Lifelog 2023
jasonleow • 6 Jan 2023 •
I just deployed the markdown preview feature on Lifelog. Previously you could only see the text formatting after you publish. Now you can preview the formatting while writing on the /write page before publishing. Just hover your cursor outside of the text area and it’ll display the text with formatting right there. On mobile, tap anywhere outside the text area to preview.
So FINALLY… after more one year (since 21 Nov 2021) without building new features!
A new start for my very first SaaS project for the new year.
Confession: To be honest, I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve not deployed new features for more than 1 year, all the while receiving monthly subscription dollars.
The past 2 years had been a tough journey figuring out marketing and growth for Lifelog. What was hardest to swallow was the slow dawning that it won’t live up to my expectations as my ONE true SaaS to bring my indie solopreneur career to ramen profitability.
But the good news is: Since letting those expectations go, I’ve in fact felt more relieved than ever. I feel like I don’t have to figure out how to grow it anymore. Instead I can now just build features! How ironic, right?!
In the end, I’m circling back to what this project at its core had always been for me:
A passion project.
I love writing.
I love building products.
I love living a reflective life.
I love the friends I’ve made here.
So cheers to more of doing what I love for Lifelog in 2023! 🍻
And to @everyone here, thanks for being patient with me. And for all the support by sticking around this long. I’m grateful.
Comments
API ~ API ~ API
I was thinking today that one of the things I like about being in here is that it’s a small group, and that it doesn’t take long to start to get a sense of everyone.
If there were hundreds of people it would be cool but very different. I probably wouldn’t spend much time reading others’ posts.
Which then led me to the random thought that I wonder if there’s a market for this for use in private writing circles such as writing workshops or other small groups that want their own small writing community.
I’m sure you’ve thought of this but just thought I’d toss it out there as food for thought. This is not a world I know much about.
@tao thanks! Glad you like the new feature. Yeah true. In the end, who knows… maybe letting go of expectations and just having fun building it might be exactly what it needs to grow. The inverse law of the universe at work 🙃
@knight API to do what…?
@macmartine Yes the intimacy and tight-knit quality of the Lifelog community is one thing I truly enjoy. It had ever crossed my mind that I actually don’t want it to grow too quickly haha. Maybe I’m subconsciously self sabotaging it. Glad you like that too.
Interesting idea about writing circles. Could be a feature in the future to consider, when the group gets huge here and people need smaller groups to feel that cosyness again
Thanks Mac!
@jasonleow a lot of things can do by API , example I can schedule a post through API, I can do backup through API, I can create a simple mobile app to post etc.
You gave me a home to write with others, and I’ve been here from the beginning. I am grateful for this writing space and happy that you’ve come to terms with how you want to move forward. #Teamstreak
@knight Will PM you to explore
@therealbrandonwilson thanks my friend! I’m glad you’re still here, and grateful! * #TeamStreak roar 💪
@jasonleow saw it, let me find some time to explore.
Thanks for the update @jasonleow, it helps markdown newbies like me to give my text a little more features.
And don’t beat yourself up too much about not adding anything for such a long time. LifeLog does what it needs to do and looks way more professional than the other spinoffs of 200wad that I have seen. I suppose the thing you need to keep in mind, is that by adding new features, you might attract new writers. You never know when the next feature might become the thing that shifts the needle.