Update: Building A Little Project
I'm constructing something I want rather than relying on everyone else.
The Teardown
Wednesday :: May 29th, 2024
👋 Hi, this is Chris with another issue of The Teardown. In every issue, I cover how we evolve in concert with the technology that enables our day-to-day lives. If you’d like to get emails like this in your inbox every week, hit the subscribe button below.
Social Suggestions Invade Every Service
In my post Fresh Look Ahead For The New Year, I jotted two ideas for my year ahead (shortened to just the title and intro paragraph):
#7: Build My Personal Finance App
This idea probably sounds silly. Sure, I could use one of the many budgeting and transaction tracking platforms to accomplish the goal. Or, I could rely on time-tested software that fits almost all needs - Excel.
#8: Explore Ideas For Businesses
I’ve long tried or wanted to start a business. In grade school, I created a magazine. In college, I worked on a website and business plan for musical artist management company. I wrote code for a venue-booking and listing website.
The last few weeks have seen some fits and starts on the latter. I’m pondering a consulting business, during a reprieve from the structure of stodgy normal jobs.
I’ve also hopped to my feet and run on a regular basis, again. A healthy pace of two unofficial half-marathons per month during COVID disappeared as start-up and two-kid life bulldozed over my progress starting early in 2022.
An incomplete but lengthy running history resides on Strava, collected from the electronic magic embedded in several Apple and Garmin watches. But, like any SaaS business worth its weight, Strava keeps asking me to pay. Pay I have, many times in fact.
One way Strava promotes such a spontaneous splurge is by suggesting I might want to see or interact with other areas of the site. Here’s a sample that highlights the Strava followers that gave me “kudos” - Strava’s lingo for like - on my Tuesday morning run:
Nine friends! Yes!
But, also, see that pesky orange bell? That’s the nerve center of Strava and partly my brain. All similar notifications expose themselves in its hidden drop-down pop-up, each encouraging me to do something. And, of course, Start Trial blazes next to the bell, promising a simple introduction to the world of a Strava power user on an easily-cancellable basis.
Product Growth > Most Other Things
People like to use products that their friends use. This phenomenon is no surprise to use. Strava doesn’t strive to be much different. But it’s not just Strava. Substack, the platform through which I publish this thing, encourages interactions between readers, writers, and builds more and more on its community features. Meanwhile, writing features languish compare to their growth-driven counterparts.
These platforms need or desire growth by pushing more connections, more engagements, and bombarding you with notifications to lasso you in the ring.
What if, instead, you just want to do what you came for? Using Strava, and Subtack, those basics are (for me):
Strava: Uploading and tracking fitness progress over time
Substack: Writing a newsletter/blog/something that catches eyeballs primarily through email
So, The Project Straw Man
The idea was born from my aforementioned frustration, and one tweet from Louis Pereira on Twitter:
Rather than building everything I like and want, I’m going to build a simple directory of sites and services that align with simple usage goals. I have aspirations for a simple site constructed with the visual appeal and sparseness of an early ninety’s web page. Not far but perhaps a bit dressier than Dan Luu’s site here: https://danluu.com.
One site that I’ll add right away is Intervals.ICU. The site replicates many of Strava’s bells and whistles free of charge. Instead of subscribing, you simply donate to the David Tinker, the masterful creator, when and if you want. I plan to do just that.
More to come when I decide what to name this project and put together enough of a resource to push out a live site.