"I'm not stealing, just borrowing"
hey guys! Was just wondering what your personal thoughts or what you do when you come across someone else's project/website and see a feature that gives you personal inspiration for your own project. Especially in the context like Indie Hackers, where people are trying to grind and really build meaningful stuff.
Whether that is seeing that feature on your own product or you actually start wondering how you can building something similar but for maybe a different audience. This might be more also of an ethical discussion? Not sure.
Personal example:
My initial plan is to reach out to the founder directly. Tell them that I love their product and talk to them about what I'm building. Being straight up and telling them that I saw some features on their product and how I see how that would be helpful for mine. If they have a problem with that from the get go, then I guess I would have to rethink what to do next.
I think your attitude is mature. I'd message to be polite. But, in my opinion, they have absolutely no right to say, “no you can't take that feature”
Nothing is original. Their feature is probably “stole” from another site anyway.
The sandpit isn't big and there are lots of kids. We're all going to build on top of each other.
Susan Wojcicki didn't courtesy call Kevin Systrom when YouTube “stole” stories from Instagram.
+1 to this. be straight-up. all good. we need more good tools, so, the more the merrier!
Given her actions the past 6 months, Susan Wojcicki is the last person I'd be holding up as an ethical model. She's made a broad assault against free speech, created a rule to delete any YT video contradicting the advice of the hopelessly compromised WHO, and when all is over she's likely going to be under US federal investigation.
Let's be clear here. People have died as a result of WHO guidelines. They advised against restricting travel from China in the early days, advised against masks and shut out Taiwan's warnings of human to human transmission. And Susan Wojcicki is deleting videos of anyone who disagrees with them.
If they're a competitor and you think this is going to help you take a bigger slice of the market, then just do it. Small caveat is this might escalate competition between you both, so you may want to prepare for this.
If they're not a competitor, reach out, be gracious, but do not reach out for permission. It's a courtesy and it might afford you some good will with the founder. It might also cause you headaches as you're opening up the door to them protesting and making a stink about the whole thing.
The main thing to be aware of is wether or not there's a software patent at play, if there is, proceed very cautiously, even if they aren't competitors. For example; Tinder has a patent on 'swiping' through a deck in an app, and I know at least one instance of a product company receiving a cease and desist which required them to rebuild a feature to remove swiping.
Did not know that about tinder...
but thanks for the advice! i guess we aren't even at that stage yet about them as a 'competitor' but helpful to know.