Should I Build It Should I Build It
03 Jun 2025
Social Media

a website where users can add their favorite anime/video game or ...

...whatever characters and share links to those profiles to their friends

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

Your idea of creating a website where users can share their favorite characters falls into a crowded space, which we call the 'Swamp.' The description of this category is fitting, because there are already many platforms that allow users to curate and share lists of things they like, and it's difficult to stand out. With 12 similar products already identified, the competition is significant. The average engagement on these similar platforms is low, with only 3 comments per product. Unfortunately, there's no clear positive signal regarding people wanting to use or buy such platforms. While it is nice that you want to build something that facilitates sharing among friends, the data suggests it will be difficult to make it a success.

Recommendations

  1. First, really dig into why existing character/interest sharing platforms haven't taken off in a big way. What are their shortcomings? Are they too complex? Not social enough? Do they lack a crucial feature that users crave? Understand the failures before you proceed.
  2. If you decide to move forward, identify a specific niche group that feels underserved by existing platforms. For example, instead of targeting all anime fans, focus on fans of a particular genre or subculture within anime. Catering to a niche allows you to create a more tailored experience and attract a dedicated user base.
  3. Consider building tools or features that could be integrated into existing character databases or fan communities instead of creating a whole new platform. This could involve developing a recommendation engine for specific character archetypes or a tool that helps fans organize and share their collections.
  4. Explore adjacent problems that might be more promising. Perhaps there's a greater need for tools that help fans create content related to their favorite characters, such as fan art generators or interactive storytelling platforms. What does the market NEED vs. just want?
  5. Given the challenges in this space, it might be wise to save your energy and resources for a different project. Focus on identifying problems with clearer market demand and less competition. Don't be afraid to walk away from this idea if it doesn't seem viable after careful consideration.
  6. Based on feedback from similar products, focus on simplicity and intuitive design. Users appreciate platforms that are easy to use and allow them to quickly curate and share their interests. Avoid feature bloat and prioritize a seamless user experience.
  7. Think carefully about your monetization strategy from the outset. Free hosting is not sustainable in the long run. Explore options such as premium features, sponsorships, or affiliate marketing to generate revenue. Make it so valuable that your audience wants to pay for the experience.

Questions

  1. What unique angle or feature can you bring to a character sharing platform that will truly differentiate it from existing solutions and capture the attention of a specific user base?
  2. Considering the low engagement on similar platforms, how will you foster a vibrant and active community around your character sharing website?
  3. What are the key assumptions you're making about user behavior and market demand, and how will you validate those assumptions before investing significant time and resources?

Your are here

Your idea of creating a website where users can share their favorite characters falls into a crowded space, which we call the 'Swamp.' The description of this category is fitting, because there are already many platforms that allow users to curate and share lists of things they like, and it's difficult to stand out. With 12 similar products already identified, the competition is significant. The average engagement on these similar platforms is low, with only 3 comments per product. Unfortunately, there's no clear positive signal regarding people wanting to use or buy such platforms. While it is nice that you want to build something that facilitates sharing among friends, the data suggests it will be difficult to make it a success.

Recommendations

  1. First, really dig into why existing character/interest sharing platforms haven't taken off in a big way. What are their shortcomings? Are they too complex? Not social enough? Do they lack a crucial feature that users crave? Understand the failures before you proceed.
  2. If you decide to move forward, identify a specific niche group that feels underserved by existing platforms. For example, instead of targeting all anime fans, focus on fans of a particular genre or subculture within anime. Catering to a niche allows you to create a more tailored experience and attract a dedicated user base.
  3. Consider building tools or features that could be integrated into existing character databases or fan communities instead of creating a whole new platform. This could involve developing a recommendation engine for specific character archetypes or a tool that helps fans organize and share their collections.
  4. Explore adjacent problems that might be more promising. Perhaps there's a greater need for tools that help fans create content related to their favorite characters, such as fan art generators or interactive storytelling platforms. What does the market NEED vs. just want?
  5. Given the challenges in this space, it might be wise to save your energy and resources for a different project. Focus on identifying problems with clearer market demand and less competition. Don't be afraid to walk away from this idea if it doesn't seem viable after careful consideration.
  6. Based on feedback from similar products, focus on simplicity and intuitive design. Users appreciate platforms that are easy to use and allow them to quickly curate and share their interests. Avoid feature bloat and prioritize a seamless user experience.
  7. Think carefully about your monetization strategy from the outset. Free hosting is not sustainable in the long run. Explore options such as premium features, sponsorships, or affiliate marketing to generate revenue. Make it so valuable that your audience wants to pay for the experience.

Questions

  1. What unique angle or feature can you bring to a character sharing platform that will truly differentiate it from existing solutions and capture the attention of a specific user base?
  2. Considering the low engagement on similar platforms, how will you foster a vibrant and active community around your character sharing website?
  3. What are the key assumptions you're making about user behavior and market demand, and how will you validate those assumptions before investing significant time and resources?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 12
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 3
  • Net use signal: 18.0%
    • Positive use signal: 18.0%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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