

The Slow Web Movement - smalter
http://blog.idonethis.com/post/21267449208/the-slow-web-movement

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rgbrgb
This is, I think, the best takeaway:

"We also can’t assume actual value creation based on engagement with the
product."

We work in a medium which can facilitate low-value yet frighteningly addictive
user-experiences. Almost everyone I know absolutely hates using Facebook but
the little boost they get from seeing notifications or the thrill of seeing
embarrassingly revealing pictures of someone they knew from high-school is
enough to keep them coming back. Now I'm not necessarily saying Facebook is
low-value, I'm just saying that value should not be measured by the time users
spend on the site. Much of that time is completely wasted and only momentarily
enjoyable. I realize everybody's running a business and trying to get paid but
there has to be a better way than by creating an addictive product that has a
negative impact on users. As far as I'm concerned, Farmville and its ilk are
one step above cigarettes... uninspiring gameplay, terrible reviews, basically
no reason to use them except for the fact that once you start it's really hard
to give up those little pings of satisfaction when you click a cow.

Now do I think iDoneThis is a valuable service? I'm not sure I'd pay for it
just yet but I think they do a good job of creating a product which is
reasonably useful and unobtrusive. I've definitely mentioned it positively to
other people when it has come up but it's not indispensable. I think that with
"accomplishment tracking" they've set their sights a little low if they aim to
produce something which is indispensable to individuals but perhaps for small
businesses it can be quite useful (this seems to be who they're targeting
now).

On the other hand, iDoneThis is in a unique position to proscribe such a value
based approach. They make a productivity app which is supposed to help you get
things done, not take away time from your work. Could this strategy ever work
for Facebook?

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Maven911
This part really resonates with me, I really hope that this does occur one day
(unlikely though), your heart (stress) and mental health are as important if
not more then any job:

”High time pressure over extended periods of time leads to both poor inner
work life and poor performance.” History will probably laugh at our time’s
attempt to impose a mentality of industrial production upon creative work.

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ezl
great service, especially for a distributed team. helps everyone keep abreast
of what everyone else is doing, and has helped me manage contractors.

I cannot recommend this product more to founders with small teams. Easily the
best money I'm spending on collaboration tools.

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shoham
Very inspiring. Thanks. We're doing this at FeedForward: <http://www.feed-
forward.net> \-- trying to change the way artists communicate with each other
(for the better...) is liking watching grass grow, but every now and then you
see some real growth from an artist, or two people work together to create
something new who never knew each other but for FeedForward and that creates
value -- at least for me!!

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sebkomianos
iDoneThis is one of my favorite services. It's one of the bast parts of my day
when I go through the day that just ended in order to reply to their email.

~~~
smalter
I'm really glad to hear that.

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wes-exp
You had me at "The Slow Web Movement". I'm sold!

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Mz
I like it. But I have never found a way to monetize what I do. So I am
skeptical. Can you make money doing something that adds real value? I would
like to think so but my life choices have left me deeply in debt, jobless,
homeless and trying to file bankruptcy. No, I don't think I did anything
wrong. Like most U.S. bankruptcies, my situation is rooted in expensive health
problems. But, at the same time, trying to share what worked for me has
brought me personal attacks, not money. Next month my web hosting expires. I
am searching my soul, trying to decide what to do. I am very much leaning
towards wiping my internet slate clean, not bothering to try to find a means
to back it up, and looking for a means to make money rather than continuing to
try to make the world a better place.

Best of luck to this company. I hope their ideals pay off for them. My current
skepticism is very much a personal matter and not intended as raining on their
parade.

