EPILOGUE

So... Pouch has not obviated the need for Instagram lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

In fact I’m about to link it to you, my Instagram,

in addition to another similarly disappointing platform (Substack lol) as ways for us to keep in touch

 

But despite this humiliation,

it is consistent with the approach I take toward my work!

It’s quite difficult to make a 1:1 drop-in replacement for any of the big bads. Not futile, but quite difficult

 

For a myriad of reasons, including:

  • Competing with $gajillion companies who have been doing this for 15+ years
  • Tough pitch for end users
  • Even if successful, hard to avoid the same problems

So instead I try to chip away at the problems by creating way better alternatives for niche use cases:

Pouch, to keep in touch with the journaling community

Analog journals, to remember, reflect, and grow

journalhelper.com, free digital tools for your analog journal

I meet my analog journaling community where it currently is, while working toward creating way better alternatives for the future.

Also: I won’t be asking my community to migrate to platforms that don’t serve our needs, even if these platforms are more ideologically aligned with me as an ethics-minded technologist!

By no means is this the only valid approach! It’s imperfect in many ways! But it’s the approach I’m trying out right now 🤍

And I have to say, working independently RULES!!!

This has been truly the greatest privilege of my career :’)

With that...

I’m vrk, a 100% self-funded independent software engineer, working solo on Pouch Studio, my half-print magazine, half-print software company(?)

THANKS FOR LISTENING

STAY IN TOUCH ☆ BYE!!

Back to start