Answer
Sep 27, 2016 - 10:46 AM
Hi, John Wheeler here, the creator of OldGeekJobs
The most important thing is compelling content that resonates. When you articulate some idea people only know intuitively, you help them crystalize it in their own minds. That crystallization not only empowers them but affords them the social currency to share the idea.
For all that to work, the best place to look is inward with what resonates with you. It’s not only easier to work with what you have, but you stick to the truth. The Internet can tell when you’re lying.
You can test if things resonate without spending too many resources. For example, with Old Geek Jobs, I read an article called "Old Geek" by Tim Bray and spent an hour registering my domain name and putting up a quick MVP with a Google Form to test whether the idea would resonate. It did, and I knew it was worth exploring.
In that respect, HN, Reddit, and ProductHunt are proving grounds for new ideas. Business Insider, QZ, Inc., and TechCrunch source their ideas not only from those but tweets and LinkedIn posts from influencers and other nooks and crannies where important ideas originate.
From there, if an idea takes hold, it has a chance to go mainstream (WSJ, CNN, ABC). I’ve never had that happen, but Ryan Holiday talks about upstreaming of inventory in Trust me I’m Lying, a somewhat controversial book by its Amazon reviews, but one I've found valuable in explaining how content on the internet really works.
The most important thing is compelling content that resonates. When you articulate some idea people only know intuitively, you help them crystalize it in their own minds. That crystallization not only empowers them but affords them the social currency to share the idea.
For all that to work, the best place to look is inward with what resonates with you. It’s not only easier to work with what you have, but you stick to the truth. The Internet can tell when you’re lying.
You can test if things resonate without spending too many resources. For example, with Old Geek Jobs, I read an article called "Old Geek" by Tim Bray and spent an hour registering my domain name and putting up a quick MVP with a Google Form to test whether the idea would resonate. It did, and I knew it was worth exploring.
In that respect, HN, Reddit, and ProductHunt are proving grounds for new ideas. Business Insider, QZ, Inc., and TechCrunch source their ideas not only from those but tweets and LinkedIn posts from influencers and other nooks and crannies where important ideas originate.
From there, if an idea takes hold, it has a chance to go mainstream (WSJ, CNN, ABC). I’ve never had that happen, but Ryan Holiday talks about upstreaming of inventory in Trust me I’m Lying, a somewhat controversial book by its Amazon reviews, but one I've found valuable in explaining how content on the internet really works.
Add New Comment