Tuesday 22nd August 2006

I hope this trip (which is already longer than I envisaged initially) isn’t going to be another that just drags on and on, all for the sake of me not being enthusiastic enough to get on a train and go home. This can happen. This time I have the inconvenience of not being able to get into my flat or my car because I don’t have any keys but I can remedy that, and will have to remedy that sooner or later, and so I don’t know why I don’t just go home. But a few things are keeping me down here. It’s my granddad’s 85th birthday on Thursday and so it would be nice to go to that, and amongst other things The Idea is really starting to take shape and so I want to spend more time with Wade.

I’m sorry I can’t give you more info about The Idea. It’s boring of me not to, and I feel that you deserve to know because you’ve stuck with reading this for so long, but as I said the other day, it’s important for me that this isn’t just another of those pipe dreams of mine that start strongly out of the blocks and then trip over it’s laces, and so I want to have it up and running so I can go “Da-DA! I did that!�

And also, before it’s all designed and the company is official (we’ve only bought the web site domain so far) I’m going to be privy about it. I know that’s silly. Well, I promise not to bang on about it and therefore be annoying, and I will give you a sort of idea now, and seeing as I’m stupid and indiscrete more information about it will undoubtedly be mentioned over the next few days as it develops but basically it’s a community website with a bit of a unique twist. You know Myspace?

“Yeah, the website that’s got about three billion members and was recently sold to Rupert Murdoch for about £750 million.�

That’s it, well it’s kind of like that, but better.

“Right-o. And there was I thinking you might have finally come up with a workable idea. But oh no, you want to be bigger than Myspace. You’re an idiot.�

Not bigger than them, I can’t see that, but it’s a completely unique service that I think the world will slowly catch onto. It will be more useful and practical than Myspace.

“You’re insane! Why not open a sandwich shop or something?�

That’s the thing about the internet, you only need a good idea, a great web designer, a great programmer (we have this) and enough bandwidth, powerful enough server, and someone looking after it for you, and the world’s your oyster. Look at Google, that just started because..,

“No, again, you’re comparing yourself to a multi-billion dollar organisation that…�

Not comparing! I’m just making the point that Google has become so big because it provides a service which works. We’re going to be providing a service that works, and that is unique. It’s not even a completely radical idea, it’s just an idea that hasn’t been done yet and people will find addictive and useful.

“But you’re not going to tell us what it is?�

Well I will but as I say, just give me a while until something solid’s in place. I don’t want to annoy you, indeed you’re all going to be important first users of the new site I hope. But until this simple idea, but complex site development, is rather more solid I’d be foolish to. It will be on-line before the end of the year and until then I’ll probably just shut up about it. But it is exciting and both Wade and I are falling over ourselves with how this really could be the next big thing.

Today I went to Osman’s the stationers on Wardour Street, and bought lots of paper and a few marker pens. We stuck the paper up on the wall of his flat and began sketching it all out. Ideas were rushing, it was what advertising types call ‘brain storming’ I think. We’ve got a product, no doubt about it, and Wade knows the computer geeks that can make it work, but we’re under no illusions that it’s got to bed done right and done well. An inferior version of The Idea would be a waste. We’re going to make this work. That’s the end of it for now.

Went to Rakehell’s tonight, the glamorous party in The Grill room of the Café Royal for rakes. The music was 20’s and 30’s jazz, people were immaculately dressed, and it was incredibly popular. The women were mostly dressed in 40’s gear – just fabulous. I’ll be less annoying tomorrow but let me say this – there’s something in the air. I completely trust Wade, he’s as excited as I am, and I drunk my free drinks getting increasingly flamboyant ideas of success regards the whole thing. It’s great to be excited isn’t it? When you feel that energy at an idea? When you really can’t see any obstacles because, having not started the practicalities of making this work you’ve yet to come up against any. I love this stage of an idea. It’s invariably the best stage.

I’ll tell you all, my dears, about this idea really soon, but just let me get my head straight and a few solid elements down first.

• Post to:
•  del.icio.us
•  Digg
•  Newsvine
•  Nowpublic
•  Reddit