

Show HN: My first for-profit app - Beautiful, custom Instagram portfolios - timfletcher
https://monogr.am

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timfletcher
OP here. Just to flesh out why Monogram is better than your average Instagram
gallery, we import all of the images to our db and allow users to create
galleries from any of those images.

If you have a cool photo you took a year ago and one from yesterday then you
can easily add these to the same portfolio. You can also filter by your most
liked and most commented photos.

These are features not available through the Instagram API so we built them
and we think it's pretty cool. We also periodically refresh the images to keep
their comment/like counts up to date and use the realtime API to pull in new
additions.

Any feedback welcome!

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lotso
Hey this is really great!

Just one nitpick, if I click on view on Instagram could you automatically open
it in a new tab? I guess that wouldn't be the best action for mobile or tablet
viewing, but on my desktop browser I prefer it.

Also part of the loading circle on Chrome/Win 8 isn't visible.

Good stuff!

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timfletcher
We generally feel that a window should only open in a new tab if the user
explicity desires that action and we don't want to make that decision for
them. We'd expect them do it via a Ctrl/Cmd click on the link.

We'll check into the loading gif.

Thanks!

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s_henry_paulson
Visited the website, I really don't see any indication of what the product is.

Your about page says:

"We wanted to make a tool that helps you promote your work online. Something
that doesn't waste your time. No bells and whistles, just practical, robust
and beautiful."

You built something? What exactly did you build?

Your homepage describes a profile.. what's a profile?

Only after I clicked around a lot did I finally look at the featured work, and
saw an idea of what you're selling.

Without that the rest of the site doesn't really convey a strong idea of what
you're actually trying to offer someone.

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bcolewebber
Hey there - obviously we want want to be as clear as possible so we appreciate
your feedback.

Mainly I think this is a lack of clarity in that the about page is to talk
about Monogram and not a specific profile. We want to have specific pages that
show in detail what each profile is and what it can do for you, but of course
these things take some time.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

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WrkInProgress
Great to see a Canadian submission. Very nice design and the product seems to
work well.

I really liked the ease of signing up and the friction-less way of adding the
subscription.

I notice you are planning on adding other services. I assume those will be
standalone products under the monogr.am brand ?

Edit: Never mind, I realized they will additional "plugins".

A quick note, the default page for a new site isn't responsive (not sure if
that's be design or ...)

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timfletcher
Hey!

We're intending Monogram to be a place where you can create portfolio sites
for a variety of services. For example, maybe an Etsy storefront, a Vimeo
gallery or a LinkedIn resume. Other plugins will be done in due course. This
is our MVP and we want to see if people will use it before investing too much.

A public portfolio site is responsive but the rest of the site isn't yet. It's
definitely high up on list though.

It is a Canadian submission. Good spot.

Cheers!

