this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2023
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Side Project

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Hello everyone.

Recently I developed a new product called [Product Graveyard], a place to store your precious, abandoned, and failed projects.

Its function is very simple. After registering an account, you can post your product information, including name, introduction, current product's death status (almost dead, dead?), and then fill in your experience and summary of the product. You will then have your own homepage where you can showcase your failed projects to the outside world.

Two days ago, I posted this product on a relevant forum, which aroused sighs of relief and was disliked by various people. for example:

  1. My products are about to be abandoned, why should I still publish them on your platform?

  2. Even if I want to post to your platform, why do you still charge?

  3. Your platform is a fake demand, so let’s take advantage of it.

To be honest, these shocked me. Later, I reorganized and carefully sorted out the product logic.

Develop products -> more and more products -> there will always be products that fail -> don’t want to be forgotten or want to store them somewhere -> product graveyard

I personally think that there should be no problem logically. The key point is to show value to users. So I made the following optimizations:

  1. Modify the hero title of the homepage

It used to be: Kiss your product for the last time, say goodbye to it, and then start over.

Now it is: Brave indies face the death and failure of their products head on, say goodbye to them, and start over.

In comparison, you will find that I emphasized Brave, which I think is an essential quality for an independent developer.

  1. Added renderings

Essentially, this is a social product, so I took a screenshot of the user's personal homepage and put it on the homepage to display it intuitively.

The latest effect is here https://productgraveyard.app/

Again, I will never be discouraged.

top 19 comments
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[–] DiddlyDanq@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

There is a niche audience for a dev graveyard where devs showcase it, how much time invested and abandoned reason but nobody is going to pay to use it

[–] JouniFlemming@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If this is basically a product directory but for dead products, I don't really see the point in that.

I personally wouldn't use that, not as a user nor as a developer who has had many failed projects.

As a user, I sometimes like to watch long format Youtube videos where the rise and fall of some company or product is explained as a story, or similar long format text content in a form of a well written article.

But would I browse some product directory of dead products? Nah.

And as a developer, I don't see the incentives for me to write up about my died products and submit them to your platform. I don't mean that I'm shamed of them or anything like that, I just don't see the point. Why would I submit my dead projects to some platform, rather than spend that time to invest into my current projects? Especially I don't see the value proposition for me if you are asking me to pay you money for me to write content to your platform about dead products.

There might be some good ideas here worth thinking and even developing, but you need to start by incentives. Why should people add their dead products to your platform?

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Thank you very much for your comment.

You are right, I am thinking about how to add value and make users more willing to share content on my platform.

[–] Standard_Sir_4229@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Hey man, I liked it remember ;) anyway, I have generally found a lot of hate lately on this sub. Your project fits very well into the Side Project category in my opinion. I don't understand all the haters.

Keep on going man.

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Thank you very much for your comment, I will try my best.

[–] fatcomes@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Congrats! Despite what's being said, this is actually a very brilliant idea! I don't think such exists; a platform whereby users can publish failed/dysfunctional projects. Others can suggest improvements, purchase these projects, salvage the projects.... the possibilities are endless.

Good job.

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Thank you very much for your comment, I will try my best.

[–] pknerd@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

This could be a Reddit sub

[–] jollyrosso@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Now you need a product graveyard for you product graveyard

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

It's already there.

[–] Various_Low3880@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"Develop products -> more and more products -> there will always be products that fail -> don’t want to be forgotten or want to store them somewhere -> product graveyard
I personally think that there should be no problem logically. The key point is to show value to users. "

ok, so i guess the question is, what makes you so sure this logic is sound? cuz from first glance, it does not seem sound to me. ok people develop products, sure, more and more pile up, sure. some will fail sure. Ok. im with you. Heres where you lose the logical part.

"dont want to be forgotten or want to store them somewhere"

..... why would i want that? i mean, we already put our stuff on github, or we can just store it on a file on our computer. Why would i need a web hosting service for a product i dont want to work on, dont want to maintain, and will bring in no money. and then you want ME to pay YOU for this? come on man... so users are basically giving you free IP, mountains of it, and you should be paid by the users for that?
I dont see the logic in this at all.

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Hello buddy, think about this:

We drink water from cups, not bowls.

[–] Good-Half9818@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

When visiting the site it says that the site’s domain is for sale and nothing else on it

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago
[–] Pinty220@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If I'm a developer why wouldn't I just make my own webpage (can also use squarespace or wordpress etc) with descriptions of my dead projects, its not very hard. Not something I would pay someone to code for me

The cool thing would be to look up your idea among the directory of dead projects and see if it exists already and failed (and learn from it if you eant to do it). And see if it is what the y combinator on youtube call a "tar pit idea" which is an idea that seems food that no one is doing but that's because its secretly a bad idea. Maybe people would pay to view it if the inventory was big enough. But what is the benefit of posting that's worth money? Showing off projects? I can do that in word or in WordPress. Imagine if it costed money to post to normal social media

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Thank you very much for your comment.

Think about it, you're not spending a lot of money. But you get more exposure and attract a lot of eyeballs?

[–] Engine360@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I think you are unto something. 9 out of 10 businesses fail. Its a good placd to come learn what not to do.

[–] fer_momento@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not every launch hits, but every try counts.

[–] tangpanqing@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

yes, thanks your reply