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Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

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Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#441

Post by marktangotango »

tuan wrote: post #293

I created https://videoplaylist.online a few months ago. The idea was to alow users to quickly tag youtube video using a bookmarklet, and then play these youtube videos. It has a `quick select` feature that allows user to quickly create a temporary playlist and put the entire list on autoplay loop. I wanted to create this app because I listen to music on youtube a lot, and I usually add the videos that I like to a yo…

I looked into this type of app recently, sites that aggregate YouTube videos, specifically for kids so the content is totally curated. I found out that multichannel networks were a big thing a few years ago, then went away due to lack of ways to monetize.

Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#442

Post by westoncb »

muthdra wrote: post #439
westoncb wrote: post #139

I've maxed out a couple credit cards and spent all my severance pay etc. trying to finish building this '3D abstract visual debugger,' which I'm calling Lucidity [video]: http://symbolflux.com/projects/avd I started working on it in 2014 and it's been on my mind ever since. I applied to YC with it a long time ago (was not accepted, and I can see so much wrong with the application I sent now...) I was laid off in Nove…

I like your thing. It makes visualization easy for people making videos about programming. Rationalizing code can be very social. Livestreaming your programming is a thing, right? Jonathan Blow does it all the time: https://www.twitch.tv/naysayer88 Your visualizations empower the livestreaming coder. Also all of the YouTube channels that put up tens of programming videos every month. I'd love to watch coding tutorial…

Thanks muthdra. That is definitely something I've been thinking more about with this. Initially I was just thinking university professors might want it—but what about open source project maintainers who want to introduce new programmers to their code? It would be easy for them to get visualizations of their core parts of their programs.

I haven't seen too much livestreaming, but I'll check out Jonathan Blow's now!

Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#443

Post by logfromblammo »

roryisok wrote: post #240
logfromblammo wrote: post #155

I wrote, edited, and published-as-EPUB an entire fiction novel. It made about $22, before taxes. I then decided not to bother publishing it in print, due to obvious lack of demand. It didn't really cost me anything but my leisure time, though. I'm still working on a second one (but I don't feel quite so motivated to finish it in a timely fashion). If I cared at all about making money off of it, I'd have to hire someo…

The majority successful authors don't get their first book published, or their second, or sell any copies of their third. This is normal, please don't give up!

Give up? The goal is to write, not to sell. I already won.

I just didn't get extra gravy on top by getting paid for it.

Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#444

Post by prawn »

Mz wrote: post #428
prawn wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"And you are, ironically, proving my point that a lot of attention ends up on me, and not in a good way, rather than on my work." Your two comments here have talked about you and not about your work. You might be able to get attention focused on your work by linking to it and talking about it more specifically? All the other top level comments I read on this post included details about the project and often a link/na…

http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/06/announcing-w... It is an announcement of a couple of Reddits I have started. It is probably the least worst thing I can link to, given how terribly it tends to go to link to my health projects. I have had several health sites and kept killing them because they weren't accomplishing much and it was a constant shit show for me. I tend to dislike linking to my health sites…

Have you tried the Patreon model? Ebook or courseware might work if you have loads of original content, but Patreon could be appropriate if you're figuring things out and sharing personal research and practices.

Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#445

Post by Mz »

prawn wrote: post #444
Mz wrote: post #428

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/06/announcing-w... It is an announcement of a couple of Reddits I have started. It is probably the least worst thing I can link to, given how terribly it tends to go to link to my health projects. I have had several health sites and kept killing them because they weren't accomplishing much and it was a constant shit show for me. I tend to dislike linking to my health sites…

Have you tried the Patreon model? Ebook or courseware might work if you have loads of original content, but Patreon could be appropriate if you're figuring things out and sharing personal research and practices.

I do have a Patreon, but people who actually have CF have no money to spare as it is both debilitating and incredibly expensive (see http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-wrong-me...). Other people often tell me this is not pertinent to their lives. I think it has broader applications, but it has been really hard to try to figure out how to convince people of that.

Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#446

Post by shahbaby »

rhizome wrote: post #311
shahbaby wrote: post #40

To own a firearm in Canada you have to pass a certain test. I made a simple quiz app ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca2.testprojec... ) that would help people prepare for that test. My main goal was to learn how to make apps. It did generate revenue in the beginning but it was enough to buy coffee a few times a week. Then the government updated the firearm regulations and now everyone has to take a m…

Even with the mandatory course, are failure rates too low to make it worth pursuing as a simple study aid? Assuming pass/fail stats are even available.

It's still useful to some people (works offline, quick/easy access to important info, less to cram in your head during the course) but it's a small part of an already small niche. Population of Canada is 10x smaller than the US and not as firearm friendly.

Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#447

Post by docsapp_io »

dotmanish wrote: post #395
docsapp_io wrote: post #319

I built DocsApp ( https://www.docsapp.io/ ) two years ago and launched around 8 months ago. So far no revenue because I focus on building features. While DocsApp already launched 8 months ago, I still don`t see any growth in term of active users. So far only one active user with two sites and few users sign up to test then abandon completely, possibly go to competitor site with much expensive pricing. Here is what I…

> So far no revenue because I focus on building features. You can possibly reverse the funnel. Reach out to mailing lists / IRC channels / Slack channels to get feedback from developers and then develop features accordingly.

Good idea. Definitely will do that!

Re: Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

#448

Post by danieltillett »

CamTin wrote: post #438
danieltillett wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a great idea. I am not sure it can make money, but it is genius. Have you thought about making the ring time random rather than set?

I did think about selling it as "We'll force you to call your Mom /some time/ in the week. You may not know when!" Then I thought I'd want to exclude the middle of the night (don't want to give people heart attacks thinking somebody died). Then I thought of excluding the work day (who wants to sign up for a service that will randomly call them in the middle of meeting?). Finally I decided it would be easier to set a…

Even just making it random around a certain time (say +-15 minutes). Another idea might be to have time blocks that a user and their mother can choose and then pick a time out at random from the overlap. Neither will know when they are going to be called, but it will be at a time that suits both.

You could of course go the other way and just do this without the user choosing anytime at all. When they register to send their mother flowers record their number and their mother’s from the delivery details and then just set up the “blind date” without letting them know. Each will think the other called them first.

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