I've recently started coding a location-aware site with a couple of friends (we actually just applied for the upcoming YC round), but we've all been feeling we could work a bit harder on our site's location features.
For brick-and-mortar retail, it's a no brainer. You'd be laughed at if you decided to simply open up shop without doing concrete research--as in, looking at things from ground level as oppose to siting in the cloud peering down. I thought it'd be different for an online business, but now I'm not so sure. So, myself and one other founder have decided to travel across the US while working on the site, hitting most of the major cities. The blog we'll create will hopefully be really useful as our project moves along.
What are your thoughts: is the internet location-agnostic, or do you need to do the same on-the-ground research you would if your business was in a building beside a sidewalk?
For brick-and-mortar retail, it's a no brainer. You'd be laughed at if you decided to simply open up shop without doing concrete research--as in, looking at things from ground level as oppose to siting in the cloud peering down. I thought it'd be different for an online business, but now I'm not so sure. So, myself and one other founder have decided to travel across the US while working on the site, hitting most of the major cities. The blog we'll create will hopefully be really useful as our project moves along.
What are your thoughts: is the internet location-agnostic, or do you need to do the same on-the-ground research you would if your business was in a building beside a sidewalk?