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I know this is usually not the best strategy for coming up with side projects but for me it's just always about solving my own problem. The downside is that I'm

by dewey 4y ago

I know this is usually not the best strategy for coming up with side projects but for me it's just always about solving my own problem. The downside is that I'm solving the problems mostly fellow nerds have that they usually want to solve themselve instead of paying someone to do it for them. What I'm trying to do more actively now is to always keep my eyes open at my day job and try to spot problems that are solved by excel sheets or a lot of manual work. Example: "I always forget about things I bookmarked on Twitter" Result: I built a small project that sends me a weekly email of my newly added Twitter bookmarks (https://getbirdfeeder.com https://getbirdfeeder.com). It doesn't make a lot of money yet but I have some paid subscribers.

hawk_ 4y ago
Interesting. How do potential users discover this?
anshumankmr 4y ago
>"I always forget about things I bookmarked on Twitter" >Result: I built a small project that sends me a weekly email of my newly added Twitter bookmarks (https://getbirdfeeder.com https://getbirdfeeder.com). It doesn't make a lot of money yet but I have some paid subscribers. This is fantastic. I'm gonna check it out.
- dewey 4y ago
  Thanks! I'm actively working on it and recently added full text search across your bookmarks which is something not available on Twitter right now (and was fun to build, which is the factor I mostly optimize for in my side projects)
jaclaz 4y ago
Not at all a critic of your idea/tool, but I am surprised (this probably shows how old I am getting) that there can be (many) people willing to spend 10 $/month for a weekly report of twitter bookmarks. Maybe people working in the media or that however somehow monetize their twitter use?
- dewey 4y ago
  I understand what you are saying and I felt the same way. I think as a tech person you always undervalue your products as you see it as “something I could build in a weekend”, which is very different to how other people see it. There’s many Twitter tools in the same price range and the feedback from people I got is that they are happy to pay that.
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    I don't know, I don't even have (never had) a Twitter account, so I completely fail to see any particular utility in the whole stuff (I mean Twitter), but since everyone went on the barricades against the 7.99, no wait 11 if via Apple ;), blue mark/whatever recent idea I figured that Twitter users were philosophically against a paid for subscription.
    - plondon514 4y ago
      You mostly hear about the people that are upset with things. Not those that are complicit.
    - GTP 4y ago
      The problem with that idea is not having to pay in general, but the fact that you can buy a symbol associated with being trustworthy for a very low price. Which had the result of fake accounts buying it and damaging actual companies with their tweets. PS: I'm not a Twitter user, but I'm familiar with the topic.
    - fy20 4y ago
      I actually ran a similar service maybe 10 years ago, as I wanted a way to find links I had tweeted. It just presented a web page of the links you have mentioned, it didn't send a newsletter. Anyway my point is I also have a hard time (even now) believing people would pay for such a thing... Which is probably why none of my side projects have turned into a successful business ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    - Baloo 4y ago
      You need to consider that you don't have to get everyone on Twitter using your tool... if you can get 500 people paying $10 a month you're making $50k a year...

by dewey 4y ago

hawk_ 4y ago

Interesting. How do potential users discover this?

anshumankmr 4y ago

>"I always forget about things I bookmarked on Twitter" >Result: I built a small project that sends me a weekly email of my newly added Twitter bookmarks (https://getbirdfeeder.com https://getbirdfeeder.com). It doesn't make a lot of money yet but I have some paid subscribers. This is fantastic. I'm gonna check it out.

dewey 4y ago
Thanks! I'm actively working on it and recently added full text search across your bookmarks which is something not available on Twitter right now (and was fun to build, which is the factor I mostly optimize for in my side projects)

jaclaz 4y ago

Not at all a critic of your idea/tool, but I am surprised (this probably shows how old I am getting) that there can be (many) people willing to spend 10 $/month for a weekly report of twitter bookmarks. Maybe people working in the media or that however somehow monetize their twitter use?

dewey 4y ago
I understand what you are saying and I felt the same way. I think as a tech person you always undervalue your products as you see it as “something I could build in a weekend”, which is very different to how other people see it. There’s many Twitter tools in the same price range and the feedback from people I got is that they are happy to pay that.
- jaclaz 4y ago
  I don't know, I don't even have (never had) a Twitter account, so I completely fail to see any particular utility in the whole stuff (I mean Twitter), but since everyone went on the barricades against the 7.99, no wait 11 if via Apple ;), blue mark/whatever recent idea I figured that Twitter users were philosophically against a paid for subscription.
  - plondon514 4y ago
    You mostly hear about the people that are upset with things. Not those that are complicit.
  - GTP 4y ago
    The problem with that idea is not having to pay in general, but the fact that you can buy a symbol associated with being trustworthy for a very low price. Which had the result of fake accounts buying it and damaging actual companies with their tweets. PS: I'm not a Twitter user, but I'm familiar with the topic.
  - fy20 4y ago
    I actually ran a similar service maybe 10 years ago, as I wanted a way to find links I had tweeted. It just presented a web page of the links you have mentioned, it didn't send a newsletter. Anyway my point is I also have a hard time (even now) believing people would pay for such a thing... Which is probably why none of my side projects have turned into a successful business ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  - Baloo 4y ago
    You need to consider that you don't have to get everyone on Twitter using your tool... if you can get 500 people paying $10 a month you're making $50k a year...