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Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

monicahq.com

81–90 of 586 posts

Re: Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

#82
I built one of these for myself in 1995 and have been happily using it ever since. Here's the source code:

  0 0 19 7 *      /usr/bin/mail -s "REMINDER: john T. birthday" me@mydomain.com
  0 0 1 8 *       /usr/bin/mail -s "REMINDER: MAKE xmas hotel reservations NOW for good pricing..." me@mydomain.com

Re: Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

#83

Founder here. Here to answer any questions you might have. The site is not perfect, it's not mobile optimized, there are probably bugs, there is a gazillion features missing, no APIs but it's a labour of love, open-source and I hope it will help people other than me. I want to grow this product but I need to know what you need, people. Edit: sorry for the bugs I see on my server popping here and there. Didnt expect t…

Awesome work, have been looking for something like this for a while. I would love to see tags for people and a search bar. If I'm trying to organize a casual chess match or pickup soccer game, it would be super convenient to search all my friends with said interest.

Re: Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

#84

Yes but can I easily redirect my inlaws?

Redirect to... what? Unless it's a joke I don't understand :-/

Its a joke. Based on the trope of people having a poor relationship with their in-laws.

Re: Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

#87

Is anyone else getting a dystopian vibe from the idea of "managing" friends and family? I can definitely see this service being useful, but that branding makes me feel very uncomfortable.

I know :-/ Sorry about this, I'm trying to find the best way to explain what it does, without using a boring video that sucks, or poetic terms that say nothing. If you have any idea, please, please let me know :-D

Lots of people use planners and datebooks to remember important dates (like your high school best friend's upcoming wedding!) And lots of people use journals or diaries to take notes or keep memories.

These things are less about "managing" and more about cultivating relationships and memories. "Organizing" is a word with less controlling vibes. Maybe start there and take a journey through the thesaurus? http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/organizing?s=t

Re: Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

#88

Is anyone else getting a dystopian vibe from the idea of "managing" friends and family? I can definitely see this service being useful, but that branding makes me feel very uncomfortable.

I know :-/ Sorry about this, I'm trying to find the best way to explain what it does, without using a boring video that sucks, or poetic terms that say nothing. If you have any idea, please, please let me know :-D

"Your social memory" works much better than "manage your friends and family". So take this as a complaint about the HN headline, not about the site itself.

Re: Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know :-/ Sorry about this, I'm trying to find the best way to explain what it does, without using a boring video that sucks, or poetic terms that say nothing. If you have any idea, please, please let me know :-D

Lots of people use planners and datebooks to remember important dates (like your high school best friend's upcoming wedding!) And lots of people use journals or diaries to take notes or keep memories. These things are less about "managing" and more about cultivating relationships and memories. "Organizing" is a word with less controlling vibes. Maybe start there and take a journey through the thesaurus? http://www.th…

Ohhh that's a very good idea. I disliked the notion of management, and organization makes much more sense. Thanks a lot!

Re: Show HN: Monica, an open-source CRM to manage friends and family

#90
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's something I've struggled with while building the v1. I wondered if it was moral to use technology to help me have better relationships. I'm the kind of guy who hates Facebook and all the bad things the technology has brought into our lives. And yet, ironically, I do something like this. But the motivation behind is genuinely pure: I really want to be better at remembering things about the ones that I love.

> I really want to be better at remembering things about the ones that I love. Marketing idea: Those with failing memory (for whatever reason) and/or their caretakers.

I submitted the site to Reddit 9 months ago, and there seemed to be an interest for people with difficult social skills, actually.
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