WEALTH, GREED, POWER AND ROMANCE...AND YOU'RE THE STAR!

Hello SOWPUB Readers,

It's been a while since i've posted, i've been lurking in the corners. As many of you know I live in sunny Palm Beach County Florida, right across the waterway from the wealth and glitz of Palm Beach. For a while i've been trying to develop a business built around the intrique and passion of the rich and famous. I have an idea and request input from the SOWPUB readers. But please be gentle.

ok here's the idea. On a weekly basis I will write a short story based upon a fictional character living in and experiencing the Palm Beach lifestyle. The character will be heavily involved in all the greed, power, lust and romance of a respectable Palm Beacher. Sort of a cyber version of a soap opera. But here's the kicker. The site will be a subscriber site and when you subscribe you become the character. Each weekly story is about you, the Palm Beacher. Kinda like the personalized mini-romance books that are available. However, mine is a full blown weekly eSoap Opera. Live the Power, Greed, Wealth and Romance as only the Wealthy can. You become "The Palm Beacher".

OK, is this idea to far out there? What can I do to add to this idea with backend products?

Mitch

This would work well on TV with all the other 'fish bowl/live someone else's life' shows

The only problem I can see is what happens if the person selected doesn't like what happens to them.

Too bad for them??

Maybe it would be better if other subscribers could vote what happened to the person selected.

That could be an interesting angle to get press coverage, especially TV that's shown in the area to entice people to sign up.

Maybe you could approach local businesses to put up a prize for each person selected and the business gets featured on your site.

Back end products.....T-Shirts, caps, the targets own webpage contained on your site featuring their vital statistics etc.

Role playing games are big business online...maybe every subscriber could choose a character to 'play' and other people vote what happens to any character they like.

Could be extremely time consuming if you have to do all decision making and writing for each character...let others decide their fate.

Just my $1.95 worth

MW

This is very interesting reading about subscriber websites, role playing games etc.

You provide the world and the tools and the subscribers pay to play. Of course you need programming staff and money to get started, but I can see an angle as discussed above where you could simplify.

An interesting model indeed.

MW

Here's the @#*&%)(*@ link


A model to steal from.

Hi Mitch,

One question that came to my mind with your idea, is - do people who buy these personalized books (where their name is in it) show ever "show them off" to their friends or others?

I don't know the answer.... But if they do, then a membership web site might not work so well.

I think that personalized romantic books are probably often meant to be enjoyed as a couple... I think a membership web site probably doesn't have the same "romantic" appeal as personalized books targeted at a couple. Curled up in bed with your loved one, reading through your personalized book (where the main characters have your names) seems more romantic than reading the same story on a computer screen.... I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing you mean, however.

I've never bought any of those personalized books, so I'm probably not in the target market for them. However, if you haven't done this already, I think you should try to contact and talk to people who HAVE bought those books, and see if they think they would be interested in a membership web site based on this idea....

It seems to me a good "back end" for any of these kinds of products are MORE personalized products! (Maybe jewelry, towels, etc.)

- Dien