"I want to be able to take a batch of picture of my books bar codes and upload them and have it generate the list of my books automatically. Then, I want to be able to rate my books, easily, like on netflix, and get new recommendations based on that, and a list of local friends that might have the same taste in books. I want..."
Fair suggestions, but who's to say that's what these guys are trying to be? From what I gather they're a meeting place for those who like to read. I was able to quickly gather that from their homepage.
To be fair, it sounds like you're taking up a different discussion (Founders' Vision and the Web 2.0 Phenomenon) with these guys caught in your crosshairs. The fact is, we don't know what they're trying to become. Maybe they'll evolve into those features you mentioned... it's believable. But they're nascent, and it's their job today to release quick and iterate fast as per user suggestions.
They've done that (that's why they're here on HN). Why nitpick the details of their "vision" so early on?
Because they asked for feedback, and that's the big problem I see. It's not that I'm nitpicking at the details of their vision, it's that I think they don't have any vision.
If you want to build a 21st century place for people to meet around reading, those are the kind of features I think you need. If you ask me what I think of your website, I'm going to tell you. I like to think big picture and design, so I'm going to focus on that. In this case I noticed nothing compelling from a big picture perspective, so I focused on that.
Besides, on the post I came from, the person who owns the website said "Bookhuddle is a social network and book reference site created to help people discover, organize, and share book information." So it's quite relevant to say how a social network and reference site created to help people... should actually look like in the 21st century.
Fair suggestions, but who's to say that's what these guys are trying to be? From what I gather they're a meeting place for those who like to read. I was able to quickly gather that from their homepage.
To be fair, it sounds like you're taking up a different discussion (Founders' Vision and the Web 2.0 Phenomenon) with these guys caught in your crosshairs. The fact is, we don't know what they're trying to become. Maybe they'll evolve into those features you mentioned... it's believable. But they're nascent, and it's their job today to release quick and iterate fast as per user suggestions.
They've done that (that's why they're here on HN). Why nitpick the details of their "vision" so early on?