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Does “building in public” work?

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Re: Does “building in public” work?

#121

Post by bigstrat2003 »

zkirill wrote: post #13
whiterknight wrote: post #7

When it comes to marketing I think we can take a page from the Apple playbook. Never show anything incomplete. Critics and the general public don’t understand the artistic process and will only become uneasy. nobody cares how you did it. Just show results.

As far as I know the first Apple computer was not really a computer but a box of parts that the customer had to assemble themselves. The early days of Apple is probably the best example of "building in public" because so much of it was actually just selling the dream. In any case, the opposite is infinitely worse. Too many people wasted away for years "building in private". If and when they did finally release it was…

That's true. But despite being the same legal entity, there is very little in common between 70s Apple and the Apple of today. We shouldn't really expect consistent behavior.

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#122

Post by philipwhiuk »

jt2190 wrote: post #85
patcon wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By that logic, isn't building a family something one should never do? There is no market to sell your family, so that must be a clear signal that your attention and energy should go elsewhere...? I'm sure this analogy is a bit absurd (and I'd love to see it torn apart), but I hope it opens readers to the premise that some highly desirable and important emotional, intellectual and social objects should exist even when…

I don’t build my family for other people either. Edit: I can’t tell if you’re willfully misreading what I wrote or just trying to be cute. At no point did I assert that nothing should be created without a market. But if you’re creating something for other people then those other people are, by definition, your market, and you should pay close attention to signs that they actually want what you’ve created (like a will…

The issue is that you responded to stuff around reasons for being a hacker with a requirement that isn't a requirement for hacking.

Hacking doesn't require something to be built for other people.

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#123

Post by jt2190 »

philipwhiuk wrote: post #122
jt2190 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t build my family for other people either. Edit: I can’t tell if you’re willfully misreading what I wrote or just trying to be cute. At no point did I assert that nothing should be created without a market. But if you’re creating something for other people then those other people are, by definition, your market, and you should pay close attention to signs that they actually want what you’ve created (like a will…

The issue is that you responded to stuff around reasons for being a hacker with a requirement that isn't a requirement for hacking. Hacking doesn't require something to be built for other people.

Ah, I see that the post I responded to (and quoted) has been completely rewritten.

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#124

Post by danenania »

senko wrote: post #35
patrickhogan1 wrote: post #6

I really dislike that so much of hacker culture is $$ focused now. 1. Being a hacker means walking the world being constantly dissatisfied by all of the inefficiency you see on a daily basis and wanting to fix it. 2. Being a hacker means feeling like most of the software world is fraudulent and you are going to build a solution that actually works. 3. Being a hacker means building something because it is fun or cool.…

In the good ol times, being a hacker meant you love tinkering with tech and are good at it. Then media started using it to mean "computer criminal", which was annoying. Then "I don't code I solve problems" tech bros coopted it, which is worse. Looks like now you're a hacker if you identify a need and monetize it. I am fully cognizant I am writing this on a VC-backed founder oriented site called Hacker News, but I lik…

I think building a business can encompass the hacker spirit as well if it’s approached in that way. Financial sustainability is a necessary component to solving problems on a large scale in a durable way. Why should a hacker draw the line at purely technical challenges?

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#125

Post by danenania »

bongodongobob wrote: post #68
stonethrowaway wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sir, this is a hacker news not VC news.

That's why I think parent's comment is kind of funny. This site is VC news. If you're looking for actual hacker culture, this ain't it. This website is mostly VC devs, not hackers.

I think it’s actually a pretty healthy mix. That’s what makes HN so cool imo.

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#126

Post by MavisBacon »

Designer here. Got real into no-code back in 2021 as it was really heating up. Seemed like a natural move as I could better understand the logic of what's happening on the back end and also build products solo. Build in public (BIP), somewhat frustratingly for me, was a huge part of a few of the communities I got into. One was led by a marketing-minded "maker", and the other a great inspiring guy who was a bit the inverse.

Everyone in each community became pretty evangelical about BIP due to group think. I bought in at first but became very skeptical eventually as well. Not only do I question the actual efficacy here both in $$ and quality of work, but I think it's a bit inconsiderate to expect everyone to be on board with being this open with their work or push as hard as they did.

I'll occasionally post a bit of what i'm working on but I also after following many "makers" and the like, started becoming really bored with every detail of what they are working on. I say just show me a case study usually unless I'm already intrigued with the end product or you are doing something of great interest/impact

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#127

Post by MavisBacon »

mattgreenrocks wrote: post #103
andyjohnson0 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What I mean by this is, if you’re building in public there’s a 99% chance you’re going to end up building products for other indiehackers who are interested in following people who build in public. Sounds a bit like a variation on Conway's Law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law

Product Hunt Law?

oh boy, spot on

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#128

Post by AlienRobot »

pembrook wrote: post #10

Anecdotal, but it seems like all the people who “build in public” end up trapped by their chosen distribution strategy. What I mean by this is, if you’re building in public there’s a 99% chance you’re going to end up building products for other indiehackers who are interested in following people who build in public. This means you’re probably going to end up building yet another micro-Saas dev tool (Saas boilerplate,…

It's the same problem with indie game development. Lots of people get into gamedev and when they have a semblance of a game they start to think "how am I going to get players to try it?" Most of the venues for game developers are just full of other game developers.

The biggest problem is when the game leaves the cradle of a gamedev community that is nice to beginners and is thrown into the wilderness of actual gamers that don't know how much effort it takes to make a game and don't really care. They won't mince words.

I suppose it's just a common class of error to not think beforehand what your end game strategy is going to be? Step 1: make thing. Step 2: ?. Step 3: profit.

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#129

Post by binary132 »

I think the phenomenon of a relatively niche social market getting flooded is nothing new and unfortunately it’s going to continue (see also: app stores). I do wonder if eventually people will catch on to the fact that it is the state of the modern open commons, and a new dynamic will need to be devised if they don’t like this one or wish to continue chasing the frontier.

Re: Does “building in public” work?

#130

Post by qb1 »

jwells89 wrote: post #110
jamil7 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s a general feeling of pressure for a lot of people to monetise hobbies.

Exactly, it's the opportunity cost. When I was a young adult and especially a teenager, I spent a lot of time making things out of pure desire to because I didn't have to think too much about my financial situation (present and future). That unfortunately gave way with age, and now ~15 years later whenever I engage with these activities there's a voice in the back of my head nagging, asking how doing those things ins…

I am in this boat with you. How do we get out?
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