Comments on: Ideas Factory http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory My random mumblings about web development and PC hardware. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:03:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Ben Rogers http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-331 Ben Rogers Sat, 04 Mar 2006 17:46:11 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-331 You'd also have to be careful of how you organize charities. If there are too many, it'll be overwhelming. If there are too few, you'll seem bias. Make it VERY EASY to go through them all. You’d also have to be careful of how you organize charities. If there are too many, it’ll be overwhelming. If there are too few, you’ll seem bias. Make it VERY EASY to go through them all.

]]> By: Neal V. http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-319 Neal V. Mon, 27 Feb 2006 20:30:43 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-319 Yeah, you see your best bet would be finding away to send it directly to a charity and not touch the money. It makes you seem more credible and reduces the chance of any financial mishaps. I don't now how you could set that up, though, to automate people's payments. Merely having a website that gives information on different charities and at least information on how to donate, and allows people to comment on them would be a good idea. Yeah, you see your best bet would be finding away to send it directly to a charity and not touch the money. It makes you seem more credible and reduces the chance of any financial mishaps. I don’t now how you could set that up, though, to automate people’s payments. Merely having a website that gives information on different charities and at least information on how to donate, and allows people to comment on them would be a good idea.

]]> By: David http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-318 David Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:01:42 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-318 Another reason for having an account that all money goes into first would be for simplicity. Rather then making several separate charges to someone for each charity, one charge would probably be simpler to setup. It's a lot easier to give money away than it is to receive it. I haven't really researched that though, so when I do I may find that it's all fairly simple and I don't have to worry. I need to write a lot of underlying code before I get to that point. Another reason for having an account that all money goes into first would be for simplicity. Rather then making several separate charges to someone for each charity, one charge would probably be simpler to setup. It’s a lot easier to give money away than it is to receive it.

I haven’t really researched that though, so when I do I may find that it’s all fairly simple and I don’t have to worry. I need to write a lot of underlying code before I get to that point.

]]> By: lilcrazyfuzzy http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-317 lilcrazyfuzzy Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:12:15 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-317 It's quite a good idea david, if you were to do that, i'd advice <em>not</em> to have the money transfered to your paypal account, instead, as you said, have it directly transfered to the organisation's account. I can imagine that if many people were to use your site and request a refund, you might be overwhelmed and get in trouble if you can't get them their refund. Also people would probably trust it more if it was directly transfered to the charity's bank account. Be sure to ask them to confirm their donation at least one time, and that should be alright. That would be just like when you make an online transaction (online banking), you can't get your money back once you sent it. Anyway, keep us informed if you need a hand. kind regards, LCF It’s quite a good idea david, if you were to do that, i’d advice not to have the money transfered to your paypal account, instead, as you said, have it directly transfered to the organisation’s account. I can imagine that if many people were to use your site and request a refund, you might be overwhelmed and get in trouble if you can’t get them their refund.
Also people would probably trust it more if it was directly transfered to the charity’s bank account.

Be sure to ask them to confirm their donation at least one time, and that should be alright.
That would be just like when you make an online transaction (online banking), you can’t get your money back once you sent it.

Anyway, keep us informed if you need a hand.

kind regards,
LCF

]]> By: David http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-313 David Sun, 26 Feb 2006 23:05:47 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-313 Ben, I'm not sure why I'd need any coporate backing. People can either trust me or not, but I would imagine that if a few people take the plunge and realise it's not a scam, other people may become interested. I've never gotten the fact that donations can be offset against taxes. If you donate $1000, you can save $2000 in tax. Is it just an American thing? I don't know if it happens in England or Europe. I guess it's good for the charities but it's donating for all the wrong reasons. Still, a good deed done for the wrong reasons is still a good deed I guess. All donations would of course be logged, I am unsure really of what else I would need to do for them to be able to get a tax break. Surely they would have a bank record showing money leaving their account, far more reliable from a bank than from a web-site I would have thought. There was another point that I was considering that I didn't put in the entry. I was wondering whether it would be best if the money went straight from the users account to the charity and the web-site just logged the transaction, or if it would be better to transfer to an account especially for the web-site then sending the money on from there. If I were to setup a bank account (or paypal account, or whatever) for the site then I could hold all donations there for a set time (say a week), so that if someone decided that they didn't want to donate that money after all, they could ask for a refund. For whatever circumstances; they added an extra 0, a big bill landed on their doorstep, someone used their computer and donated as a practical joke, they just remembered they're tight fisted... However having a separate account for the site would perhaps make me less trusted. Also it may result in additional overheads, for example I think that paypal charges a certain percentage for money transfers to business accounts, I'm unsure if they have a special charity account that they don't charge for. I would need to look into things like that. Ben, I’m not sure why I’d need any coporate backing. People can either trust me or not, but I would imagine that if a few people take the plunge and realise it’s not a scam, other people may become interested.

I’ve never gotten the fact that donations can be offset against taxes. If you donate $1000, you can save $2000 in tax. Is it just an American thing? I don’t know if it happens in England or Europe. I guess it’s good for the charities but it’s donating for all the wrong reasons. Still, a good deed done for the wrong reasons is still a good deed I guess.

All donations would of course be logged, I am unsure really of what else I would need to do for them to be able to get a tax break. Surely they would have a bank record showing money leaving their account, far more reliable from a bank than from a web-site I would have thought.

There was another point that I was considering that I didn’t put in the entry. I was wondering whether it would be best if the money went straight from the users account to the charity and the web-site just logged the transaction, or if it would be better to transfer to an account especially for the web-site then sending the money on from there.

If I were to setup a bank account (or paypal account, or whatever) for the site then I could hold all donations there for a set time (say a week), so that if someone decided that they didn’t want to donate that money after all, they could ask for a refund. For whatever circumstances; they added an extra 0, a big bill landed on their doorstep, someone used their computer and donated as a practical joke, they just remembered they’re tight fisted…

However having a separate account for the site would perhaps make me less trusted. Also it may result in additional overheads, for example I think that paypal charges a certain percentage for money transfers to business accounts, I’m unsure if they have a special charity account that they don’t charge for. I would need to look into things like that.

]]> By: rhsunderground http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-312 rhsunderground Sun, 26 Feb 2006 23:02:32 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-312 worthwhile, i submit. the poll concept is a bit past me, but the rest sounds good. if you need a hairy representative, let me know. worthwhile, i submit. the poll concept is a bit past me, but the rest sounds good. if you need a hairy representative, let me know.

]]> By: Neal V. http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-310 Neal V. Sun, 26 Feb 2006 18:36:14 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-310 Hmm, interesting idea. Heh, like online shopping for charities. Ben is right, people will want to be able to prove their donation for tax breaks. Honestly, I have no idea how that works tax-wise. But it is an interesting concept. Especially having a page for each charity where people can comment. People like to research charities, they want to know that their money will be going to help someone and not just to pay some office-jockey in the overhead or to sit in a bank helping no one. And, as Ben points out again, gathering the community is always a challenge. Having people being able to use your site to pay charities could be a bit dicey, but it might be doable. Overall, I say it's a good idea. Hmm, interesting idea. Heh, like online shopping for charities. Ben is right, people will want to be able to prove their donation for tax breaks. Honestly, I have no idea how that works tax-wise. But it is an interesting concept. Especially having a page for each charity where people can comment. People like to research charities, they want to know that their money will be going to help someone and not just to pay some office-jockey in the overhead or to sit in a bank helping no one. And, as Ben points out again, gathering the community is always a challenge. Having people being able to use your site to pay charities could be a bit dicey, but it might be doable. Overall, I say it’s a good idea.

]]> By: Ben Rogers http://www.hddkillers.com/2006/02/ideas-factory#comment-309 Ben Rogers Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:29:30 +0000 http://www.hddkillers.com/?p=41#comment-309 It's an interesting idea, but I don't know how well it would work, unless you can get some serious corporate backing. Not that the project itself requires much money, but you'd need to get a lot of people, become trusted, and just generally do all the right things, it's no sideproject. Also, take into account people will want records for tax purposes, eh? It's a good concept, though. It’s an interesting idea, but I don’t know how well it would work, unless you can get some serious corporate backing. Not that the project itself requires much money, but you’d need to get a lot of people, become trusted, and just generally do all the right things, it’s no sideproject. Also, take into account people will want records for tax purposes, eh?

It’s a good concept, though.

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