Really Bad Business Idea.

[swestrup]

Okay, I've just had a really bad idea for a money making business you can start with NO MONEY DOWN!

I actually hesitated posting this idea, since I fear that someone might find this idea and implement it. Then again, its obvious that there are people who think this way, so it is somewhat amazing that it hasn't happened yet.

The idea is simple: LJ username brokerage.

1. You start by building a program that cybersquats on all of the good untaken LJ names you can think of. Probably based on a 'cool name' generator. You then auction them off on eBay.
   
2. You use the money from phase 1 to look up the folks who have cool LJ names that they aren't using, and you BUY THEM. These too you sell on eBay.
3. As you do phases 1 and 2, you put some of the profits into developing an online database system by which people can put LJ names up for sale, and/or put in requests to buy existing names. You handle the details of letting folks know their LJ name is worth money, and for closing transactions. You take a cut on all transactions.

Comments

[sps.livejournal.com]

Actually this generalises to an even worse business idea, which involves having a virally recruited network of zombie machines which set out to own all useful account names on all web services everywhere, with or without the intention of selling them; a universal DOS attack.

[swestrup]

But you'd be rich!

[sps.livejournal.com]

In the sense of making everyone else poor, perhaps. Somehow this doesn't excite me....