
The Cult of the Product - ntoshev
http://20bits.com/articles/the-cult-of-the-product/
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jfarmer
Hey, cool! My article.

This was put together from two comments I made here, actually.

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=341372>
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=330576> (there is where the title comes
from)

The problem is that many web people just focus on the product, and only the
product. If they're smart they focus on a product that fits a market.

But very few people focus on distribution, which is a necessary component of
any successful product. And no, getting on TechCrunch is not a distribution
strategy.

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goodgoblin
The embedded Steve Jobs video is worth the price of admission.

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josefresco
The rest, not so much.

Using Apple to talk about successful branding and cults is like using The
Beatles as an example of how to become a successful rock band.

Tell me about a company that isn't on the 'rock star' level which has a cult
following and I'd be interested.

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jfarmer
I'm not talking about companies that have a cult following, I'm talking about
the perceptions of Apple's design process and how many web startups often try
to emulate that fantasy version -- to their detriment.

I guess using Apple as an example made that confusion more likely, but the way
they project their design process is part of why people are so obsessed about
their products.

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jeeringmole
The words "web" and "start-up" could both be dropped: many companies at many
stages in many spaces have fallen under this spell.

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jfarmer
Yep, totally agree, I just thought it would be more consumable if I focused it
towards the web start-up world.

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jfarmer
BTW, I'd love to meet up with any HN folks here in Palo Alto. Drop me a line
at jesse@20bits.com or on Twitter: <http://twitter.com/farmerje>

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sobriquet
What was/is facebook's distribution strategy?

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lacker
People invite their friends.

