Hi from Brazil, exploring palm reading world

Hey,

My name is Chim and I'm analyzing the Palm reading market and creating a new startup on it.

I'm creating a startup that helps people who wants to know about their future to meet with people who can read about their future with palm reading.

I will need to talk to many of you to get feedback about my new product. I hope I can unleash the palm reading market and make it more known to the general public.

If you want to know more about my project and even give me your opinion, please visit:
Fortunica.
Feel free to contact me at hello AT chimkan DOT com.

You may also ask what's the difference between Fortunica and a palm reading forum. It's totally different. Fortunica is tune to be 100% integrated to all social networks.

Hello Chim, Thanks for presenting your new idea to us. I watched the presentation. I would be interested to know more about it & how it would work. I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions...

What is the difference between your product and, for example, this forum - where people can also upload pictures of their hands and receive comments from palmistry experts? You say it is totally different, but I'm nor sure in what way(s)?

Would you be charging customers for this service?

From where would you be recruting your team of expert readers?

just one thought from me - I notice the emphasis is on 'fortune telling' which, in my opinion, is a rather limited and even outdated view of the scope of modern handreading. At this forum people can read not only about future prediction but much broader interpretations of their hands. I guess I'm not exactly sure what you are offering that isn't already freely available here. ?

Hi Lynn,

First, thanks for showing interest about Fortuni.ca.

Let me reply to all your questions which are valid and most people ask me the same thing.

1. What's the difference between Fortuni.ca and a forum like ModernHandReading?
Before answering let me show you a kind of internet pattern, I think most internet services have a "forum version" and a "platform version". For instance, before eBay, people were already selling and buying stuff from specific forums. Before Facebook, LinkedIn and many other social networks, people were already "socializing" through forums.

However, for some unknown reason, we don't have such a "platform version" for fortune telling and specifically palm reading.

In my point of view, there are two big differences. The first is that Fortuni.ca is built to have features that make the life for palm readers and users easier, that's why feedback from both populations are needed. This translate to ease of picture upload, message system, palm review, comment sharing and the website is easily available to iPhone, Android cellphones, etc.

The second difference is in the marketing segmentation issue. The main idea of Fortuni.ca is to become a bridge and a market place for fortune tellers in general. As you said, palm reading is going beyond fortune telling. In the Fortuni.ca case, I want to focus on fortune telling (that's why the name Fortuni.ca) only and initially. Simply saying, it's a marketing issue that we are different.

2. Would Fortuni.ca charge users?

Fortuni.ca is a for profit startup. The business model is a very common model used in many companies such as New York Times, Gmail, Picasa, Anti-virus softwares, etc. It is called "Freemium". Fortuni.ca can offer fortune telling services for free or paid. The palm reader has the power to decide if he or she wants to charge customers or not. Fortuni.ca just offers the tools and the platform for that. If the palm reader decides to charge for the service, the listing is free and the palm reader decides how much to charge.

3. Where does Fortuni.ca get palm readers and experts?

There are many ways to attract palm readers and experts. The first source is in forums such as this one. The second source is to create partnerships with well known palm readers. The third source is to use social networks, media, investors and Google.

For the better or the worse, there are many types of palm readers. There are palm readers that want to do it as a hobby, there are palm readers that do it for fun and to friends only, there are palm readers who want to increase their skill by reading more palms, there are greedy palm readers, nice and etc.

Fortuni.ca is designed to offer tools to help palm readers. I want to offer a platform and tools that allow palm readers just to focus on the palm reading experience and not how that website works. Simply as that. I would love to have palm reader to test the platform and be part of the initial wave of palm readers.

I think you can tell me if this is innovative for this specific industry or not. Your comments or opinion are important.

4. Isn't just fortune telling too specific?

Yes. It is too specific given that the palm reading subject can be broad and rich.

In my experience as an entrepreneur, I realize that when you have a "laser focus", you have a better chance to have a strong marketing position and people tend to remember your brand better. Also, as you saw from the last couple of second from the video, the idea is to expand the fortune telling experience to other type of "techniques".

Hi Martijn,

I made that video specifically for YouTube. Later I decided to add the video to the index page of Fortuni.ca. So, I know that it sounds awkward for now. Going to fix that soon.

The project looks like in the 'phantasy' stage but it's not.

I developed two prototypes. They are ugly but it shows the features that I was testing for the real beta version.

The first one has some 'issue' that I rather have you discover:
http://demo.fortuni.ca

The second one is a much closer version of what I envision as the initial product but extremley ugly because I didn't have the time to finish the design. Also, the Rails platform changed its version and the Facebook login is not working.

http://fortunica2.chimkan.com
Although, you can login and try the features by yourself.

I'm going to develop the "alpha" workable version in a month or less.

So, you are an expert already giving me an important opinion. I really appreciate if you can send more feedback!

What I want to know is the minimum information needed for a palm reader to start reading as soon as possible. What are the desirable tools?

Hi Chim, Thank you for answering all my questions.
As Martijn points out, the youtube video refers us back to the site to learn more about fortunica, but so far it seems to consist only of the video. Please let us know when there is further info there. Thanks.

(edit - PS I notice that you posted while I was watching the video again & replying.)

Hi Martijn,

I really appreciate your sincere and blunt reply. As I told you before, all comments and opinion is important for any product and startup development.

It is real that the project is in the very beginning as I said before. You confirmed what it is already.

Still, my dream is to create value for users and palm readers. My intention is not just generating profit but profits based on generation of real value to all stakeholders.

I understand that at this point zero, the platform main idea may not provide enough value to people like you. That is why I'm contacting people who are experts and who have deep years of experience such as Lynn and youself to provide me an opinion or comments such as this one so I can build and come up with something that may generate usefulness and real value.

I want to reinforce that I want to create something that everyone will be winning. Without this win-win situation, there's no reason and value to pursue such a thing.

Thanks again and the opportunity to have you and your community feedback! I really appreciate!

Chim

I want to reinforce that I want to create something that everyone will be winning. Without this win-win situation, there's no reason and value to pursue such a thing.

Thanks for presenting your idea and asking our advice :-)
To be honest Chim, as your presentation stands at the moment, I don't see how anyone really wins . Our clients can already find us when they need us via the internet - thru our websites or such forums as this. Handreaders can already choose whether to give answers for free or be paid for readings. I don't wish to put a downer on your great idea, but at the moment I'm not sure who benefits from it, or exactly how it works?

re - what is the minimum information needed for a palm reader to start reading?
Personally I need -
very clear hand prints/scans/digital photos of palm side of hand - from wrist to fingertips, able to see all the skin ridges & fingerprints. Plus clear pictures of the back of the hand inclusing nails.
details as to : whether the person is left or right handed, age or date of birth.

Hi Lynn,

I hope that once I have a better prototype, things can be clear for all of us.

Thanks for the information!

Cheers,

C.

Hi Chim,
My requirements for doing a reading on line would be the same as Lynn's.

Although I see the value in your plans as sort of a clearinghouse of palm readers, I also have mixed feelings about your idea.

Doing readings on line take a lot more time and energy than doing readings in person. In person, you can point to the various areas of the hands as you speak, but in writing out a reading you must also describe where you are getting your information and how it applies.

When I do a reading on line that would take 30 minutes or so in person it can take several hours of my time on line. First there's the studying of the hands using what is presented. Often you can't see what you want to see clearly enough. Many people do not have the capabilities to provide quality prints and images. You are also unable to touch and flex the hands for texture and flexibility.

Then there's the idea of paying a middleman.

I don't think it's a bad idea but as Lynn said, most professional readers have their own web sites letting people know how to contact them for a reading. I don't think your site will draw the best hand readers but those that want to make money.

But it's always good to see the subject of palmistry become more well known and accepted.