4
9 Comments

A Chrome extension that keeps you focused with AI [new MVP inspired by grad school experience]

I came up with this idea while I was a student in Georgia Tech's online masters of computer science program. I had to use my computer to study, but I would waste hours going down internet rabbit holes. This experience inspired the following product:

On Topic is a Chrome extension that keeps you focused on your work, school, and research. Tell On Topic what you need to focus on, and as you browse the internet our extension blocks content unrelated to your area of focus.

Unlike traditional content blockers that block entire websites, On Topic’s AI analyzes the content of each page you view and only blocks content unrelated to your area of focus. You can watch YouTube videos, read Wikipedia articles, and browse Reddit threads about the subjects you’re focusing on, without getting distracted by irrelevant content on those sites.

On Topic works with YouTube, Reddit, Wikipedia, hundreds of news sites, millions of blogs.

check it out at
https://getontopic.com

  1. 1

    Sounds promising. Some people modify their /etc/hosts to block websites or if they are working on local things, they use airplane mode

  2. 1

    I personally like this idea. It just took me around 40 seconds watching your video demo to understand what the product is about.

    Basically, it stops me from clicking on irrelevant stuff while I'm reading/researching a topic.

    It's a good idea in theory, but I wonder how it's going to pan out in practice, because there may be related neuroscience topics that the extension won't understand are related, so it will wrongly show me the 'you're slacking off' screen.

    1. 1

      i updated the landing page. hopefully it's easier to understand now.

    2. 1

      that's great feedback, thanks!

      I agree that I need to do a better job of immediately communicating the value proposition of the product.

      regarding your second point, you're right - the extension could mistakenly block content that is actually useful. the 'distracted' page that you get redirected to contains a 'think this is a mistake - click here' button that allows you to view the page even if it was blocked.

Trending on Indie Hackers
How I grew a side project to 100k Unique Visitors in 7 days with 0 audience 49 comments Competing with Product Hunt: a month later 33 comments Why do you hate marketing? 29 comments My Top 20 Free Tools That I Use Everyday as an Indie Hacker 18 comments $15k revenues in <4 months as a solopreneur 14 comments Use Your Product 13 comments