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There's a pretty interesting discussion of this going on over at Designer News: https://news.layervault.com/stories/4266-deleted-my-portfolio-made-30k-in-my-fi

There's a pretty interesting discussion of this going on over at Designer News: https://news.layervault.com/stories/4266-deleted-my-portfolio-made-30k-in-my-first-six-months https://news.layervault.com/stories/4266-deleted-my-portfoli...

sgdesign 13y ago
That discussion is actually pretty stupid. It's funny to see how DN can be as biased as HN, except in the opposite direction…
robmclarty 13y ago
I just read all the comments on Designer News. All I can say is "wow". Did all those commenters even read the article? For those who didn't read it, the overall point was simply focus (don't get distracted with efforts that aren't directly contributing to your bottom line and measure your results so you can make informed decisions, honing in on what factually works for you). Sure, Robert may have put a particular website in a bad light, isn't earning $1M, and maybe tried to find some value in some lessons from online courses (omg), but the point was clear: the competition was homogenous and he wanted to stand out (good). The best marketing strategy is to speak to your audience's needs, not necessarily your industry's ideals. I'm making a broad assumption here, but I feel like most business clients (those likely to hire an agency or a freelance designer) are more concerned with making themselves more money (through effective design) than "looking pretty". I think Robert was accurate in that observation. Robert had some experience, found some stuff that worked for him, and is trying to share it with the community to help others learn where he maybe didn't have access to learn. I think that's admirable. I don't know why people on Designer News are shitting all over on him. Geez.
kellysutton 13y ago
Creator of Designer News here. We hellbanned the author and submitter of the story since this post is a thin veil for a get-rich-quick scheme.
- robwilliams88 13y ago
  WTF... why? for sharing my story? how is this blog post in anyway a "thin veil for a get-rich-quick scheme"? I'm not selling anything, I'm simply talking about what my experience was, and that I decided to focus on other things instead of a portfolio... I will never again post on your site, no worries.
  - reneherse 13y ago
    Stick to HN, where the entrepreneurial spirit is welcomed :)
  - jjkmk 13y ago
    Yea i really enjoyed the story, I wouldn't worry about it; they seem really reactionary.
  - petercooper 13y ago
    I agree, but what I find odd is how a submitter of a story can also be implicated (ignoring the point the submitter is actually the author in this case, I think?) Why would anyone want to submit stuff to a site if there's a risk they could get banned if people on the site don't like the item? That's what voting and/or flagging are for. Banning should be for abusive behavior, not poor submissions.
- stephenbez 13y ago
  I'm just here to say that Ramit, the author of the course he mentioned is legitimate. His New York Times best selling book "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" is one of the best personal finance books I've read. It is especially useful for young people with a high income potential like many of us on Hacker News. http://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/0761147489 http://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/0761147489
- yogo 13y ago
  Hmm it has to be a really thin veil because I read it like any other post to get the author's point of view then checked out the comments. I'm sure marketers are trying to innovate like everyone else but in this case I would have to say it didn't work because I still haven't gotten to the get rich quick e/book that it is supposed to promote (it wasn't in my face). The comments sure are interesting but the only thing I checked out from reading it was the designer's site that got dissed. Note: The post could have been edited by the time I read it.

sgdesign 13y ago

That discussion is actually pretty stupid. It's funny to see how DN can be as biased as HN, except in the opposite direction…

robmclarty 13y ago

I just read all the comments on Designer News. All I can say is "wow". Did all those commenters even read the article? For those who didn't read it, the overall point was simply focus (don't get distracted with efforts that aren't directly contributing to your bottom line and measure your results so you can make informed decisions, honing in on what factually works for you). Sure, Robert may have put a particular website in a bad light, isn't earning $1M, and maybe tried to find some value in some lessons from online courses (omg), but the point was clear: the competition was homogenous and he wanted to stand out (good). The best marketing strategy is to speak to your audience's needs, not necessarily your industry's ideals. I'm making a broad assumption here, but I feel like most business clients (those likely to hire an agency or a freelance designer) are more concerned with making themselves more money (through effective design) than "looking pretty". I think Robert was accurate in that observation. Robert had some experience, found some stuff that worked for him, and is trying to share it with the community to help others learn where he maybe didn't have access to learn. I think that's admirable. I don't know why people on Designer News are shitting all over on him. Geez.

kellysutton 13y ago

Creator of Designer News here. We hellbanned the author and submitter of the story since this post is a thin veil for a get-rich-quick scheme.

robwilliams88 13y ago
WTF... why? for sharing my story? how is this blog post in anyway a "thin veil for a get-rich-quick scheme"? I'm not selling anything, I'm simply talking about what my experience was, and that I decided to focus on other things instead of a portfolio... I will never again post on your site, no worries.
- reneherse 13y ago
  Stick to HN, where the entrepreneurial spirit is welcomed :)
- jjkmk 13y ago
  Yea i really enjoyed the story, I wouldn't worry about it; they seem really reactionary.
- petercooper 13y ago
  I agree, but what I find odd is how a submitter of a story can also be implicated (ignoring the point the submitter is actually the author in this case, I think?) Why would anyone want to submit stuff to a site if there's a risk they could get banned if people on the site don't like the item? That's what voting and/or flagging are for. Banning should be for abusive behavior, not poor submissions.
stephenbez 13y ago
I'm just here to say that Ramit, the author of the course he mentioned is legitimate. His New York Times best selling book "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" is one of the best personal finance books I've read. It is especially useful for young people with a high income potential like many of us on Hacker News. http://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/0761147489 http://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/0761147489
yogo 13y ago
Hmm it has to be a really thin veil because I read it like any other post to get the author's point of view then checked out the comments. I'm sure marketers are trying to innovate like everyone else but in this case I would have to say it didn't work because I still haven't gotten to the get rich quick e/book that it is supposed to promote (it wasn't in my face). The comments sure are interesting but the only thing I checked out from reading it was the designer's site that got dissed. Note: The post could have been edited by the time I read it.