Tweets

@marckohlbrugge Oh nice! I think this will help me participate more in WIP.

Maybe a better way to put this is that “people are seeking the best version of that thing *for them* at this moment.”

They’re searching for CRM software, because they’re tired of using what they have.

They’re looking for a way to do X, because their current app doesn’t do it.

@randfish 👋 I'm @mijustin@mastodon.social on Mastodon.

@mijustin" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://mastodon.social/@mijustin

While I was at the barbershop, someone asked:

"Where do you guys shop for your girlfriends/wives?" someone asked.

Multiple people mentioned Wildflower General Store here in Vernon.

If I was the owner, I'd be optimizing search results for "gift ideas for women vernon"

Here's more detail on how this works:

"Remove your email address from your podcast's RSS feed with @TransistorFM" 🙌

(We now do this as a default for all Transistor customers)

https://transistor.fm/changelog/hide-email/

@levelsio These shots look incredible! 💪

@derrickreimer ☝️ this is the derrick that would invite me to fight club

@leenyburger And the idea of just a feed full of steaks is hilarious.

@benthompson @mattwensing I suppose at this point, we're all playing "Fantasy Quarterly Earnings" 😉

How much did ad revenue drop?
How much did costs drop?
Will litigation expenses go up?

The other big variable is the new interest payments ($250m / quarter?)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y0JC379DDZFgF2I8DsoXNvBLvQXQoOLT_PdVJWtnK_k/edit?usp=sharing

@derrickreimer 😆

I want to keep that profile photo, though. That dude gets things done.

Please RT so we can get more visibility to people’s newsletters, podcasts, and blogs.

In school, there are less variables, and there’s more in your control.

“If I show up, study, practice, and execute at a high level, I’ll succeed”

Business has more variables, and less is in your control:

right market x idea x execution x timing x unit economics x distribution

Podcasts still work this way. ❤️

It’s one of the few mediums that stuck with RSS.

Podcast apps still work the same way as your favorite RSS reader did. 👍 https://twitter.com/mitchellh/status/1592642975703912448

It feels like this feature affirms both perspectives we see here on Twitter:

"I need to confront some (negative) realities."

and

"I need to protect my mental health from a constant stream of negativity."

@JackEllis @noahwbragg @dr I'm listening now.

She highlights how optimism and pessimism have a common goal: "to offer hope as well as consolation; and to try to improve the human condition."

This duality resonates with me: I'm not an unhappy person, but I also don't want to ignore life's uncomfortable realities.

4/

@mjwhansen @aarondfrancis @leenyburger Whoa! Nice!!! 🎉

@jayclouse @HubSpot Congrats! HubSpot is lucky to have you. 🙌

Already got some great responses to this email.

Thanks, Kai, Cam, Stephen, and Edward! 🙌

@jack @tailwindcss More @bluesky details here:

"The web. Email. RSS feeds. XMPP chats. What all these technologies had in common is they allowed people to freely interact and create content, without a single intermediary."

https://blueskyweb.org/

None of this is planned out. Read the text messages between Musk, Calacanis, Andreessen, etc

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23112929-elon-musk-text-exhibits-twitter-v-musk

Then (and now) they’re “blithely throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/09/elon-musk-texts-twitter-trial-jack-dorsey/671619/

@JackEllis @taylorotwell A one-time fee makes more sense.

But Elon is already breaking the first rule of saas: he’s trying to charge a recurring subscription for something that should be a one-time cost,

Of all the other watering holes you participate in, which one most approximates what you get out of Twitter?

(Anything that even comes close?)

@podcastharry I'm more curious about how a specific product becomes the defacto recommendation in a language-model like this.

Wrote a longer blog post about all of this:

https://justinjackson.ca/ai-darkside

Here’s the full video demo of me using Lex (an AI-powered writing assistant by @nbashaw and the team at @every):

https://youtu.be/XoCzf--j8uQ

@noahwbragg @nbashaw @every There are definitely ethical considerations with algorithmic feeds and proprietary AI-generated engines that create content on their own:
https://justinjackson.ca/the-ethics-of-ai-driven-content

I'll need to think more about the ethics of an AI-assistant like this. 🤔

Our team retreat schedule was really relaxed:

9am – wake up, have breakfast
10am – everyone meets up to work together
11am – group discussion
12:30pm – lunch
2:00pm – nap, alone time
6:30pm – dinner together
8:00pm – hang out as a group

(Highly recommended)

@nbashaw @clayhebert Kathy often expressed this idea (“products make you more awesome”), but I’m pretty sure the graphic/Super Mario metaphor comes from @SamuelHulick

@AlbanBrooke @stephenrobles You gotta quit moving around so much when you record, bro 😄

@CasJam Love the design and feel of this website! Those illustrations!

😍

Take, for example, Replika, the "AI companion" that @fadeke_adegbuyi wrote about on @Every:

https://every.to/cybernaut/artificial-intimacy

Here's what an "Ethical SWOT analysis" for that product might look like 👉

Also, I finally found an AI image generator I like: @Suhail's PlaygroundAI.

I generated this image for my post with the prompt "philosopher evaluating the ethical concerns of artificial intelligence"

https://playgroundai.com/post/cl8m9z9mu3402801s63yqcadzu

@CorbettBarr @Fizzle @chasewreeves @CalebWojcik @BarrettABrooks @heystephcrowder I’m a huge fan of each of you.

Individually, and as a group, y’all are exceptional.

@mariepoulin what the fuck!??

That's truly horrible.

Not ok.

@tdinh_me Listening now!

https://overcast.fm/+JmiMMoQyg

@mattwensing @CasJam We should chat about it sometime!

I had a pretty big session on that topic with @stauffermatt:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1461859356325003269

Full clip on YouTube:

"If you want to get more listeners for your podcast, you need to understand what someone chooses a podcast and becomes a listener."

An interesting Jobs to be Done angle here. 👍

https://youtu.be/shuBuYpP5Lc

@alexwildwood @SahilBloom Apple Podcasts just updated their directory (pointing to Sahil's new @TransistorFM feed).

Many players, like Overcast, use Apple's directory, so it's now showing the latest episode there. 👍

Overcast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify are all showing the latest episodes. 🙌

@PodlandNews @ashleyrcarman Do you know of any non-publicly traded (or non-venture funded) podcasting companies doing substantial layoffs right now?

(That's what I mean by "indie")

📺🎙️📈 I forgot to mention that I'm also doing a "how to get more podcast listeners" livestream with @iamjeremyenns this Friday!

Save your spot here:
https://youtu.be/QNyQ864A4vs

Just answered my first question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasting/comments/xciarj/comment/io5d2wx/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Mentioned @BryanBarletta & @webby2001's @SoundsProfNews as a place to learn about podcast adtech.

Also suggested that more people build listening apps to support @PodcastindexOrg's cool new features!

I’ve been guilty of this too (blaming other generations).

Instead, we should put all that energy into action: what good things can we give future generations?

What awesome stuff will they inherit from us?

https://twitter.com/asmartbear/status/1568435658825269250?s=46&t=eUNDK0HQxcm1tfrw30Bq8w

Think about what we treasure now, as a society: political freedom, healthcare, scientific discovery, access to nature, beautiful buildings, art, clean air, a livable climate, walkable cities.

These are the kinds of things we could gift to future generations.

Watching @theleviallen’s new adventure film and it’s excellent.

If you want to escape to a different world for 20 mins, I highly recommend it.

https://youtu.be/2tw79VYC8fE

Having way too much fun with this @TransistorFM case study on "optimizing your podcast for search"

#seo" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://transistor.fm/podcast-search/#seo

Actually seeing some good discussion on this HN thread. (Thanks @dceddia!)

"Ask HN: What are some examples of “decentralized discoverability?”"

https://news.ycombinator.com/ask

So much of the internet's innovation was based on open protocols (HTTP, SMTP, RSS, TCP/IP), but the one thing that's never been cracked is "non-centralized distribution."

We haven't figured out how to do content discovery in an open, distributed way.

https://twitter.com/rajasa/status/1566813468745166848

This means creators & entrepreneurs need to be clear about what they want from their indie businesses.

Make sure the *thing you're doing* can actually provide the *$ you want*.

Example: if you need $100k/year, be realistic about how attainable that is for your category.

Made it to the Sheraton!

Going to try to get some sleep and wake up for @SoundsProfNews’ sessions tomorrow.

Hope to meet a bunch of #pm22 folks!

@marcelpociot @tdinh_me 🤣

@SteveSaretsky Curious what your take is on this: https://twitter.com/tylertringas/status/1559942334212718594

@phuctm97 Apple Notes
Apple Notes / @useShortcut
@useShortcut

@TransistorFM We're constantly adding new features to Transistor.

Check out all of our releases here:
https://transistor.fm/changelog/

@AaronWeiche @DarrenShaw_ really enjoying this episode!

https://overcast.fm/+QV6NQS5Uc

An externality is a cost that a business imposes on society (like polluting the local river). Wikipedia: “indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party.”

What’s interesting is we don’t often consider the externalities that society places on businesses (esp Main Street).

@nathanbarry @ConvertKit This is inspiring!

(It makes me want to develop a similar playbook for Transistor)

Did you come up with all of this as a master plan, or did you add each item organically over time?

@derrickreimer Looks great! Congrats on the launch. 🙌

@damengchen 🙌

I'm super inspired by what you're doing too Damon!

@earthlingworks @dvassallo @JackEllis Absolutely was more deliberate.

Also: success (even in a market with potential) relies massively on your history, network, connections, experience, skills, etc that will help you win in they category.

@harsh_vardhhan @TransistorFM @jonbuda It was about "building a product that people were already searching for."

So much of our traffic/trials/purchases come from people who strongly intend to buy.

https://justinjackson.ca/build

When I arrived at Jon’s apartment on July 27, the first thing we did was take this picture.

Over the next several days we worked on the final elements of Transistor: adding podcast analytics, finalizing our pricing, and updating our marketing site.

Six months later, we were nearly ready to open Transistor to the public, but we needed one last push to get it launch-ready.

I booked a flight to Chicago for the end of July. The plan was to stay at Jon’s apartment and get Transistor out the door.

When it comes to finding good business opportunities, I like @Caterina's idea of "Find a parade and get in front of it."

(It's similar to "find a good wave, and paddle out to ride it).

@nathanbarry @jonbuda @TransistorFM @buildyoursaas Thank you! 🥰

@nbashaw Really loving it.

Especially this “how to evaluate a market” segment:

https://overcast.fm/+7IlI4WOXA/23:34

🥰 https://twitter.com/taragentile/status/1547246339670659074

@tylertringas 💯

I should add a "Recession dynamics" section to this blog post: https://justinjackson.ca/charge-more

“Common business wisdom states that a good product is only as good as the market it exists in. If Einstein were here, he would probably agree and say -that a product is only perceived as good relative to the environment its in.”

– @heyshounak

@hey_rick__ @TransistorFM I think a lot of it has to do with the accumulation of skills, network, experiences, connections, and (yes) resources!

@JackEllis @shl @IndieHackers Role models are fine (and will continue to exist).

The solution is:

- we need to hold them to a higher standard
- they need to hold themselves to a higher standard

Also, anyone who runs a car company who doesn’t take safety seriously should resign.

Dave's become a trusted connection for me in the podcast biz. He's often the person I DM when I have questions/thoughts about podcasting and business.

Just realized it was @rrhoover who introduced us back in July 2018.

Thanks for connecting us, Ryan.

(Good intros FTW!)

@amandanat So excited to have you on the platform! 🙌

Thanks for choosing @TransistorFM. ❤️

@thisiskp_ - Gen Z thinks of podcasts as something you "watch" on YouTube, or in short clips on TikTok
- Podcasters are more motivated when they're making *some* money from their podcast (sponsors, patrons, etc)
- A lot of the fun of podcasting is the theater of it: setting up a cool studio

This is what iterating on top of existing momentum looks like:

Instagram in 2010: "Oh, you're already sharing photos on Twitter? What if you could do that, but with cool filters?"

They tapped into an existing behavior and an unmet desire: "Make my photos look better/cooler."

@leenyburger @mjwhansen @aarondfrancis hearing other founders go through hard things, overcome obstacles, and figure out a path forward is so encouraging.

Really enjoyed this episode! 🙌

https://overcast.fm/+gJ-VmN25c

@earthlingworks @TheOmarZenhom @Patticus A lot of the time, they haven’t found the right market/opportunity yet.

Market “pull” is different in SaaS. Took me a while to figure it out.

It’s why “quitting an idea that’s not working” is usually the right advice. 👍

It’s better to look for another opportunity.

My framing of “success” here is aimed specifically at those indie founders who are hoping to make at least a full-time income from their business.

You can also watch an extended clip from this @Patticus interview on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ72YPsANbg

I chatted with @CasJam about this on his podcast:

https://openthreads.co/7

@aravindballa I’ve heard good things about @blogstatic!

Thanks to @tailwindcss + @tailwindui for helping us build the marketing website! 🙌

https://freepodcastwebsites.com/

@marvindanig @simonda1ey @fideloper @marcelladotco @jmckinven @valsopi @pascallaliberte @eu_frey thanks. We're live on Product Hunt now:

https://www.producthunt.com/posts/free-podcast-website-builder

@maximehugodupre 🎙️ Podcasters: build a free website here 👉

http://freepodcastwebsites.com

Trying to make my “business videos” a little more interesting.

This time I tried a vlog-style intro. 😜

@dominicstpierre You’re correct that the bar for success is higher (because indie hackers should aspire to replace their tech salaries).

But, $10k is still a good initial goal!

That first $10k is the hardest. It’s a good barometer of momentum at the beginning of a startup.

@ideasasylum @jmcharnes @andrewmcodes @excid3 Whaaaaaat! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thanks so much!

Love,
The Team at @TransistorFM

@andrewculver Haven’t seen http://rails.new yet!

Super rad. 👍

"How to use a DSLR or Mirrorless camera as your webcam."

Really good post here from @laurencetratt. 👍

https://tratt.net/laurie/blog/2022/using_a_proper_camera_as_a_webcam.html

@TransistorFM You can read this whole thread as a blog post here:
https://justinjackson.ca/personal

If you want to get these in your inbox, subscribe here:
https://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

🎧😫 My Audio-Technica M50x's are so tight they hurt my head after even a few minutes of use.

This forum post from 2010, with illustration, is probably the best solution I've found?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stretching-your-m50s-for-less-clamp-and-much-more-comfort.493838/

Going to try it now.

@dvassallo So many of the things on that "more affordable" list have had crazy inflation in the last few years. 😅

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/business/economy/cars-inflation.html

"Original movies just aren’t popular anymore, if they even get made in the first place." – @a_m_mastroianni

Since 2010, over 50% of top-grossing movies were prequels, sequels, etc. "In recent years, it’s been close to 100%."

https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/pop-culture-has-become-an-oligopoly?s=r

@anildash Thanks, Anil. I'm a big fan of what you're doing at Glitch.

I need to start using it again! (And show it to my kids). ❤️

@EmmettNaughton @anildash Grade 9 baby!

@louisnicholls_ "Market pull" is the most important factor.

If Founder A chooses a bad market, and Founder B chooses a good market (where there's "pull" for a solution), Founder B will win every time.

@Julian articulated this well on the @IndieHackers podcast:

https://share.transistor.fm/s/7d64c3ae

@asmartbear To me, that's like surfers going for the same wave.

Finding a good wave (and paddling out to catch it) is hard enough, but once you're riding the wave it's all the other advantages that matter: surfboard (product), surfer (skills, network, resources).

https://justinjackson.ca/surfing

Quick win #2

Make sure every page on your website has a social sharing image.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1509292246583033864

Some choices do just seem to be big wins (and the right call).

Many, however, are hard to evaluate as to how effective our assumptions were.