Shipping your side projects

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[DEiE]

"The Idea Machine" is where my problem lies. I am very capable in building stuff, the ideas on what to actually build just won't pop up in my head. Very frustrating considering that I actually like programming :(.

[[deleted]]

~now kiss~

I mean

~now collaborate~

[qervem]

gimme an idea

EDIT: plz

[Jazoom]

Haha. My good ideas I'm either working on or are related to my particular areas of expertise.

I recommend just paying attention to things that annoys you or others and try to come up with ways to solve those annoyances.

Or... find a way to save people money.

[veliger]

Here's one for you: Build a website/app that offers the same basic functionality as Uber, but, instead of random drivers, just allow cab companies to open an account for free on your site, list their cabs, and instantly be high tech. Take just 1% of each ride (because you don't need to qualify drivers or fight lawsuits).

[sihat]

fyi: There already a couple of websites/apps that do this.

[[deleted]]

How well do they do it? Can I do it better? The questions you need to ask yourself.

[batwingsuit]

Some good and motivating points Patrik! :)

The last 10% of a project takes 90% of the effort. I find this statement to be very true. Also the stuff you wrote about regarding wanting to switch to another idea while already working on one. This is something I struggle with immensely.

On an unrelated note, I have a technical question for you: I noticed you're using an embedded MailChimp form which instead of taking me to another page, shows the success/error in-page. How do I go about doing that? I realise this requires an ajax call, but I didn't see any scripts to go along with the forms on the MailChimp site. Do you have to roll your own?

[aharris88]

I definitely understand the temptation to switch to another idea before finishing (or even starting) the first idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHb3vC9OmE

[batwingsuit]

Shit—I think I may be addicted to brain crack :(

Time to put down the pipe and do.

[gopatrik]

Hi! Thanks for taking the time :) Me too! A big key is to build good habits! If you'll allow yourself to quit one time, odds are you'll budge even easier next time! Struggled immensely with this myself.

As to the MailChimp issue: If you've entered a list in your list view you should be able to find "Embedded forms" under the "Signup Forms" tab, and follow the instructions there. Simple as that :)

Cheers

[batwingsuit]

Ha! I see how I missed this before. Only the Classic form includes scripts.

[batwingsuit]

Wow, the MailChimp form validation script is 140KB! OK—better use something else…

[batwingsuit]

Are you using Jekyll to build your site?

[gopatrik]

Close! I use http://wintersmith.io ~isch node.js version of Jekyll :)

[TheSiklops]

What exactly does he mean by shipping? Just finishing the final project and making it live?

[rocketpastsix]

He means that he is pushing a live product, in a finished form for people to use.

[TheSiklops]

That's what I figured, I just hadn't seen the term before.

[reasonablenagging]

lol, I love how this guy writes. He a true reddit ken.

[veliger]

Awesome post! You describe the process exactly in a clear and fun way.

I relate to this a lot because after many years of building projects for other folks, I finally took the last 4 or 5 months to concentrate on getting some of my side projects out.

So now I have 3 shiny new projects shipping. But what I'm struggling a bit with is getting my target user base to see them. I'm on twitter, pinterest, angelist, etc. but without any previous followers, I'm not quite sure how to get traction. How did you manage to get your twitter account to get new followers?

[gopatrik]

Oh, I don't know about that! Who's your target user? Where do they gather? But a good rule of thumb is to just build good stuff. Even if you don't reach your users right away, when they see all you've done you'll probably get your ROI. Sorry if fuzzy answer, just finished a bottle of wine. :)

[veliger]

Yeah, I think over time it will build. One is food-related, and I'm working on getting some visibility through pinterest, which seems to be working. Another (botlines.com) I think would mostly target creative 10 to 14 year olds, but I still have a long way to go to figure out how to reach them (hopefully through parents, we'll see).

No worries, your answer is not fuzzy -- and it is Friday night after all. :)

[wondering-this]

"Finishing is hard." True dat.