I got traffic, comments, and downloads. Then I failed to follow up

Update — Apr 2026:

This project is now archived.

At the time, I was reacting emotionally to a Google account flagging incident and moved too fast. My Google account was later restored, and after thinking more about platform rules, user trust, and the risks around LinkedIn scraping, I no longer maintain or recommend this tool.

I’m keeping this post as a lesson about platform risk, overbuilding, and failing to follow up with early user feedback — not as a product launch.

A few months ago, I posted here about a project I built after my Google account was flagged.

At the time, I was frustrated and scared. I thought the lesson was simple:

“Don’t build on rented land.”

So I reacted quickly. I bought a domain, set up my own email, and moved a Chrome Extension idea into a desktop app.

That project was Jaywalk Miner, a local LinkedIn lead extraction experiment.

Update — Apr 2026

I’ve decided to stop and archive this project.

My Google account was eventually restored, and after stepping back, I realized the real lesson was not “escape the platform at all costs.”

The real lesson was more uncomfortable:

I was moving too fast, reacting emotionally, and building deeper before I had enough user trust, distribution clarity, or confidence that the product should exist.

The tool touched a risky area: LinkedIn scraping, platform rules, user account safety, and trust. Even if something can be built technically, that does not mean it should become a product.

So I no longer maintain or recommend Jaywalk Miner.

What I Learned

The most valuable part of this experiment was not the product.

It was the distribution signal.

The original post brought traffic. Some people clicked. A few people commented. Someone even downloaded the tool and asked a real product question.

And then I disappeared.

That was the actual failure.

I kept building and restructuring instead of following up with the early people who showed interest.

The Bigger Lesson

I used to think my problem was not having enough product ideas.

Now I think the problem was different:

I kept building products in private before learning how to distribute, listen, and validate.

Jaywalk Miner is now archived as an experiment in platform risk, overbuilding, and missed user feedback.

I’m currently cleaning up my old projects and keeping Tidemason as my public lab for small apps, archived experiments, and honest build-in-public notes:

https://www.tidemason.com/

If there’s one thing I’d tell my past self, it would be this:

Don’t just ship.

Stay around long enough to listen.