InMyBag: Disc Golf Social Media Platform

[aclinton]

If he wants to code all day every day he probably isn't looking to get a real job...

When you work for startups and are an entrepreneur yourself, you actually do get code all day as a real job, and it's a LOT of fun. Working with start ups is an amazing experience as you get to see really awesome people build super amazing companies and products.

 

[aclinton]

Is it easier/more accessible to have a web app version? I don't know much about coding and the like, but there are some things I prefer to do on the computer with a mouse when doing a lot of complex things, unless of course the mobile app is flawlessly easy. also wonder if people would be more likely to try it from an online version before downloading and installing a new app just to try it out and look around?

The way I am building InMyBag makes it super easy to have mobile apps for any platform (iOS, Android etc) as well as a web app version that you can access from your desktop/laptop/iPad.

 

[aclinton]

it seems biased towards players who actually play dg a lot - more than once a week.

I want to make InMyBag for all disc golf players, so do you have any ideas on how to make it less biased? I'm all ears for more ideas!

 

[runningDoc]

I want to make InMyBag for all disc golf players, so do you have any ideas on how to make it less biased? I'm all ears for more ideas!

well let it at least get to asking whats in your bag if you play even only once a year.

that way we can confirm regular DGCR Forums suspicion that once a year players all have champion grooves.

 

[aclinton]

well let it at least get to asking whats in your bag if you play even only once a year.

Oh are you referring to the survey in the OP? Sorry about that, I should have changed the survey rejection requirements. Honestly, after hearing some of the more constructive comments on here, I realized that the feature list I present in the survey is not accurate to what you guys actually want. I'm currently working on a new feature list :thmbup:

 

[DinosaurThunder]

I think you are on to something really cool!

As someone who moderates one of the larger facebook groups and works on a few instagram accounts, it would be nice to have a concise platform easily accessible on mobile. While I think people will still use Instagram and FB to show off their bags, mail calls etc. I like the idea of having an app to show it all off! I would gladly subscribe to friends and a few select pros to what their bag progression and updates. This would save those pro's the 100 messages they get about off season disc testing haha. I am constantly testing new molds and it would be great to "add it to my bag", my buddy get a notification and then he can tell me what he thinks of said mold via chat or comments! As long as it's easy to import photos and subscribe to others I think this could be really fun!

I do also like the notion of a "player finder", but don't see myself using that feature. Are you thinking about adding in a marketplace to this app? Like say I bought a new mold to test, hated it, I could then within one button "list it for sale". Then a person could buy this disc and be connected through paypal for a secure transaction. This way no one would be scammed like what happens on facebook.


Enough rambling from me... when you get the IOS version into Beta, I would love to be a tester!

 

[PWaggoner]

You didnt include FB, twitter, blogs, reddit, pdga site for disc golf info.

Also most of the features on dgcr i dont use but feel like form analysis should be seperate because imo its the best thing on this site.

I liked dinosaurthunder suggestion about the up for sale thing.

I liked that if i can convince my friends/club to use the app we will have a continious update on lost and found discs. So hopefully when and where its lost and who found it and if its in the lost disc box.

Most of the features i dont really care about. I would check out pros test discs and in the bags. If they use a light weight id like to know. And plastic type.

 

[aclinton]

I think you are on to something really cool!

As someone who moderates one of the larger facebook groups and works on a few instagram accounts, it would be nice to have a concise platform easily accessible on mobile. While I think people will still use Instagram and FB to show off their bags, mail calls etc. I like the idea of having an app to show it all off! I would gladly subscribe to friends and a few select pros to what their bag progression and updates. This would save those pro's the 100 messages they get about off season disc testing haha. I am constantly testing new molds and it would be great to "add it to my bag", my buddy get a notification and then he can tell me what he thinks of said mold via chat or comments! As long as it's easy to import photos and subscribe to others I think this could be really fun!

Exactly my thoughts as well! Everyone keeps listing all these different sites and platforms that do some of the features but don't execute the features perfectly. I don't want InMyBag to have ever feature possible because that defeats the purpose of a simple and intuitive app. But I really think being able to get notifications about changes in the people you follows' bags would be pretty awesome as well. Especially, if I can get the manufacturers on board with all their pros.

I do also like the notion of a "player finder", but don't see myself using that feature. Are you thinking about adding in a marketplace to this app? Like say I bought a new mold to test, hated it, I could then within one button "list it for sale". Then a person could buy this disc and be connected through paypal for a secure transaction. This way no one would be scammed like what happens on facebook.

Thanks for the input. I don't want to add any features people don't want/wouldn't use. I have had a few people mention adding a market feature which I'd be down with adding. It definitely would be a challenge to build, but I'm always up for a new challenge

Enough rambling from me... when you get the IOS version into Beta, I would love to be a tester!

I need all the testers I can get, so I'll definitely reach out to you when the time comes, thanks!

 

[bradharris]

When you work for startups and are an entrepreneur yourself, you actually do get code all day as a real job, and it's a LOT of fun. Working with start ups is an amazing experience as you get to see really awesome people build super amazing companies and products.

I spent the first half of this year working with a startup, it's rewarding, but also a lot of work!

Now onto some thoughts about your minimum viable product:

Drop the pro focus
If I want to find out what's in a pro's bag, there are plenty of ways to do that already. Putting them together in an app is going to make me no more likely to start using that app. What I don't have easy access to is what my friends are throwing. This should be your early focus.

Leverage existing social apps
There's no need to re-invent the wheel. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all provide great social interaction already, so there's no need to create a news feed of your own. There's also the added benefit that when people share their updates to other social networks, it helps promote the app to all of their friends and followers.

Make it work offline
Disc golf courses are often off the beaten path in areas with poor cell reception. If people can't use the app on the course, they'll be more likely to stop using it altogether.

 

[aclinton]

You didnt include FB, twitter, blogs, reddit, pdga site for disc golf info.

Also most of the features on dgcr i dont use but feel like form analysis should be seperate because imo its the best thing on this site.

I liked dinosaurthunder suggestion about the up for sale thing.

I liked that if i can convince my friends/club to use the app we will have a continious update on lost and found discs. So hopefully when and where its lost and who found it and if its in the lost disc box.

Most of the features i dont really care about. I would check out pros test discs and in the bags. If they use a light weight id like to know. And plastic type.

Honestly, that survey wasn't for me as much as the startup incubator I am working with in order to get InMyBag off the ground. The recommended creating a survey to find out what features you guys like the most, but honestly reading through these forum replies has been WAY more helpful than that stupid survey. All the same, thanks for taking the time to take it!

Having a system for lost/found discs would be pretty sweet, I agree. I'll definitely keep this feature high up on the priority list. Currently in the app you can make a disc as lost and include some details such as what hole, course, and a description of what happened. I don't have notifications working yet in the app. Currently working on implementing that in the server :thmbup:

 

[aclinton]

I spent the first half of this year working with a startup, it's rewarding, but also a lot of work!

That's awesome man! How did it go, if you don't mind me asking?

Drop the pro focus
If I want to find out what's in a pro's bag, there are plenty of ways to do that already. Putting them together in an app is going to make me no more likely to start using that app. What I don't have easy access to is what my friends are throwing. This should be your early focus.

The overall feeling I have gotten from the people who are interested in this app is that they definitely want to know what's in the pros' bags. But I understand where you are coming from so thanks for the input!

Leverage existing social apps
There's no need to re-invent the wheel. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all provide great social interaction already, so there's no need to create a news feed of your own. There's also the added benefit that when people share their updates to other social networks, it helps promote the app to all of their friends and followers.

Good point, I have been rolling around the idea of integrating social media sharing on existing platforms through InMyBag. I'll definitely make sure I seriously look into this.

Make it work offline
Disc golf courses are often off the beaten path in areas with poor cell reception. If people can't use the app on the course, they'll be more likely to stop using it altogether.

I've also considered this along with some possible implementations. I think it might be tricky, but it would be useful and a good idea to add. So, thanks again for another helpful idea!

 

[bradharris]

That's awesome man! How did it go, if you don't mind me asking?

We built a cool product, there just wasn't a strong enough customer base to support it. We think we were a couple years too early. The investors decided to stop funding development and I had to find a new job.

 

[aclinton]

We built a cool product, there just wasn't a strong enough customer base to support it. We think we were a couple years too early. The investors decided to stop funding development and I had to find a new job.

Ah, that sucks. Always comes back to the money. No money, no progress :wall:

 

[Horsman]

Tried to take the survey, got to the first question and it would not let me progress to the next one.

 

[aclinton]

Tried to take the survey, got to the first question and it would not let me progress to the next one.

Oh really? Well, some of the questions in there kick you out of the survey which just helps to "weed out" people who don't play a lot. That wasn't my idea but it's there anyway.

Your opinion on what features you would like to see in InMyBag are far more valuable than your answers to the survey

 

[Anon]

Have you done any sort of math on the size of your target audience and what it will take to make this thing more than a passion-driven hobby? Passion is great. But passion doesn't pay any bills. Eventually this WILL become an issue for a serious developer that values their time accordingly.

I'm thinking a user base in the low thousands is the best you could realistically hope for. Nowhere near enough to make the freemium model work. The other model is premium and I'm sure you understand just how hard it is to make people pay even $1 for an app.

I'd guess the creator of uDisc might be able to give you some ballpark numbers on how many folks ponied up the $3 for his app once he abandoned freemium.

 

[DavidSauls]

I'll start with a disclaimer that I'm not your market. None of this particularly interests me. But....

Have you considered something that lets users check off the courses they're interested in? For example, a player in Charlotte might check off the six courses he plays regularly. The app would show which other users are on those courses, or talking about going to those courses. Perhaps useful, because he doesn't care who's playing the courses on the other side of town.

So something like a Facebook user group for each course, and the user can include as many courses as he's interested in.

I don't know. Just a thought, something Facebook doesn't do well. I see club pages full of people talking about meeting up at different courses, talking over and around each other.

 

[Jenga54]

I would assume this engages the mobile's GPS to geotag the disc marked as Lost or Found in that spot?
And geotags the spot where you played a round with a fellow app user, geotag the disc with it just hitting an ace, then snapping a photo through the app and adding that pic to the disc's history, stuff like that?

 

[aclinton]

Have you considered something that lets users check off the courses they're interested in? For example, a player in Charlotte might check off the six courses he plays regularly. The app would show which other users are on those courses, or talking about going to those courses. Perhaps useful, because he doesn't care who's playing the courses on the other side of town.

No, I hadn't but I like the idea. Thanks for the input!

 

[Anon]

I would assume this engages the mobile's GPS to geotag the disc marked as Lost or Found in that spot?

I feel like a geo-tagged 'lost disc' feature is absolutely rife for abuse by somebody with ill intentions.