The articles are ok though (but quite a few got posted here as well).
But the discussion is just about non-existent. I've gotten a bit wary of HN split-offs, they tend to be very short-lived.
I don't know what the main reason for that is, possibly it is simply that HN is 'good enough' and that a splinter of it does not carry enough volume for long term sustainability.
I agree, there aren't enough people on techstartu.ps, but there were even fewer earlier and it seems to be picking up. I'd guess that this one is here to stay, especially since it's run by DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg.
I see your point, but the request was for "a library of the 'best' startup focused articles written across the net", not commentary on those articles.
The comments will come with time; right now there aren't many contributors, but the site has been around long enough and been updated frequently enough that I believe it will stick around. HN was kind of slow moving when it started, too (although not that slow, to be honest).
Fantastic approach. Love the simple, easy-to-read layout.
Idea: Maybe you could make certain interviews "open" where you invite your users/readers to submit their own follow-up questions during the next few days after it posted to the site. These follow up questions will spur discussion, your interviewee might agree to answer these questions after the deadline, and you'll create a "stickier" site that readers can enjoy until your next interview posts. ;) Great work.
If I understand your suggestion correctly, then it's already done. It says [name] is also answering your questions in comments and all interviewees so far agreed to answer the audience questions in comments. So go ahead and ask them.
Sorry, I noticed this when reading more thoroughly through the site. (I get over-excited with suggestions sometimes.) Looks beautiful, still! Thanks again.
EDIT: A few suggestions while finishing your most recent interview (Space Shuttle Engineer).
- The video puts you pretty far from the camera and makes it feel very distant. You might "engage" your audience more if you filled more of the frame by being physically closer to the camera or zooming in. I suggest having your head fill the top 3/4ths to 2/3rds of the frame instead of dead-center as Douglas sat.
- You cover your mouth a few times while listening to the response. Try to avoid this, you seem anxious.
- Smile. A LOT! It makes you charismatic and puts your viewers and interviewees at ease.
Covering the mouth looks weird indeed. I wasn't anxious, but it definitely made me look so. Oh, well, I'm new in that television business. Learning. Thanks for the tips.
I wonder if there is some service/directory/matchmaking app which helps idle individuals work together on a project. I'm certain there are millions of entrepreneurs with ideas and bored programmers with nothing to do which could hook up over the internet and work on some interesting idea together.
- The Scholar App sounds like a great idea, however I see a large hole in your business model. Your landing splash screen shows the differences between Bill (the average student) and Ted (the above-reproach student). You show the value proposition for a user like Bill (which, I assume, is getting help from students like Ted) but really don't provide incentive for a student like Ted to get involved. I would try to make this aspect more obvious in your screen cast. (Or change your somewhat misleading splash screen.)
- Don't make us watch you type directions. It really breaks the rhythm of your presentation and makes me want to fast forward (missing important info?) or close it altogether. Instead, have the information pre-copied and paste it from the clipboard (the low-tech way) or edit this out of the video.
- An important part of a screencast demo of an application is to give the user a brief experience of the application in action. I noticed in certain portions of your screen cast where you provide generic placeholder information (clearly for the purpose of the demo) however the placeholder data you used doesn't provide any idea of what information you mean to convey there. The example that was very obvious to me was the screen title of the Class "Demo 101" which read "Demo 101 - The Scholar App Demo". This is probably the Class Designation followed by the Class Title, but it's difficult to tell (at least for me) when it sits next to your app's logo.
This might seem like a small gripe, but you might as well make the most of the attention your screen cast is getting and give the clearest possible experience your users might benefit from when using your app. So instead (if my assumptions were right about the type of info you intended to display) you might display "Demo 101 - Example Class Title". Your users will recognize the "Demo 101" as the name of the course and the string "Example Class Title" will convey that they will know which course they are currently viewing (an important UX feature which someone might appreciate). You don't convey any LESS information than you did before and if you influenced at least one person to try your product then it was worth the change.
- It feels as though you haven't really practiced the presentation. It's noticable in your delivery. Nothing to do here but practice more. :)
- I understand your point about Ted not having a value proposition! Ted does benefit from using the service but as you said the text is misleading.
- I'm thinking of getting someone off craigslist that can do the voiceover better than myself for cheap.
- Let me review the "placeholder text" and make sure all of it conveys something.
- That is a small gripe but this is the type of feedback I was hoping for.
- It's my 3rd screencast and each time it takes me about an hour because I mess up over and over. I realized that I should lay an audio track over the video because doing both things at the same time is difficult for me. Or my craigslist idea above :).
There are some similarities, but frankly, more differences. crowdSPRING projects are, on average, much higher in value. There are typically many more $1000+ projects, for example, and often, $5000+ projects on crowdSPRING.
crowdSPRING offers graphic and web design projects (99designs does too). But crowdSPRING also offers industrial design (products and product packaging) and copywriting projects.
Our top designers tell us they tend to avoid the higher prize contests in favour of the mid-ranged ones where there is less competition and simpler requirements.
While i'm new to OS contributing, I've found dealing with communities (especially in IRC) in a way that discourages vampires (http://www.slash7.com/pages/vampires) and promotes friendly urges to "learn more" are generally appreciated if handled diplomatically.
I'm attempting to get more involved in the CakePHP community myself and am taking the tact of contributing to smaller supporting projects (their documentation) and lurking in the IRC chat to understand other people's problems, learn from them and get to know the core developers.
Edit: And never have the expectation that you'll ever get to work on core development. (Not that you can't, but this mantra will help to keep your motivations altruistic.)
Cheers, I hadn't thought about contributing to documentation as a good starting point.
I had assumed I wouldn't be contributing core code, my motivation is simply an urge to code more outside of my day job, and to get some good/fun experience doing it.
You might be interested in this review of 99designs from a designer's perspective. I tend to agree with his comments. However, there also seems to be a market and if all parties are aware of how choosing a service like 99designs (as described in the review) will impact their final product, then I would say "Go for it".
FYI, strong language in this review.
http://www.graphicpush.com/99designs-bullshit-20
That sounds nice, but I fear the effects of such a wide law.
Consider the situation in which I start a company which acquire personal information that is normally not available to anybody else, such as your medical files and tax records, etc and turn around and sell this information to others.
Today that would get me shutdown fast, but under such a law I could counter that since you would be using the law to hinder progress.
Or consider a situation where I want to build a strip mall on a piece of land where you currently have your company. Under your proposed law, I could do that since otherwise you would be using the law (specifically the law of private property) to hinder progress.
