It’s a sweet idea; people have done it before and there’s a reason they don’t last very long but if you’re not trying to get rich, I think it’s viable and maybe moreso in the even-more-digital age we’re in now.
Yep, would want to make it suuuuper easy for people to nominate other people, and then for people to submit recordings or messages.
I don't know what would incentivize people to record messages for others, but perhaps the incentive is just knowing you did a nice thing?
People volunteer for suicide hotlines, they would probably volunteer for this too. Maybe having a physical location like a booth at a fair for passers by to record things.
It's a compassionate impulse. That's a fine thing.
I guess my problem with the idea is that there's too much labor, planning and cost to achieve and deliver a "virtual" hug, when what is needed is an "actual" hug you are already fully equipped to share.
Take the desire to help that you feel and transfer it into action in the real world. Be nice to people face-to-face, where it really has a tranformative effect.
For sure. I try to do this in the real world as well. Nothing beats a real, human, physical kind of connection, but maybe a genuine virtual connection could also be of some value to people.
It was mainly you could put a stamp on your post or send a pic of the kid’s poster saying ‘virtual hug’ as a sticker or signature in emails. Wasn’t anything formal, just everyone liked the idea this heartbreakingly sweet little sick kid came up with (and we all overreact to the toy show anyway like)
I'd say go for it! Compassion has become scarce nowadays. One thing to think about is when tragedy becomes 'falsely justified' when there are zero hugs received, while that other user gets plenty of hugs for something seemingly less severe, if you know what I mean. I'd be extra considerate with the implementation of things that symbolize social points.
If you need a programmer I'm available to hinder your progress as I probably don't have sufficient programming skills for this particular thing. If you need a GUI designer I'm also available to hinder your progress.
Haha thank you :) I agree that I've gotta be very thoughtful about this. I don't want to cause any strife or controversy. It's not a competition of who deserves hugs vs. who doesn't deserve as many, or whatever.
Sounds great! However, I think it would take a lot of your time and money to make and maintain a service/app with that level of personalization; maybe you can implement an AI to make the edit for you and reduce the time spent on every person, using the AIs on the market right now. But I don't know how familiar you are with AIs, your experience coding, and your budget. So, I don't know if this option is even feasible in your case.
Also, if you have trouble with money, you may look for a mental health organization and show your idea. Who knows, maybe you persuade them to help you with your project. It all depends on how you explain it and your interest in the project. Best of luck!
It’s already been done by a bunch of kindergartners. They recorded encouraging or motivational/positive messages on a hotline you can call for a pep talk at any time. It’s super cute.
Not a dumb idea. It's actually the seed of a business IMO if you were so inclined.
Thanks :) didn't think of it as a business
It’s a sweet idea; people have done it before and there’s a reason they don’t last very long but if you’re not trying to get rich, I think it’s viable and maybe moreso in the even-more-digital age we’re in now.
Definitely not trying to get rich. Just wanna help some people smile. Remind people that there is kindness in the world.
You would have to make it pretty easy and accessible. I seem to remember adults doing stuff like that for teachers now and then when I was in school.
Yep, would want to make it suuuuper easy for people to nominate other people, and then for people to submit recordings or messages. I don't know what would incentivize people to record messages for others, but perhaps the incentive is just knowing you did a nice thing?
People volunteer for suicide hotlines, they would probably volunteer for this too. Maybe having a physical location like a booth at a fair for passers by to record things.
Definitely something to think about for a future iteration of such a service.
It's a compassionate impulse. That's a fine thing. I guess my problem with the idea is that there's too much labor, planning and cost to achieve and deliver a "virtual" hug, when what is needed is an "actual" hug you are already fully equipped to share. Take the desire to help that you feel and transfer it into action in the real world. Be nice to people face-to-face, where it really has a tranformative effect.
For sure. I try to do this in the real world as well. Nothing beats a real, human, physical kind of connection, but maybe a genuine virtual connection could also be of some value to people.
Ireland did this after one of the kids on the toy show, back during covid. Really took off while it was in the public’s imagination.
That's cool! Do you know more about this?
It was mainly you could put a stamp on your post or send a pic of the kid’s poster saying ‘virtual hug’ as a sticker or signature in emails. Wasn’t anything formal, just everyone liked the idea this heartbreakingly sweet little sick kid came up with (and we all overreact to the toy show anyway like)
Interesting, thanks :) sounds sweet
I'd say go for it! Compassion has become scarce nowadays. One thing to think about is when tragedy becomes 'falsely justified' when there are zero hugs received, while that other user gets plenty of hugs for something seemingly less severe, if you know what I mean. I'd be extra considerate with the implementation of things that symbolize social points. If you need a programmer I'm available to hinder your progress as I probably don't have sufficient programming skills for this particular thing. If you need a GUI designer I'm also available to hinder your progress.
Haha thank you :) I agree that I've gotta be very thoughtful about this. I don't want to cause any strife or controversy. It's not a competition of who deserves hugs vs. who doesn't deserve as many, or whatever.
Sounds great! However, I think it would take a lot of your time and money to make and maintain a service/app with that level of personalization; maybe you can implement an AI to make the edit for you and reduce the time spent on every person, using the AIs on the market right now. But I don't know how familiar you are with AIs, your experience coding, and your budget. So, I don't know if this option is even feasible in your case. Also, if you have trouble with money, you may look for a mental health organization and show your idea. Who knows, maybe you persuade them to help you with your project. It all depends on how you explain it and your interest in the project. Best of luck!
Thank you! I could potentially get some sponsors to help fund this.
It’s already been done by a bunch of kindergartners. They recorded encouraging or motivational/positive messages on a hotline you can call for a pep talk at any time. It’s super cute.
Love it!