Ask HN: Should You 'Build in Public'?
It seems like a lot of people are "building in public" these days, which seems kind of awesome in terms of sharing learning, being accountable, etc. But I wonder about the downsides, like the distraction of having a content machine to fill, or the possibility the mistakes you make will actually be used against you later. What has been your experience?
9 comments
I think it's about understanding the tradeoffs. If you go for the grand unveiling you have something more complete, and fewer distractions while working on it. If your instincts are very good for what people want this is an advantage.
When you build in public (for context I do this within a private company so "in public" means in view of internal constituencies) the best outcome I've seen is early feedback from a few trusted early adopters. Stress on few and trusted.
So it is a continuum, I'd say the better question is whom do I show this to and when, based on what sort of transaction will result. At each stage of development, who is the audience for a mutually beneficial transaction?
When you build in public (for context I do this within a private company so "in public" means in view of internal constituencies) the best outcome I've seen is early feedback from a few trusted early adopters. Stress on few and trusted.
So it is a continuum, I'd say the better question is whom do I show this to and when, based on what sort of transaction will result. At each stage of development, who is the audience for a mutually beneficial transaction?
I probably would if I could make it my day job. Like if I could just work on games and stream myself doing it, great.
But streaming myself making games in my spare time while working a full time job that has to be in private because it's for a corporation? It's been a bit too much work for me to keep up with it.
The few times I did it, it might have kept me on task more but it also slowed me down doing development because I was trying to explain what I was doing and not just being silent while coding. Also if anyone was watching and did talk to me it tended to get super distracting.
I'd have to do it, and do it regularly, in order to find the success I'm hoping for with my games and/or get to the point where I could do it full time, but it's been tough to maintain.
Still hoping to give it another shot at some point, though. Maybe if I can cash in some investments and take a few months sabbatical, I can build in public while I was doing it, and get in the habit of doing so / streamline my environment to make it easier to keep up with it.
But streaming myself making games in my spare time while working a full time job that has to be in private because it's for a corporation? It's been a bit too much work for me to keep up with it.
The few times I did it, it might have kept me on task more but it also slowed me down doing development because I was trying to explain what I was doing and not just being silent while coding. Also if anyone was watching and did talk to me it tended to get super distracting.
I'd have to do it, and do it regularly, in order to find the success I'm hoping for with my games and/or get to the point where I could do it full time, but it's been tough to maintain.
Still hoping to give it another shot at some point, though. Maybe if I can cash in some investments and take a few months sabbatical, I can build in public while I was doing it, and get in the habit of doing so / streamline my environment to make it easier to keep up with it.
I've been building https://conjure.so in public, solo and bootstrapped, for ~19 months now, by sharing milestones and learnings periodically.
From building in public, I have built a waitlist, gained customers and built a modest following for Conjure's Twitter account. A decent number of people are more interested in following the journey, rather than becoming a user.
While I've mostly optimized for building and learning to date rather than growth, I haven't worried about the cadence of posts nor let it overly distract me.
I've output more content when it has served me (eg get users) and less when I've been focused on development or implementing learnings.
For me there has also been a catharsis from building in public, having leaned into the transparency and vulnerability aspect of it. I used to be very concerned with what people thought of me. It feels like such a relief to openly share metrics (currently ~$800 MRR) and celebrate each minor win, without self-diminishment.
After this major update I'm finishing up, I'll now go more frequently on comms and growth as it can better serve me now, given the substantial product development now done, learnings implemented and evidence of the product providing value having had daily active users for several months now.
From building in public, I have built a waitlist, gained customers and built a modest following for Conjure's Twitter account. A decent number of people are more interested in following the journey, rather than becoming a user.
While I've mostly optimized for building and learning to date rather than growth, I haven't worried about the cadence of posts nor let it overly distract me.
I've output more content when it has served me (eg get users) and less when I've been focused on development or implementing learnings.
For me there has also been a catharsis from building in public, having leaned into the transparency and vulnerability aspect of it. I used to be very concerned with what people thought of me. It feels like such a relief to openly share metrics (currently ~$800 MRR) and celebrate each minor win, without self-diminishment.
After this major update I'm finishing up, I'll now go more frequently on comms and growth as it can better serve me now, given the substantial product development now done, learnings implemented and evidence of the product providing value having had daily active users for several months now.
The "building in public" line of thought is that business/engineering is not special and is subject to the same laws as regular social interaction.
Meaning familiarity, networking and feedback are vital for success.
On the other hand, even in regular social interactions if you disappear for a while and then show up some time later driving a Porsche or a Ferrari that trumps familiarity, networking and feedback.
I'd say unless you are sure to show up with something that is essentially a Home Run, then the familiarity, networking and feedback of the building in public will be a tad better.
In the end it's also about the individual's personality. If you are driven by the journey then building in public is essentially some sort of diary, whereas if you are driven by results it's only natural that like an athlete you just want the spotlight on you during decisive moments.
Meaning familiarity, networking and feedback are vital for success.
On the other hand, even in regular social interactions if you disappear for a while and then show up some time later driving a Porsche or a Ferrari that trumps familiarity, networking and feedback.
I'd say unless you are sure to show up with something that is essentially a Home Run, then the familiarity, networking and feedback of the building in public will be a tad better.
In the end it's also about the individual's personality. If you are driven by the journey then building in public is essentially some sort of diary, whereas if you are driven by results it's only natural that like an athlete you just want the spotlight on you during decisive moments.
It's hard. I tried to do it on Twitch for a European travel site I am building, and I found the idea more fun than the task itself. I felt I had to be "on" 100% of the time I was live even if there was 0-3 viewers. And let me tell you: you feel like a idiot rubber ducking to the screen when 0 people are watching for 4 hours every day for a week. Eventually people might pop in and even help with code when you get stuck on something. But I felt very stressed like I had to entertain the viewers so they'd stay.
I eventually just stopped talking and just put on some music and let people watch me code if they wanted, plus some responses in the comments. But then I just felt this was half=assing the whole thing and why bother.
Another problem I had was maintaining a schedule. I have a young family so if I put out a schedule for certain times, I may not actually get around to getting on at those times and any viewers who had gotten used to watching me then were lost.
I know some people like Roxkstar74 has been doing since during COVID lockdown or slightly before on Twitch and has made a decent name for himself and built up a small devoted following.
I think the keys are know why you're doing it and don't let it get in the way of you building your project.
I eventually just stopped talking and just put on some music and let people watch me code if they wanted, plus some responses in the comments. But then I just felt this was half=assing the whole thing and why bother.
Another problem I had was maintaining a schedule. I have a young family so if I put out a schedule for certain times, I may not actually get around to getting on at those times and any viewers who had gotten used to watching me then were lost.
I know some people like Roxkstar74 has been doing since during COVID lockdown or slightly before on Twitch and has made a decent name for himself and built up a small devoted following.
I think the keys are know why you're doing it and don't let it get in the way of you building your project.
If you're talking about the early marketing aspect of a product by building it in public and engaging with your users at key steps, then it's probably a good strategy.
If you are talking about building in public as to get your "personal brand" out there, I'd say it depends on your personality. Some people thrive when the social noise is minimal and they're focused on doing the important work. Others choose to build in public for many different reasons like motivation and networking.
If you are talking about building in public as to get your "personal brand" out there, I'd say it depends on your personality. Some people thrive when the social noise is minimal and they're focused on doing the important work. Others choose to build in public for many different reasons like motivation and networking.
If your customers are also the ones who care about what you're building, and understand what you're communicating when you're building in public, I think it adds a layer of "free marketing" to your products. Pieter Levels does this really well.
If your customers don't care, and you end up putting more effort into building in open, but it doesn't translate into any ROI, I'd say "don't bother"
If your customers don't care, and you end up putting more effort into building in open, but it doesn't translate into any ROI, I'd say "don't bother"
I worked in public full time for a year—open source, open revenue, ~weekly Twitch development streams. The experience was net positive, but it’s not for everyone.
Being open source bought a lot of good will and led directly to a hire because they kept submitting great PRs. Open revenue honestly didn’t have much of an effect.
Development streams are another beast—they helped refine and teddybear some ideas, and again with the good will, but it is at its core a job in entertainment. You will structure other work around it, such as “saving” certain projects for stream time or offline time, you will be distracted by people asking you questions while you’re working, and you will repeatedly explain the same thing over and over to new viewers—if you get any viewers at all.
Being open source bought a lot of good will and led directly to a hire because they kept submitting great PRs. Open revenue honestly didn’t have much of an effect.
Development streams are another beast—they helped refine and teddybear some ideas, and again with the good will, but it is at its core a job in entertainment. You will structure other work around it, such as “saving” certain projects for stream time or offline time, you will be distracted by people asking you questions while you’re working, and you will repeatedly explain the same thing over and over to new viewers—if you get any viewers at all.
A friend of mine does. I don't.
First, it's a lot of work. The projects section of my personal website is already a lot to keep updated.
Second, I am trying to find intrinsic motivation to do things, and getting validation from others is the opposite of that.
Third, I have competitors and some of them are not so ethical. I don't benefit from revealing how I do things.
Fourth, nobody knows how much I make, and I prefer it that way. I don't even want to hint at it. Building in public seems to involve stats that I'm not comfortable sharing.
First, it's a lot of work. The projects section of my personal website is already a lot to keep updated.
Second, I am trying to find intrinsic motivation to do things, and getting validation from others is the opposite of that.
Third, I have competitors and some of them are not so ethical. I don't benefit from revealing how I do things.
Fourth, nobody knows how much I make, and I prefer it that way. I don't even want to hint at it. Building in public seems to involve stats that I'm not comfortable sharing.