was novel, and before developing the software, I did some...

asked Jan 11 '11 at 10:06
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User6492
1,747 points

4 Votes
11 Answers
4.89K Views
How did Groupon do so well given its competition?

How was it that Groupon was able to become a billion dollar company despite so many similar sites and seeming easiness of copying whatever is unique about their model? UPDATE : There seems to be...

asked Dec 3 '10 at 06:25
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Babonk
143 points

4 Votes
3 Answers
2.26K Views
Competing With "Fair" Wages

Right off the bat, I have decided there is no way I will be able to compete in the software/IT-services world on price. There are a number of offshore organizations, for example, that provide the...

asked Nov 9 '10 at 02:26
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Senfo
152 points

18 Votes
11 Answers
7.57K Views
Should I continue with my idea (another startup is already doing it)?

Recently I had this idea about a website and I have a passion for it. After doing a lot of research, I know exactly what I need (design, developers, management, etc.) and I have had a few...

asked Nov 1 '10 at 12:45
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Cluelessbear
96 points

1 Votes
2 Answers
2.43K Views
views about the competition between Internet Companies in Chinese

Nowadays the hottest top about the Internet is the competition between "360"(a Free Antivirus Software in China) and Tencent(the ower of QQ,a famous IM software in China),The take computers of...

asked Nov 2 '10 at 13:43
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Kit.Yang
108 points

6 Votes
7 Answers
2.36K Views
What sites or software tools do you use to track your competitors?

I'm interested in tracking many different aspects: Prices New / Updated Products New features Negative / Positive feedback Press releases Balance sheets etc.

asked Sep 12 '10 at 15:17
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Javid Jamae
347 points

12 Votes
3 Answers
2.25K Views
Should we dare to "enter the dragon's lair" in order to promote our website?

We are a small startup, just released a MVP and are now in the promotion phase. As part of the promotion we are seeking to get the message out by writing articles on other (related) sites...

asked Aug 19 '10 at 19:46
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Morpheous
236 points

1 Votes
4 Answers
2.75K Views
How would you compete against Digg / Reddit

I think the time is right to launch a site that is similar to Digg / Reddit but stays close to Digg's original ethos of catering toward tech. I wouldn't compete against Digg directly. Digg is too...

asked Jun 11 '10 at 11:24
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User2833
11 points

3 Votes
3 Answers
2.17K Views
How do you gather in depth competitive intelligence with no cost?

I am able to access free whitepapers etc but i haven't been in the market long enough to know really what I am competing with to improve my positioning and competitive advantage. How can I access...

asked Apr 23 '10 at 23:22
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Stacey
484 points

11 Votes
7 Answers
4.23K Views
What to do when a 800 pound gorilla enters your business?

We had launched blogVault, a wordpress backup service, about a month back. A week later, Automattic, the company behind Wordpress, launches Vaultpress, to massive coverage. This service does pretty...

asked May 6 '10 at 17:47
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User3348
175 points

1 Votes
4 Answers
2.34K Views
Letting potential new customers (and competitors) try your web application for free or not?

Let's say a company developed some easy to use web applications: a CMS an eCommerce, etc. Do you think it should place a working DEMO on their website for these applications or NOT? The question...

asked Apr 14 '10 at 07:13
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Marco Demaio
175 points

2 Votes
6 Answers
2.5K Views
Is there value in business plan/pitch competitions?

It seems to me that if you are going to start a business, you are better off spending the 40 hours you were going to spend prepping for a competition actually working on your business. Outside of...

asked Mar 4 '10 at 03:29
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Frederick Cook
301 points