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Under the Radar

Under the Radar 28: Wear Your Own T-Shirt

 

00:00:00 ◼   ► welcome to under the radar our show but

00:00:02 ◼   ► independent iOS app development I'm

00:00:04 ◼   ► Marco Arment and I'm David Smith under

00:00:06 ◼   ► the radar is never longer than 30

00:00:08 ◼   ► minutes so let's get started so today

00:00:11 ◼   ► what I wanted to talk through is and the

00:00:14 ◼   ► broader concepts but something that

00:00:16 ◼   ► started from a sort of my initial

00:00:19 ◼   ► planning for getting ready to go in a 10

00:00:20 ◼   ► WWDC this year where one of the things

00:00:24 ◼   ► that I was thinking about is the

00:00:26 ◼   ► interactions that I tend to have at the

00:00:28 ◼   ► can at the actual convention at the you

00:00:32 ◼   ► know on the floor and something that has

00:00:33 ◼   ► happened several times is I'll you know

00:00:35 ◼   ► be walking around and I'll just randomly

00:00:37 ◼   ► bump into somebody and start to you know

00:00:38 ◼   ► chatting and it's like as we start

00:00:42 ◼   ► talking eventually we get to a point

00:00:43 ◼   ► that they're like oh wait you're the guy

00:00:46 ◼   ► who did pedometer plus plus like I love

00:00:48 ◼   ► that app or something like that where

00:00:49 ◼   ► you have this interaction where it's

00:00:51 ◼   ► like eventually they do sort of it did

00:00:53 ◼   ► this there's this discovery of a comment

00:00:56 ◼   ► and like a common ground it's almost an

00:00:57 ◼   ► accident

00:00:58 ◼   ► yeah it's and that accidental nature of

00:01:01 ◼   ► it is the problem is the problem that I

00:01:03 ◼   ► wanted to talk about today because what

00:01:05 ◼   ► I've been thinking about is like well

00:01:08 ◼   ► what most companies do when they're

00:01:10 ◼   ► encounter this kind of a thing it's like

00:01:11 ◼   ► if you walk around WTC you will see

00:01:14 ◼   ► people wearing like 1password shirts and

00:01:16 ◼   ► you know they work fragile bits or

00:01:18 ◼   ► you'll see you know companies with omni

00:01:21 ◼   ► shirts on or whatever and you'll know

00:01:23 ◼   ► they work for Omni and so if you like on

00:01:25 ◼   ► here and when we talk to someone who

00:01:26 ◼   ► works there like you know how to go how

00:01:28 ◼   ► to go about doing that but it feels

00:01:30 ◼   ► weird in some ways at least initially it

00:01:33 ◼   ► started feeling weird and I was like try

00:01:35 ◼   ► and like make shirts that say you know

00:01:37 ◼   ► it's like my apps and have like

00:01:39 ◼   ► phenomena or plus plus or sleep plus

00:01:40 ◼   ► plus or under the radar even or even

00:01:43 ◼   ► just my name like put on it and it it's

00:01:47 ◼   ► weird because it feels a bit like like

00:01:50 ◼   ► like self-promotion in that way feels a

00:01:54 ◼   ► bit odd and the more I've thought about

00:01:56 ◼   ► this I need to probably not think about

00:01:59 ◼   ► it in those ways but it seemed like an

00:02:00 ◼   ► interesting topic to talk about because

00:02:02 ◼   ► I struggle with this with this weird

00:02:04 ◼   ► tension of it's like if I were if I was

00:02:06 ◼   ► working for a bigger company and I was

00:02:08 ◼   ► going to a convention

00:02:10 ◼   ► that company said hey you know here's

00:02:12 ◼   ► you know five t-shirts that have a

00:02:14 ◼   ► various products on it would love it if

00:02:15 ◼   ► you could wear them during the thing and

00:02:16 ◼   ► you know see if that can you know start

00:02:18 ◼   ► a conversation help a conversation along

00:02:20 ◼   ► like I wouldn't feel weird about doing

00:02:23 ◼   ► that it would be like yeah totally you

00:02:24 ◼   ► know I'm a team player let's do this

00:02:26 ◼   ► but when it's like me promoting myself

00:02:28 ◼   ► it feels a bit weird and that tension is

00:02:32 ◼   ► a strange thing I think in some ways

00:02:33 ◼   ► it's unique to being an indie but I

00:02:36 ◼   ► think a lot of people probably struggle

00:02:38 ◼   ► with this type of thing when your brand

00:02:39 ◼   ► is more personal rather than sort of

00:02:44 ◼   ► more corporate yeah I mean this is I

00:02:47 ◼   ► think a lot of this plays into what I

00:02:49 ◼   ► think would probably be like the

00:02:51 ◼   ► stereotypical geek personality that many

00:02:54 ◼   ► people in our industry I think us

00:02:57 ◼   ► included I have which is you know it's

00:03:01 ◼   ► it's hard for people with this

00:03:02 ◼   ► personality type to self-promote it's

00:03:05 ◼   ► hard for them to like brag about

00:03:07 ◼   ► themselves and promote promote their

00:03:10 ◼   ► work a lot of times and this is

00:03:13 ◼   ► something I had to just get over over

00:03:15 ◼   ► the years honestly and I'm still not

00:03:16 ◼   ► great at it but it's it's really hard

00:03:20 ◼   ► for certain personality types to to be

00:03:23 ◼   ► willing to do that and I think what it

00:03:26 ◼   ► what helps to to distinguish here

00:03:28 ◼   ► between like times you should and

00:03:30 ◼   ► shouldn't do that or wet we know when or

00:03:33 ◼   ► where you shouldn't shouldn't do that is

00:03:34 ◼   ► to recognize that there are lots of

00:03:36 ◼   ► situations in which you know like like

00:03:39 ◼   ► walking around WTC tons of people there

00:03:42 ◼   ► are wearing their own t-shirts like

00:03:45 ◼   ► there that is if there's ever a time in

00:03:48 ◼   ► place to wear your own t-shirt of the

00:03:50 ◼   ► app you make or the company you work for

00:03:52 ◼   ► it's at a conference full of other

00:03:55 ◼   ► people doing the exact same thing like

00:03:58 ◼   ► the the cost of you doing that the risk

00:04:00 ◼   ► of you doing that is absolutely lowest

00:04:02 ◼   ► they're at during that week and there's

00:04:06 ◼   ► also you know situations like like if

00:04:09 ◼   ► you are at a you know a tech meetup or

00:04:11 ◼   ► you know it just any place where you're

00:04:13 ◼   ► where you're know you're gonna be

00:04:13 ◼   ► stranded by other software developers or

00:04:15 ◼   ► other people in your in your business

00:04:18 ◼   ► who are probably going to also be doing

00:04:20 ◼   ► the same thing like that's totally fine

00:04:22 ◼   ► and in fact

00:04:24 ◼   ► not only are you like you know not only

00:04:25 ◼   ► will will the world tolerate your

00:04:27 ◼   ► self-promotion during that time but as

00:04:30 ◼   ► you mentioned like for purposes like

00:04:31 ◼   ► starting up conversations or trying to

00:04:33 ◼   ► meet people who make the apps you like

00:04:35 ◼   ► it's actually helpful you actually

00:04:37 ◼   ► you're actually helping people find you

00:04:39 ◼   ► who want to find you or who are

00:04:41 ◼   ► interested in your in your app or or who

00:04:42 ◼   ► know who you are or who want to know who

00:04:45 ◼   ► you are so it's like you're actually

00:04:47 ◼   ► helping help by by being self

00:04:49 ◼   ► promotional in certain contexts such as

00:04:52 ◼   ► those kind of you know real-life

00:04:53 ◼   ► gatherings of similar types of people

00:04:55 ◼   ► and that you know it's just one of those

00:04:57 ◼   ► things where you just kind of have to

00:05:00 ◼   ► you just kind of had to think of it from

00:05:03 ◼   ► the other person's perspective of like

00:05:04 ◼   ► if I wear a shirt that identifies me as

00:05:08 ◼   ► the maker of this app or that or as the

00:05:11 ◼   ► host of the show or whatever is the

00:05:14 ◼   ► other person more likely to think I'm

00:05:16 ◼   ► being like an arrogant jerk or more

00:05:18 ◼   ► likely to recognize that from for people

00:05:23 ◼   ► who want to who are who are who are

00:05:24 ◼   ► interested in saying hi to me and and

00:05:27 ◼   ► will and that'll make their job actually

00:05:29 ◼   ► easier and they will appreciate that

00:05:30 ◼   ► rather than trying to guess wait is that

00:05:32 ◼   ► underscore there's just a line on a

00:05:35 ◼   ► shirt but that could be an underscore or

00:05:36 ◼   ► it could just be like a line because

00:05:39 ◼   ► it's kind of hard to put your name on a

00:05:40 ◼   ► shirt so I you know like there are so

00:05:44 ◼   ► many contexts like that in which you're

00:05:46 ◼   ► actually helping the other people by

00:05:48 ◼   ► doing that yeah and it's it's an

00:05:51 ◼   ► interesting thing too because I think

00:05:53 ◼   ► about the tension your soul I can

00:05:55 ◼   ► examine that there's a similar example

00:05:57 ◼   ► that's also a bit of a tension is like

00:05:59 ◼   ► the degree to which you talk about or

00:06:02 ◼   ► like mentioned when people say nice

00:06:04 ◼   ► things about your products right it's

00:06:08 ◼   ► like similar in this way where if

00:06:09 ◼   ► there's this strange tension around you

00:06:12 ◼   ► notice it's like if someone writes a

00:06:14 ◼   ► nice review of one of one of my apps do

00:06:16 ◼   ► I like you know put that on Twitter put

00:06:18 ◼   ► on my blog it's like that feels a little

00:06:20 ◼   ► weird like retweeting when people say

00:06:22 ◼   ► nice things about you like that's a

00:06:24 ◼   ► little gauche I guess like it's not

00:06:26 ◼   ► great but I think it what I've been

00:06:29 ◼   ► trying to work through is why that feels

00:06:30 ◼   ► weird versus what I'm increasingly

00:06:33 ◼   ► coming to grips with about being fine

00:06:34 ◼   ► with of the like it's good for people

00:06:37 ◼   ► too

00:06:37 ◼   ► know who you are and to know what you're

00:06:39 ◼   ► associated with and like that's just

00:06:42 ◼   ► building a brand versus being it's like

00:06:44 ◼   ► what can you start to get to the

00:06:46 ◼   ► question of what kind of brand do you

00:06:48 ◼   ► want to be and that's I think the more

00:06:51 ◼   ► interesting place to or like I need to

00:06:53 ◼   ► get comfortable with like the first step

00:06:55 ◼   ► like I am I am a brand like I have a

00:06:57 ◼   ► following online I do things in a public

00:07:01 ◼   ► in a public way like I make apps that

00:07:03 ◼   ► are used by hundreds of thousands of

00:07:05 ◼   ► people like that's an important thing

00:07:06 ◼   ► and I need just be okay with that and

00:07:09 ◼   ► it's like okay well what kind of brand

00:07:10 ◼   ► do I want to be because even big

00:07:12 ◼   ► companies have different brands that

00:07:13 ◼   ► makes like they have different

00:07:16 ◼   ► personalities to them like there's ones

00:07:18 ◼   ► that are very kind of like a casual or

00:07:22 ◼   ► very formal or very inviting and you

00:07:25 ◼   ► know even down to the things like I'm

00:07:26 ◼   ► thinking about like I'm working on that

00:07:28 ◼   ► you know what what design should I have

00:07:29 ◼   ► for like my shirt and it's like well

00:07:32 ◼   ► it's probably gonna be kind of geeky

00:07:33 ◼   ► like I'm going to make something that's

00:07:35 ◼   ► a little bit that that's not just like a

00:07:38 ◼   ► picture of an app icon like it's going

00:07:41 ◼   ► to be a little bit silly and that

00:07:42 ◼   ► probably speaks more to like the

00:07:45 ◼   ► personality of my company in my own

00:07:46 ◼   ► personality and I think that works but

00:07:49 ◼   ► it's like an important thing that I

00:07:51 ◼   ► really if it's kind of bad in some ways

00:07:53 ◼   ► like I've been doing this for so long

00:07:55 ◼   ► but I'm still have these like these

00:07:57 ◼   ► basic elements of marketing that I'm

00:07:59 ◼   ► just not really comfortable with or have

00:08:01 ◼   ► really thought through I mean I think it

00:08:04 ◼   ► really does have a lot to do with the

00:08:06 ◼   ► context you know as I said earlier like

00:08:08 ◼   ► you know there are some context in which

00:08:09 ◼   ► people actually are being helped by by

00:08:12 ◼   ► your marketing and you know - like your

00:08:15 ◼   ► example of like do you retweet things

00:08:17 ◼   ► that are complimentary in the context of

00:08:20 ◼   ► people who follow you on twitter who are

00:08:22 ◼   ► going to see this they don't need that

00:08:25 ◼   ► that that is not really helping them to

00:08:26 ◼   ► hear how awesome you are because they

00:08:28 ◼   ► already follow you they already think

00:08:29 ◼   ► you're awesome they don't need to see

00:08:30 ◼   ► everyone else thinking you're awesome

00:08:32 ◼   ► and you're retweeting that and it just

00:08:33 ◼   ► makes you look arrogant but if you have

00:08:36 ◼   ► a page for your product like a webpage

00:08:38 ◼   ► or even like people who could use the

00:08:40 ◼   ► description field on the app store for

00:08:41 ◼   ► this purpose put-put

00:08:44 ◼   ► endorsements they're like put positive

00:08:46 ◼   ► reviews like the way people pull out

00:08:48 ◼   ► call quotes like like you know people

00:08:50 ◼   ► like people do a movie posters

00:08:51 ◼   ► and you know put in the ellipses so

00:08:53 ◼   ► everything sounds good you know I think

00:08:55 ◼   ► like if if prominent people or

00:08:58 ◼   ► publications or anybody really says

00:09:02 ◼   ► something nice about you yet maybe don't

00:09:04 ◼   ► retweet it but put it on your marketing

00:09:06 ◼   ► page because in that kind of context

00:09:08 ◼   ► that is not only appropriate but can be

00:09:11 ◼   ► helpful to people who are visiting to

00:09:13 ◼   ► kind of see like you know who else has

00:09:15 ◼   ► vetted this app who you know is are

00:09:17 ◼   ► there any big publications or names that

00:09:19 ◼   ► I've heard of who've said nice things

00:09:21 ◼   ► about this like that's actually useful

00:09:22 ◼   ► information in that context so I think

00:09:26 ◼   ► you know it's it's tempting to just step

00:09:29 ◼   ► back and say well I I don't feel

00:09:31 ◼   ► comfortable doing any of this so I'm

00:09:33 ◼   ► just gonna let people find my stuff but

00:09:35 ◼   ► people won't find your stuff like that's

00:09:37 ◼   ► not how this works and that's that's

00:09:40 ◼   ► kind of it's it's almost a naive view of

00:09:44 ◼   ► like how how this world works now that

00:09:48 ◼   ► it's very tempting to to think it's a

00:09:51 ◼   ► very appealing notion to think that you

00:09:54 ◼   ► know I can just put something good out

00:09:55 ◼   ► there and it'll it'll get found people

00:09:58 ◼   ► will find it and sometimes that does

00:10:01 ◼   ► really happen but it really helps a lot

00:10:04 ◼   ► if you can grease the wheels a little

00:10:05 ◼   ► bit if you could get a lot more people

00:10:07 ◼   ► to look at it first and the way you do

00:10:10 ◼   ► that is is some kind of promotion some

00:10:13 ◼   ► kind of telling people what you're about

00:10:15 ◼   ► and I think the line that has to be

00:10:19 ◼   ► drawn is figuring out when such

00:10:21 ◼   ► promotion would be considered

00:10:23 ◼   ► inappropriate and not doing it in those

00:10:25 ◼   ► places but then finding the

00:10:27 ◼   ► opportunities where it is appropriate or

00:10:29 ◼   ► where it is even helpful and trying to

00:10:32 ◼   ► focus your efforts there and that's that

00:10:34 ◼   ► isn't always an easy line for a lot of

00:10:36 ◼   ► people to find you know and certain

00:10:38 ◼   ► certain products make an easier harder

00:10:40 ◼   ► certain personality types make that

00:10:41 ◼   ► easier or harder to it to figure out

00:10:42 ◼   ► where that line is but there are places

00:10:45 ◼   ► where it is totally appropriate to

00:10:47 ◼   ► market yourself and to market your app

00:10:49 ◼   ► and it isn't really if you think about

00:10:53 ◼   ► it it isn't even really that hard to

00:10:55 ◼   ► think about what those places might be

00:10:56 ◼   ► you know obviously there's conferences

00:10:57 ◼   ► and person things and I would say

00:10:59 ◼   ► anywhere where like you're going to a

00:11:00 ◼   ► meeting and everybody like passes out

00:11:02 ◼   ► business cards that's not that's not

00:11:03 ◼   ► what I'm talking about that's just

00:11:05 ◼   ► waste of paper but that is actually a

00:11:08 ◼   ► thing I've been wondering it's like

00:11:09 ◼   ► should I have business cards like I've

00:11:11 ◼   ► met business cards in years I I think in

00:11:13 ◼   ► our business the answer of generally is

00:11:15 ◼   ► no yeah but like this is every now and

00:11:17 ◼   ► I'm like I wonder if I'll at some point

00:11:19 ◼   ► I'll run into somebody who would be

00:11:21 ◼   ► important to be able to for them to know

00:11:24 ◼   ► like reach back out to me and it's like

00:11:26 ◼   ► I have no I have nothing to give you is

00:11:28 ◼   ► like I can write my name on your hand

00:11:30 ◼   ► like that's all I've got like it's not

00:11:33 ◼   ► it's not great but it's the same kind of

00:11:35 ◼   ► thing because like there are

00:11:36 ◼   ► opportunities like that like what you're

00:11:38 ◼   ► just saying it's like having those

00:11:39 ◼   ► contexts where it's completely

00:11:40 ◼   ► appropriate to interact in a marketing

00:11:43 ◼   ► way and say like it's like I'm this

00:11:45 ◼   ► person here's my app and I have

00:11:47 ◼   ► something to hand to them like it's if

00:11:49 ◼   ► you went to a trade show and had a booth

00:11:51 ◼   ► like you'll have things to hand out to

00:11:53 ◼   ► people because it's a context rupee if

00:11:55 ◼   ► someone wants to receive that you want

00:11:56 ◼   ► to be able to give it to them right

00:11:57 ◼   ► exactly and that's like there are so

00:12:00 ◼   ► many contexts like that in which your

00:12:02 ◼   ► self-promotion is welcome or helpful and

00:12:05 ◼   ► so for instance we talked in the past

00:12:07 ◼   ► about about pitching the press on your

00:12:09 ◼   ► app this is a great example of this kind

00:12:11 ◼   ► of thing where you know a web site that

00:12:13 ◼   ► posts links to things and reviews things

00:12:15 ◼   ► every day like daring fireball or Mac

00:12:17 ◼   ► stories or I'm or these sites need

00:12:20 ◼   ► things to post every day you're not

00:12:22 ◼   ► putting them out by suggesting hey might

00:12:25 ◼   ► want me and maybe check this out that I

00:12:26 ◼   ► just made it it solves this problem like

00:12:28 ◼   ► that you're not like you know I mean you

00:12:31 ◼   ► can be you can do it badly in a way this

00:12:33 ◼   ► seems spamming but if you just do it

00:12:35 ◼   ► like a human in a respectful way it

00:12:38 ◼   ► tends to be welcomed and that isn't to

00:12:41 ◼   ► say that they are guaranteed to to link

00:12:43 ◼   ► to you to cover you to give you a

00:12:44 ◼   ► positive review but you have to at least

00:12:46 ◼   ► do the first step of like letting people

00:12:48 ◼   ► know about your app because sites like

00:12:51 ◼   ► that need things to post every day so by

00:12:54 ◼   ► you promoting your app to them you are

00:12:56 ◼   ► not annoying them you are helping them

00:12:59 ◼   ► do their job like that so and so find

00:13:02 ◼   ► places we're hearing about your app will

00:13:06 ◼   ► help people do a job in a way that is

00:13:09 ◼   ► not spammy or annoying yeah so like for

00:13:11 ◼   ► me like you know blind the email blasts

00:13:14 ◼   ► when people blast email all over me I

00:13:16 ◼   ► don't I don't appreciate that very much

00:13:18 ◼   ► and one of the main reasons is because

00:13:20 ◼   ► like the the lists that people tend to I

00:13:24 ◼   ► assume by often include bad addresses

00:13:28 ◼   ► things like overcast support a dress a

00:13:31 ◼   ► hat like that's not an appropriate place

00:13:33 ◼   ► to send promotional stuff about your

00:13:35 ◼   ► service to make developers lives easier

00:13:36 ◼   ► but you know if like people run websites

00:13:40 ◼   ► that review apps and there's no there's

00:13:43 ◼   ► a contact form there or there's an email

00:13:45 ◼   ► address there for like hey hey send your

00:13:47 ◼   ► you know PR inquiries or whatever here

00:13:49 ◼   ► like that is the appropriate place that

00:13:51 ◼   ► they're asking you to do that there so

00:13:52 ◼   ► find places like that and and use that

00:13:55 ◼   ► to your advantage because honestly in

00:13:58 ◼   ► this business you have to be some degree

00:14:01 ◼   ► of self promotional because there's so

00:14:03 ◼   ► much out there there's so many other

00:14:04 ◼   ► apps there's so many other services

00:14:06 ◼   ► there's so many other consultants no

00:14:08 ◼   ► matter what you're doing in the in the

00:14:10 ◼   ► mobile app development business it's

00:14:12 ◼   ► crowded these days and you have to stand

00:14:15 ◼   ► out somehow there are so many people out

00:14:18 ◼   ► there who don't do any reasonable amount

00:14:20 ◼   ► of self-promotion who can't do it right

00:14:22 ◼   ► or who don't do it right if you can just

00:14:25 ◼   ► do that correctly at all you don't even

00:14:27 ◼   ► have to be great it just just be ok at

00:14:29 ◼   ► it and that will put you in like the top

00:14:31 ◼   ► 5% of pretty much everybody else out

00:14:33 ◼   ► there doing the exact same thing as you

00:14:35 ◼   ► so that helps a lot and I would even

00:14:37 ◼   ► argue that if you're the kind of person

00:14:40 ◼   ► who who is just really having a hard

00:14:42 ◼   ► time with self-promotion and who really

00:14:44 ◼   ► can't do it I would argue that you're

00:14:47 ◼   ► probably better off working for a

00:14:49 ◼   ► company than working on your own because

00:14:51 ◼   ► it's such an important part of working

00:14:53 ◼   ► on your own that if you can't do it

00:14:55 ◼   ► someone else should be doing it for you

00:14:57 ◼   ► yeah and I think that's a great part

00:14:59 ◼   ► like aspect that I need always need to

00:15:01 ◼   ► remind myself about where just because

00:15:04 ◼   ► like I got into this business to write

00:15:06 ◼   ► software like to sit open Xcode and work

00:15:09 ◼   ► in there and just because that's what

00:15:11 ◼   ► I'm good at and just because that's what

00:15:13 ◼   ► I like like doing most doesn't somehow

00:15:16 ◼   ► mean that the other aspects of running a

00:15:19 ◼   ► software business like go away that like

00:15:21 ◼   ► they're not going to like somehow like

00:15:23 ◼   ► oh well that's what I do so I'm just

00:15:25 ◼   ► going to do that it's like no there are

00:15:26 ◼   ► many aspects to running a business that

00:15:28 ◼   ► I have to do and like some of them I can

00:15:31 ◼   ► outsource

00:15:32 ◼   ► like I have an accountant who files my

00:15:34 ◼   ► taxes for me because that's in a very

00:15:36 ◼   ► vital important part of my business but

00:15:38 ◼   ► it's something that I really don't want

00:15:40 ◼   ► to do that's something that she is way

00:15:42 ◼   ► better at doing than I am so I have her

00:15:45 ◼   ► have someone do that and so when I think

00:15:47 ◼   ► about something like marketing which is

00:15:48 ◼   ► a which is really but all of this is

00:15:50 ◼   ► like this is promotion and publicity and

00:15:51 ◼   ► marketing like it there are it's a

00:15:53 ◼   ► division within a bigger company it's

00:15:56 ◼   ► even if it's not something that I want

00:15:57 ◼   ► to do or feel qualified or skilled at

00:16:00 ◼   ► doing it's still something that's

00:16:01 ◼   ► important for me to get you know develop

00:16:04 ◼   ► that skill get better at etc because

00:16:07 ◼   ► it's not gonna if it doesn't happen it's

00:16:09 ◼   ► not like that's fine it's problematic

00:16:11 ◼   ► for my business and in in a big way -

00:16:14 ◼   ► its key of having the mindset after that

00:16:16 ◼   ► if I don't do this then all the work I'm

00:16:18 ◼   ► doing in Xcode is in many ways kind of

00:16:22 ◼   ► diminished because fewer people are

00:16:25 ◼   ► going to benefit from it you know fewer

00:16:26 ◼   ► people are going to see the products I

00:16:27 ◼   ► make and that's like I'm sort of like

00:16:30 ◼   ► shooting myself in the foot and so it's

00:16:32 ◼   ► like it has to be done and so it's like

00:16:35 ◼   ► yeah it's these thing weird things are

00:16:36 ◼   ► having to relieve think about how can I

00:16:38 ◼   ► get better at this like how can I find

00:16:40 ◼   ► be ok with and like under you know with

00:16:44 ◼   ► marketing myself what are things that I

00:16:45 ◼   ► should be doing that I don't you know

00:16:47 ◼   ► like a lot of my apps don't have good

00:16:48 ◼   ► really great websites or social media

00:16:52 ◼   ► presences or things like there are

00:16:54 ◼   ► aspects of them that I think about that

00:16:55 ◼   ► I'm like should I be doing more in that

00:16:57 ◼   ► should I not like does it matter

00:16:59 ◼   ► and maybe in our business like

00:17:00 ◼   ► specifically in the app store I don't

00:17:02 ◼   ► know the degree to which you having a

00:17:04 ◼   ► good website matters but it's definitely

00:17:07 ◼   ► something that I know I have to keep

00:17:09 ◼   ► reminding myself because my default is

00:17:11 ◼   ► never gonna be oh like focus ton on

00:17:14 ◼   ► marketing because that's not what I'm

00:17:16 ◼   ► like good at or skill that and got into

00:17:18 ◼   ► this business to do in the first place

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00:17:54 ◼   ► websites for things like uptime or

00:17:56 ◼   ► changes like underscore and I we we used

00:18:00 ◼   ► to run these checks to monitor the WDC

00:18:02 ◼   ► site for changes so that we could be the

00:18:05 ◼   ► first to know when the new year of WBC

00:18:07 ◼   ► tickets were announced and we could go

00:18:09 ◼   ► buy them before the lottery system it

00:18:10 ◼   ► actually worked really well didn't it

00:18:11 ◼   ► yeah I mean their their ability to

00:18:14 ◼   ► detect changes is way better than any

00:18:17 ◼   ► other system I've ever used so it's like

00:18:19 ◼   ► when we were back in the day when it was

00:18:21 ◼   ► this mad rush to get it to get to WB DC

00:18:23 ◼   ► and oh man I'm so glad those aren't the

00:18:25 ◼   ► days anymore but yeah that's like I'd

00:18:27 ◼   ► get you know my phone would just light

00:18:28 ◼   ► up like a Christmas tree

00:18:29 ◼   ► every time tickets were available for

00:18:31 ◼   ► WGC and I would know like within a few

00:18:34 ◼   ► seconds of the you know Apple publishing

00:18:36 ◼   ► the change I knew about it because

00:18:38 ◼   ► Pingdom is really on it and really

00:18:40 ◼   ► responsive to like detecting these kinds

00:18:42 ◼   ► of things yeah I mean and I've I have

00:18:45 ◼   ► used Pingdom myself since April of 2007

00:18:49 ◼   ► firstly you know use it a tumbler you

00:18:51 ◼   ► said it Instapaper use it at overcast

00:18:53 ◼   ► and I use it for my own blog for during

00:18:55 ◼   ► during most of that time as well I still

00:18:57 ◼   ► use it then so I have been using Pingdom

00:19:00 ◼   ► for longer than the iPhone has been out

00:19:02 ◼   ► the first iPhone like so to give you

00:19:06 ◼   ► some idea you know way before they're

00:19:07 ◼   ► responsive I've been using them for a

00:19:08 ◼   ► long time I have a lot of experience

00:19:11 ◼   ► with them they're great I strongly

00:19:13 ◼   ► recommend that if you have any kind of

00:19:16 ◼   ► website or web service that you care

00:19:19 ◼   ► about at all from a blog to a service

00:19:22 ◼   ► that your apps depend on to a marketing

00:19:24 ◼   ► page or whatever else have Pingdom

00:19:26 ◼   ► monitor it because first of all you'd be

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00:19:30 ◼   ► outages at your host and that's good to

00:19:31 ◼   ► know and when you know doing things like

00:19:33 ◼   ► deciding what what hosts to go with or

00:19:35 ◼   ► what kind of hosts to go with and you

00:19:37 ◼   ► know you can get things fixed quickly I

00:19:39 ◼   ► I just I cannot recommend Pingdom enough

00:19:42 ◼   ► because here's what you don't want to

00:19:44 ◼   ► happen you don't want for you know for

00:19:47 ◼   ► you to be out all day and then you

00:19:49 ◼   ► launch your Twitter app and then you see

00:19:52 ◼   ► that six hours ago people on Twitter

00:19:54 ◼   ► started telling you hey your site's down

00:19:56 ◼   ► hey your site's down hey your site's to

00:19:58 ◼   ► you that's that's

00:20:00 ◼   ► not good that's not good for your

00:20:02 ◼   ► reputation it's not good for possibly

00:20:04 ◼   ► your income if your site is what

00:20:06 ◼   ► generates your money it certainly does

00:20:08 ◼   ► not look very professional if you have

00:20:10 ◼   ► to wait until people on Twitter tell

00:20:11 ◼   ► your site is down before you realize

00:20:13 ◼   ► it's down with Pingdom you are the first

00:20:15 ◼   ► to know it can check your site as often

00:20:17 ◼   ► as once a minute and it can text you it

00:20:19 ◼   ► can send push notifications it can send

00:20:21 ◼   ► emails it can do all those things or

00:20:23 ◼   ► some of those things none of those

00:20:24 ◼   ► things or some of those things

00:20:25 ◼   ► conditionally based on how severe it is

00:20:27 ◼   ► it is so great I again I've been using

00:20:30 ◼   ► it since 2007 strongly recommend it

00:20:32 ◼   ► check it out go to Pingdom calm for a

00:20:35 ◼   ► 14-day free trial and use code radar to

00:20:38 ◼   ► get 20% off at checkout thanks a lot to

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00:20:41 ◼   ► all right so I think it's interesting to

00:20:45 ◼   ► to consider you know all these these

00:20:47 ◼   ► marketing angles and everything as you

00:20:50 ◼   ► know what's appropriate and what's not

00:20:53 ◼   ► obviously we can talk about this

00:20:54 ◼   ► academically and and it seems like I

00:20:58 ◼   ► have a slightly easier time than you do

00:21:00 ◼   ► or at least I

00:21:01 ◼   ► I started earlier the path towards self

00:21:03 ◼   ► promotion so you know at as you as you

00:21:08 ◼   ► know all the same things I do you know

00:21:09 ◼   ► as you can think about the same things

00:21:11 ◼   ► rationally what are the irrational

00:21:13 ◼   ► pressures or fears or conflicts that you

00:21:17 ◼   ► feel about this that other people might

00:21:19 ◼   ► relate to that you know and and can you

00:21:23 ◼   ► talk about maybe like just like the

00:21:25 ◼   ► feeling side of this like once you know

00:21:27 ◼   ► what you should be doing what still

00:21:29 ◼   ► stops you from doing it and what might

00:21:31 ◼   ► be a way that you could overcome that

00:21:32 ◼   ► yeah the one that comes to mind the most

00:21:35 ◼   ► and I think this is it's like at the

00:21:38 ◼   ► core of so much of these challenges is

00:21:41 ◼   ► that feeling of

00:21:42 ◼   ► it's like putting yourself out there

00:21:45 ◼   ► where I mean I still do every time I

00:21:48 ◼   ► write up an email to the press I always

00:21:52 ◼   ► have this feeling of like I can be so

00:21:54 ◼   ► proud of my app and what it does and how

00:21:57 ◼   ► well it works

00:21:58 ◼   ► and I'm sitting down to write this to

00:22:00 ◼   ► somebody and I get nervous and worried

00:22:03 ◼   ► and like what if they don't like it what

00:22:05 ◼   ► if they hate it what if they are gonna

00:22:07 ◼   ► you know reject me or be mean to me or

00:22:10 ◼   ► whatever like you can give these various

00:22:12 ◼   ► like you know sort of visceral feelings

00:22:13 ◼   ► about

00:22:14 ◼   ► that and I think around marketing and a

00:22:16 ◼   ► lot of these kind of like self

00:22:17 ◼   ► promotional things there is certainly an

00:22:19 ◼   ► element of that of this whenever anytime

00:22:21 ◼   ► that you are sort of really sort of

00:22:24 ◼   ► putting out your name in a way in a

00:22:26 ◼   ► public obvious way intentionally drawing

00:22:29 ◼   ► attention to yourself it's like you're

00:22:31 ◼   ► also setting yourself up for the

00:22:32 ◼   ► possibility of someone not liking you

00:22:35 ◼   ► and I think the thing that you have to

00:22:39 ◼   ► at certain point come to grips with is a

00:22:42 ◼   ► like there's always going to be people

00:22:44 ◼   ► who don't like you like no matter how

00:22:45 ◼   ► likeable you are there's always going to

00:22:47 ◼   ► be that and there's a certain amount of

00:22:49 ◼   ► just like you have to get Bo be okay

00:22:51 ◼   ► with that and not like get your you know

00:22:53 ◼   ► your value from other people like you

00:22:55 ◼   ► have to you know if I look at something

00:22:57 ◼   ► I make and I think it's good then that

00:22:59 ◼   ► at a certain point has to be enough that

00:23:01 ◼   ► it is a can't it doesn't have to just be

00:23:03 ◼   ► validated externally and but then it's

00:23:07 ◼   ► also just V being and being aware that

00:23:09 ◼   ► that's probably also not what's gonna

00:23:11 ◼   ► happen like the number of times I've had

00:23:13 ◼   ► the negative version of that you are

00:23:16 ◼   ► like I can remember them because that's

00:23:19 ◼   ► just the way human nature is that we

00:23:20 ◼   ► think like the impact of the negative is

00:23:23 ◼   ► what is disproportionate the impact are

00:23:25 ◼   ► the positive you know hundred people can

00:23:27 ◼   ► say a nice thing and one person can say

00:23:28 ◼   ► a mean thing and you remember that mean

00:23:30 ◼   ► thing but overall like that's not my

00:23:34 ◼   ► experience and it's but it's having to

00:23:37 ◼   ► overcome the emotional part of that of

00:23:40 ◼   ► that feeling of just like that

00:23:41 ◼   ► nervousness and the shyness I mean and

00:23:43 ◼   ► it's the same thing that happens in in

00:23:46 ◼   ► life like I remember we talked about

00:23:49 ◼   ► this a couple weeks ago with going to

00:23:50 ◼   ► tap YouTube EDC and looks like it's that

00:23:52 ◼   ► same feeling of when I'd see someone

00:23:55 ◼   ► that I'd recognize it's like oh should I

00:23:57 ◼   ► go say hi like I'd love to meet them but

00:24:00 ◼   ► being nervous about that and being

00:24:01 ◼   ► nervous how the conversation will go and

00:24:02 ◼   ► all these types of things when in

00:24:04 ◼   ► reality it goes fine like that's just

00:24:07 ◼   ► not the that's just not the reality like

00:24:10 ◼   ► people are generally very polite and

00:24:12 ◼   ► very nice and it'll go well but that

00:24:15 ◼   ► certainly is a like a genuine feeling to

00:24:17 ◼   ► overcome of that feeling of like is this

00:24:19 ◼   ► good enough is it going to go well

00:24:22 ◼   ► and so anytime you're drawing attention

00:24:23 ◼   ► to yourself like that's just part of the

00:24:26 ◼   ► bio that's just part of it but there's

00:24:27 ◼   ► definitely that like kind of irrational

00:24:29 ◼   ► feeling of like oh no like what if what

00:24:31 ◼   ► if people don't like me oh sure I mean

00:24:33 ◼   ► and and there's not I mean that's that's

00:24:36 ◼   ► hard for like you know III would expect

00:24:38 ◼   ► a lot of people who like computers who

00:24:42 ◼   ► were roughly our age probably had a

00:24:44 ◼   ► rough time socially in school growing up

00:24:46 ◼   ► I sure did and it's and a lot of those

00:24:49 ◼   ► pressures like come right back to life

00:24:50 ◼   ► feeling like you're in high school again

00:24:52 ◼   ► or middle school again and like getting

00:24:54 ◼   ► socially rejected or romantically

00:24:55 ◼   ► rejected and and there's like these

00:24:57 ◼   ► deep-rooted scars that so many of us

00:24:59 ◼   ► have from from growing up in that kind

00:25:01 ◼   ► of situation and so it's really hard to

00:25:04 ◼   ► overcome that feeling but the good thing

00:25:05 ◼   ► is as you mentioned like you know people

00:25:07 ◼   ► are generally nice and polite because

00:25:10 ◼   ► you know what we aren't in high school

00:25:11 ◼   ► anymore like everyone around us now as

00:25:14 ◼   ► like as an adult and usually they're a

00:25:16 ◼   ► lot like us similar back and so it's the

00:25:22 ◼   ► the chances of like getting really

00:25:24 ◼   ► scarred and and and rejected in the ways

00:25:27 ◼   ► that we're all like consciously or

00:25:29 ◼   ► subconsciously afraid of I think are

00:25:31 ◼   ► pretty low you know we're we're adults

00:25:33 ◼   ► now we're in we're in an industry now

00:25:34 ◼   ► we're like you know we won like this we

00:25:37 ◼   ► won the world like we don't have to

00:25:40 ◼   ► worry about about about all those like

00:25:41 ◼   ► emotional pressures anymore and you know

00:25:44 ◼   ► in this industry and the way things work

00:25:46 ◼   ► both in person and online you're not

00:25:49 ◼   ► likely to get rejected if the worst that

00:25:53 ◼   ► you can generally expect is to be

00:25:55 ◼   ► ignored or to be lost in in the shuffle

00:25:58 ◼   ► because there's just so much out there

00:26:00 ◼   ► and that's you can't really if that

00:26:02 ◼   ► happens and it will it happens to all of

00:26:04 ◼   ► us you can't really take that personally

00:26:06 ◼   ► because it's probably not for personal

00:26:09 ◼   ► reasons like you know if if Apple

00:26:11 ◼   ► doesn't pick you to be featured or if a

00:26:14 ◼   ► website doesn't pick you to to write

00:26:16 ◼   ► about or doesn't pick your app to review

00:26:17 ◼   ► that week it might be because they

00:26:20 ◼   ► didn't like it and they looked at it but

00:26:21 ◼   ► it's probably not because of that it's

00:26:23 ◼   ► probably because they got too much stuff

00:26:25 ◼   ► and the order slipped through the cracks

00:26:27 ◼   ► or they weren't or whatever yours did

00:26:29 ◼   ► that's not that kind of thing they were

00:26:30 ◼   ► looking for that week or you know

00:26:32 ◼   ► there's so many other reasons that it is

00:26:34 ◼   ► generally you know

00:26:36 ◼   ► due to if if you if you do get ignored

00:26:39 ◼   ► or passed over for something in this

00:26:41 ◼   ► business that it's probably not personal

00:26:43 ◼   ► it's probably not about your app your

00:26:45 ◼   ► app might not even been looked at that's

00:26:46 ◼   ► the reality of of getting rejected in

00:26:49 ◼   ► this business today is that it's

00:26:51 ◼   ► generally due to people being

00:26:52 ◼   ► overwhelmed not due to anything personal

00:26:56 ◼   ► against you and so the risk of putting

00:26:58 ◼   ► yourself out there is is pretty low

00:27:00 ◼   ► really and I think it's also that like

00:27:04 ◼   ► one of the most impressive things is

00:27:07 ◼   ► confidence and whether that is true

00:27:10 ◼   ► confidence or kind of like more of a

00:27:12 ◼   ► fake it till you make it kind of thing

00:27:14 ◼   ► but the like that's something that I

00:27:19 ◼   ► think Jen like universally people find

00:27:21 ◼   ► impressive like coming back to high

00:27:23 ◼   ► school or whatever like it's like the

00:27:24 ◼   ► people because like the kids who were

00:27:25 ◼   ► confident even if they're like comet

00:27:28 ◼   ► like confidently strange are still cool

00:27:31 ◼   ► like in in a way that is there is that

00:27:35 ◼   ► is like that is the thing that we're

00:27:37 ◼   ► sort of in in many ways and this is what

00:27:38 ◼   ► I strived I'm sort of striving toward

00:27:40 ◼   ► it's like being confident in what I make

00:27:43 ◼   ► being confident in so sort of like the

00:27:45 ◼   ► person I am and being able to be

00:27:48 ◼   ► authentic about that then it is like

00:27:51 ◼   ► that's something that's attractive

00:27:52 ◼   ► that's something that is interesting and

00:27:54 ◼   ► engaging and will start conversations

00:27:55 ◼   ► and will open doors and those types of

00:27:58 ◼   ► things I mean in some ways it's being

00:28:00 ◼   ► hidden it's like even just having the

00:28:02 ◼   ► confidence to ship in the first place is

00:28:04 ◼   ► a huge thing to have accomplished and in

00:28:07 ◼   ► marketing there's that same type of

00:28:09 ◼   ► thing it's like that when I run into

00:28:10 ◼   ► somebody and they ask me what apps they

00:28:12 ◼   ► like in the OPI Co what apps do you say

00:28:14 ◼   ► say oh what are you doing oh I'm a cap

00:28:15 ◼   ► so have I ever have I heard of any it's

00:28:18 ◼   ► like not being like oh probably not like

00:28:20 ◼   ► the non confident responsive or it's

00:28:22 ◼   ► like oh I make an app called pedometer

00:28:23 ◼   ► plus plus it you know and yeah start

00:28:26 ◼   ► with that don't even start with I make

00:28:27 ◼   ► apps

00:28:28 ◼   ► start with I make this particular ad

00:28:30 ◼   ► here's what it is here's what's called

00:28:31 ◼   ► here's what it does here's why you want

00:28:33 ◼   ► it it's exactly and having that

00:28:34 ◼   ► confidence that like this is something

00:28:35 ◼   ► that they were going to be interested in

00:28:37 ◼   ► and maybe they are maybe they won't but

00:28:39 ◼   ► it's way better and it's gonna come

00:28:40 ◼   ► across so much more appealing in a much

00:28:43 ◼   ► more appealing way if you start with

00:28:45 ◼   ► that confidence versus being like oh

00:28:47 ◼   ► well you know I do stuff

00:28:49 ◼   ► I kind of make stuff like that's not

00:28:51 ◼   ► appealing that's not that you're not

00:28:52 ◼   ► promoting yourself and you're doing your

00:28:54 ◼   ► work a discredit as a result exactly all

00:28:58 ◼   ► right that's all the time we have for

00:28:59 ◼   ► this week everybody see is coming up

00:29:01 ◼   ► really quickly now so we'll be talking

00:29:02 ◼   ► about that probably more next week I

00:29:04 ◼   ► would imagine everyone listening thank

00:29:06 ◼   ► you for listening and I will see you at

00:29:08 ◼   ► WTC wearing my own shirt nice I hope you

00:29:12 ◼   ► do too all right

00:29:13 ◼   ► see you next week all right bye