Ask HN: Tips and Advice for Building Publicly

The likes of Ryan Hoover (Product Hunt), Pieter Levels (Nomad List), Buffer have all built publicly to various extents, and it's said to engage users and demonstrate progress and momentum. If you built publicly (or thought about doing so), what practical advice would you share with the community or others considering it? Advice for all stages appreciated! - Early stage startups might be on a shoestring budget, so simple tips to get started would be helpful! - Did you open source (part/all) of your code? What were your security considerations? Did you worry about making it easier for competitors to copy? - Are there downsides to open salary data? - If you thought about endeavours to build publicly and decided against it, what was your rationale? - If you have not built publicly but instead benefited from another startup doing so, please share what you learned! Anecdotes, practical advice, interesting or surprising findings appreciated!