Becoming an Indie Developer: Where to Find Information?(2)

Following my previous article, “Where Should Aspiring ‘Independent Developers’ Go for Information?”, which mentioned several websites frequently visited by independent developers, today I continue with other websites of a different nature.

1: Failory

Unlike Indie Hackers, which mostly features successful independent development cases, Failory focuses more on failure stories. I believe this format is more beneficial since the majority of content on the internet celebrates success, whereas in reality, and in the domain of independent developers, most cases are failures. Studying these failures can provide a sober perspective on our current situation.

Key sections of the site include:

The first section is “Founder Interviews,” featuring their experiences with project successes and failures.

Two recommended articles:

• Launching a BodyBuilding App Without a Clear Marketing Strategy discusses a common issue faced by programmers in independent projects - the lack of marketing channels, which is a significant bottleneck.

• Building a TikTok Analytics Platform While Losing Motivation to Market the Product also addresses marketing challenges. The narrative includes their experience of launching on Facebook and Product Hunt, but not witnessing any miracles, ultimately gathering “thousands of visits, dozens of free users, and zero paying customers.” Relying on friends’ circle shares or promotions on Zhihu or Bilibili can yield limited user numbers. A more reliable marketing channel might be a social media account with a substantial follower base.

The second section is “Startup Graveyard,” listing many failed entrepreneurial projects:

Specific examples include:

• Google+: Google’s social media project aimed to compete with Facebook but ultimately failed. The key reason was the lack of a unique value proposition compared to Facebook.

• MySpace: Once a competitor to Facebook, MySpace failed due to outdated technology and irritating advertising strategies.

• ScaleFactor: This company, focusing on automating accounting tasks through AI, faced controversy when it was revealed that much of the work was done manually. The article doesn’t focus on why the enterprise failed, but rather why investors didn’t label such practices as “fraud.”

The third section is “Featured Articles,” addressing concerns common to startups.

For example, the article on startup failure rates:

• Statistics and Analysis of Startup Failure Rates summarizes six major reasons for failure, including marketing mistakes, team issues, financial problems, technical challenges, operational difficulties, and legal issues.

Additionally, there are practical and detailed articles, such as:

• How to Step by Step Name Your Business: This shows the intricacies involved in just naming a business.

• How to Make a Pitch Deck with 10 Simple Slides: This article outlines the structure of a pitch deck, including sections like introduction, problem, solution, market, product, validation/ traction, team, competition, financial forecast, and Q&A.

Site Summary:

Failory reveals that many failures result from a combination of factors, and some projects fail without clear reasons, perhaps due to competition or insufficient differentiation. This reality underscores the multitude of risks and uncertainties in entrepreneurship.

2: Hacker News

Hacker News, established in February 2007, retains an early forum-style interface. Despite its outdated look, the quality of articles is exceptional, covering specific and profound topics beyond just independent development. Some notable articles include:

• Why I Stopped Using an External Monitor: Discussing the efficiency of using a single monitor for work.

• Identifying as an Artist: Exploring the identity crisis of a programmer who also engages in artistic work.

• The World’s Oldest Ultramarathon Runner Is Racing against Death: A story about an 81-year-old participating in an ultramarathon, challenging our perceptions of human limits.

Site Summary:

Hacker News offers high-quality discussions impacting both work and life, providing fresh perspectives and valuable insights for independent developers.

3: sideidea

This Chinese website translates many cases from Indie Hackers, making it accessible for those less proficient in English. Each article is a structured case study discussing background, initial motivations, technology stack, business model, future goals, and advice for new developers. The most useful section contains valuable advice from experienced independent developers:

Advice from the founder of Stencil Stop:

• Never assume anything is easy. The idea of instant success is tempting but unlikely. Realize that creating something great and sustainable requires extra work and sacrifice over days, months, and years.

Advice from the founder of Standard Resume:

• Create something genuinely needed and charge for it. It sounds simple but is surprisingly difficult. Most feedback you get will be what people think you want to hear, not the truth. If you’re not solving your own problem, validate everything quickly, preferably by getting people to pay.

Advice from the founder of JustSketchMe:

• Always work on something that keeps you awake. Paul Graham wrote about this. Do what you think about in the shower. Many create unnecessary or unwanted things; avoid this trap. A recommended read is The Mom Test.

Site Summary:

sideidea clarifies the path of independent development, making many aspects more tangible and actionable. Regularly reading this site can help clear confusion and strengthen the resolve to proceed.

Closing Words

These are some of the websites I’ve curated for independent developers. The journey is fraught with difficulties and traps, but I hope my Independent Developer Series helps smooth the path for others.

If you have any specific interests regarding independent development, feel free to leave a message, and I will strive to provide the latest and best information.