Why I'm leaving Product Hunt
Giovani Drosda Lima
7 replies
I've been active on the platform for a few months and there is a chance you've seen me here before.
I am a programmer and I entered Product Hunt with the hope that I would find other solo devs to engage, and see what amazing things those people are making. Oh boy I was wrong
I think that I got this social platform wrong - it's meant for showcasing. Of course, the name is Product Hunt and not Developers Hut. There are a lot of marketers here, and the few small devs I could find, 90% were doing the same thing over and over: cheap ChatGPT wrappers. Boring.
Even though I tried to be comprehensive and understand that yes, this platform may turn out to be good for me, it's just not. It's not meant to be a place for developers and makers to be active on. It simply doesn't work for small makers (unless they alone deliver a really good product with a very catchy marketing, but I haven't seen an example of that. The closest is Realtime Colors, by @juxtopposed, and I am not very sure if she is alone).
I will still use PH probably to just eventually post my new products, but that's as far as this site can be good for me. The community discussions were my anchor not to leave here, I think that PH users (apart from the bots and spam) are very open minded people in general with great discussion ideas.
Cheers,
- Gio
Replies
Konrad S.@konrad_sx
App Finder
I'm also a solopreneur and programmer, and my impression is quite different. I've seen a log of products from solo devs or small teams, and I think if one has an innovative and useful product, it is quite easy to get attention.
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Hey Gio, sounds like Product Hunt wasn't quite the dev playground you were hoping for! It's like looking for a byte in a haystack of marketers, right? Keep coding cool stuff, and who knows, maybe the next Realtime Colors will be your creation!
Hey Gio, I get where you're coming from. I've stopped for the same reason, but still lurk around here every now and then. There are less early users than there are product builders; ProductHunt is essentially a bubble. I'm a solo dev and I've met my people through creating my own Meetup group, cold DMing local people on LinkedIn and Reddit, and sometimes the stray random in-person interaction. I'm actually with my meetup group now - we grew from 0 to 30 in under a week.
@kitamashi, it's really insightful to hear your perspective! 😄 I totally get where you're coming from; hunting for those genuine dev gems can be a real challenge among the flood of marketing pitches. It's true that Product Hunt leans towards showcasing, but don't lose hope—there are still some amazing indie creators out there! Realtime Colors by @juxtopposed is indeed a standout. Best of luck with your future projects, and hope to see your innovative products pop up here! 😆 Cheers! 🚀
@kitamashi, it's really insightful to hear your experience and reflections on Product Hunt! 😊 It's true that PH leans more towards showcasing rather than a developer community. It's a shame you didn't find the connections you were looking for, and I completely understand your sentiment about the repetitive ChatGPT wrappers – originality can indeed be scarce sometimes. That said, it's great to know you'll still use PH for occasional product postings. Wishing you success in finding a community that aligns more closely with your needs! Cheers to new adventures! 😄
Hey Gio, sad to see you go but I get it. PH is great for product discovery but not the best for solo dev community and engagement. The spammy chatbot launches get old fast. There are some real gems on here but it takes digging to find the good stuff amidst the marketing. I'm sure wherever you land next will be a better fit for connecting with other serious makers. Keep on building and hope to see your launches on here in the future! Cheers man.
I feel you, Gio. As a solo dev myself, I've found PH to be more geared towards marketing and product showcasing rather than fostering deep discussions among makers. The repetitive AI-based products can get old fast. I still think there's value in engaging with the open-minded community here, even if sparingly. Wishing you the best with your projects - I'll keep an eye out for your launches on PH!