Ask HN: HN/PH/Startup News sites, a distraction from your MVP?

[fjabre]

Hello All,

I had the pleasure of developing a web app for a startup in the medical space in 2004 before sites like HN & Reddit were really around.

The app was very successful and now is in its 3rd iteration and generating significant revenue for the aforementioned (and now established) medical startup.

As someone who had a solid background in comp sci and the web I knew what was possible with tech back in 04. After initially developing the MVP I immediately began fleshing it out by engaging customers early on, making enhancements based on their observations and reactions when I demoed it.

I used nothing more than google and some good reference books to make the mvp. I engaged customers for feedback, not because I wanted to or thought it was a good idea, but because it felt like a very natural part of the process. It was easy because customers wanted to engage me. They found the MVP so useful that they were enthusiastic about helping me develop it out further.

Not once did I read a startup essay or startup tips blog. Not once did I read a book on how to create viral loops or game theory. In fact, even though I had some solid fundamentals bc of my comps sci degree, I was still pretty green and new to startups/web development in general.

After all these years I've finally come to the conclusion that you don't need to follow any rules book to make a wildly successful app and you certainly don't have to stay on top of sites like HN and PH to help guide you in building your MVP. In fact I find they can ultimately distract you from what you're building and potentially lead you down a rabbit hole.

IMHO it seems that these sites become much more useful after you've established traction and have an established product or app.

I'm sure there are exceptions and maybe this isn't good advice for everyone seeming even contradictory, but it certainly worked for me.

[chatmasta]

Yes, you're right.

The HN/PH/blog ecosystem is FILLED with noise. You will learn very little, and accomplish nothing, by spending all your time reading.

You just need to stop reading, start doing, and ship.

[acafourek]

Just like there are examples of companies/products that have become wildly successful without outside capital, or perhaps without a technical cofounder or without reading any books about Lean methodology or without ever reading a single PG essay, that is not evidence that any of those things are detrimental to one's success. Resources like HN, etc are just like any other resource- you have to filter your exposure, sift through the useless and apply your own judgment as to the appropriateness for your particular situation. They are distractions if you allow them to be and tools if you will them to be.

[fjabre]

Good points.

One other pitfall I see is that initially, you want to market the idea to some targeted audience. That audience may or may not be HN. I don't believe a true product-market fit will be evident simply by 'validating' an idea on HN/PH. A true product-market fit should only be evident when directly targeting the audience the app was designed for. And the only two experts in those domains will be yourself and the customer.

[ASquare]

This!

[rgovind]

Mark Zuckerberg didn't need HN to make a billion dollar company. But lesser mortals like me needed it. HN is a start. It helped me think better in terms of market. Once I am inspired, Its a good thing to visit only occasionally or for market research. I think you should also do the same

And yes, no one should aim to read all of HN..thats a time sink

[aagha]

I don't use PH, but use HN in the following way: Subscribe to HN Digest [0] so I'm not checking it all day long, just once a day. And the search feature to check on issues that I'm looking for info on: employee compensation, tech x y or z, etc.

0 - http://www.hndigest.com/