Prescript: We made a Kickstarter-like page for an Android version of GTBee using App.net’s Kickstarter competitor called Backer. They made us an offer we couldn’t refuse, in an apparently vain attempt to kickstart their Kickstarter-like thing. Apparently in vain because then App.net died and the link to the pretty backer.app.net page is broken.
Here’s a crude recreation of it:
GTBee is a to-do list app where you put in tasks and deadlines and get charged money for not Getting Things Done. We have an iPhone version of GTBee and people have been asking for an Android version.
Note that if this happens it will be open source and free to use (if you do all your to-dos on time).
If we hit this goal we’ll guarantee all the functionality that the iPhone version has, but it won’t yet look as pretty.
Specifically, it will have the following features:
If we hit this goal we’ll commit to the above plus additional features. Specifically, we’ll commit to at least two features from this list (which we’ll add to if you send us suggestions!):
Also we’ll commit to spending 20 hours per week on it till it’s done, so you’ll get it faster.
If we hit this stretch goal then, on top of the above, we’ll hire a real live designer to make GTBee as beautiful as it is practical.
And we’ll spend 30 person-hours per week on it, so we think it will be done in a couple weeks, but see the FAQ below for more on what we’re committing to on that.
First, this Backer is not actually about Beeminder. But since you asked, Beeminder is a somewhat elaborate system for getting yourself to do things. It involves graphs and data and reminders. It’s Quantified Self plus commitment contracts — you pledge money to keep all your datapoints on a Yellow Brick Road to your goal and if you go off track you (literally) pay the price.
Beeminder works best for big, important, ongoing (and graphable) goals, like exercising more or wasting time on the internet less.
GTBee, on the other hand, is for one-off tasks and, unlike Beeminder, is dirt simple. What it has in common with Beeminder is in using money to motivate you.
That’s always a tricky question! But we have a way to give you total confidence that it will eventually happen: We will beemind our progress! And we’ll pay the Beeminder pledges to you, our backers. So our promise is that we’ll spend a reasonable amount of time (10 or 20 or 30 hours/week, depending on which goal we hit) on it until it’s done, and you can watch the progress on our Beeminder graph. (Until this Backer is funded the Yellow Brick Road for that Beeminder meta goal will be flat.)
We don’t know yet but we promise we’re good for it!
By all means, get in touch.
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This Backer will be funded if $%(usd_value)s is committed by %(end_date)s.
Just want to support this with no incentives at all? Are you some kind of communist? Not that we’re complaining! And note that you’re only charged if we actually hit the goal and commit to shipping GTBee for Android.
You’ll receive Beeminder stickers and our gratitude (not undying but with a half-life of weeks if not months).
That’s sting-y, like a bee-sting, get it? Maybe also a little stingy, but better than “larval”, right? We’re kidding, we’re delighted if you pony up $20 and will even give you a 10% discount on premium plans for it. Plus the stickers from the Larval level, of course!
This gets you bonafide undying gratitude, expressed publicly on our blog and various social media AND A T-SHIRT. You heard that right, an actual T-shirt, that you can wear, on your body. Plus the 10% premium discount from the Stingy level and the stickers from the Larval level, and the bupkes from the Bupkes level.
This gets you our undying gratitude expressed not only publicly but personally by the Beeminder founders in a skype call (or public google hangout if you prefer) in which you can also ask them about startup life, their crazy self-quantifying or domestic game theory antics, or anything else. And of course the stickers, T-shirt, and premium discount.
We get it, you’re really desperate for GTBee on Android! But did it occur to you that since we already have this for iOS you could, for way less than $500, buy an iPod just for GTBee? So for the $500 level we’ll actually send you an iPod Touch w/ GTBee installed. No waiting! And stickers, T-shirt, premium discount, and virtual date w/ the founders.