What did you make during lockdown? 👀🚀
Hi Indie-hackers and no-coders, 👋
I've been experimenting with different no-code tools and decided to make a little something.
Introducing Lockdown Showcase 🦠 👀, a crowd-sourced list of products made by makers during lockdown.
No-code stack for this project:
🖼 Website: carrd
🗃 Database: airtable
📧 Newsletter: getrevue
This site was inspired by a tweet from @visakanv
(can't embed the tweet because I don't have enough reputation - so you just have to believe me 😅)
Let me know what you think, and add your product if you want.
Trending on Indie Hackers
Online Video Tool
Story Creator App - Close to $1k MRR https://www.indiehackers.com/product/story-creator
I was able to sit down and focus on improving the tool. I was also able to achieve getting paying customers which was harder than I thought it would be. Lockdown helped me stay focused.
In addition to that project, I have built a newsletter featuring the best byte-sized podcast content https://podbytes.co.
Cheers
Both sound awesome @storycreator!
How do you stay focused when you need to sell your product?
Discipline and conscious planning. Not perfect, very much lacking in sales power. Trying to find balance each week. Starts with Sunday planning. About to do that now for the upcoming week.
Balance is key.
I wonder, how do you decide to curate podbytes content? Is it just best content you heard that particular week or are you think around a specific topic?
I am trying to listen to two podcasts a day. I look at Itunes and scope out podcasts that already have some popularity. I select ones that interest me and ones that I think would benefit other folks interested in business and tech.
From there I listen to the hour. I deal with the long intros, the rambles, and I find the gold. Then I share the gold in video form.
A super simple way to build a page online: https://taken.to
Lockdown helped me to get in a flow and finally finish this project, been working on it for around 6 months. Super happy to have it launched :)
This is great !
This is awesome! I wonder if you'd have more success showing some links /cards on the phone on the landing page to show off your product a bit more right away
Thanks @sethk, I agree - will add!
Your website looks good. I have been a great fan of NO-CODE myself.
It is good to see more and more people switching to NO-CODE alternatives to bring there ideas live.
I believe NO-CODE is a really great way to test your idea and make MVP.
For the same reason, we made Feature Monkey as a coda doc and when we saw decent traffic for more than a year, we decided it is time to code it.
Thanks @ananyaagrawal125
I like the design of feature monkey. What is your tech stack? And what's your design inspiration?
Thankyou. It is a Django based web app with slight modifications for performance.
We didn't go with any fancy framework because we just wanted to get it out faster with whatever framework we know.
For design, we just started with whatever we felt right and just kept iterating over the feedback from others.
I've also used django in another project. very cool.
And staying within your known tech stack is the way to go so it seems for fast execution
Cool idea.
I submitted my project, https://uxbrains.co/
It's a curated directory for UX content.
Thanks for submitting @ullsn
And we have similar sites. Both have airtable embedded db.
I really like that you have the buttons up top to filter through the categories rather than just use the airtable ones which are less nice. What do you use to collect emails? is it a regular form or a sign up to a mailing list?
I'm surely going to need to read some of these resources that you have there because I am just starting with UX, and still learning.
That's what I thought as well. Similar concepts!
It's a sign up to a mailing list. I send bi-weekly updates that inform subscribers about the new content additions and give small summaries about my favorite articles that got published in that timeframe.
Ok super nice. Any plans to make it a product to sell eventually?
Not yet. In my ideal world, I would love to operate it as it is for now. At least as long as the product can sustain itself financially (breaking even on operational costs).
The best feedback I have gotten for it so far has been from people who just started out on their UX path that said that they were grateful for an accessible resource like this.
So to ensure that the website can continue to provide this service for them, my goal would be to keep running UX Brains myself, if that makes sense.
It makes total sense, I would only say that having the data available in that format is very helpful on it's own.
Newsletter with small summaries is bringing additional value. (Which is something I wonder maybe I should be doing with Lockdown Showcase)
Did you consider expanding and maybe doing interviews with the authors of the resources you have on UX Brains?
Looks very good.
FWIW, Had an issue when submitting the logo from brave browser.
It's now not mandatory to put a logo, so if you want you can submit your product anyways (and I can add your logo if you send me a link)
@horizontech I know..... I had the same problem and had to turn off shields to submit . I am going to make logo not mandatory so that it doesn't frustrate people. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Welcome. Good to see its not just me. No worries. I submitted using Safari :)
(I don't have Google Chrome :) )
I like @horizontech.
I've seen and used an online resume generator before. If I remember correctly, it allowed me to choose between 9 different templates and then I was able to fill out all the fields. Then you were able to generate a PDF. I would have liked to have a better ability to customize. I also like that you offer managing the different version in one place. Could be helpful for people applying to different types of jobs.
Thanks for your words.
Certainly, providing multiple templates, exporting to pdf and importing from files are features in the pipeline. We just have to build it.
I'm still in the development phase. I'm building Formito.com again! Making a lot of changes to make it ready for future development and partnership with other tools.
Really cool @hosshams! I really like the chat demo right on the landing page. What tech stack are you using to build it?
Thanks. The app is React, API is Laravel, and they're hosted on Firebase Hosting and Google App Engine.
Super impressed
Added my project! https://keyringnow.com
Great idea! Thanks!
Thanks for adding your project @ttymck!
p.s. You probably want to add a favicon to your site. Maybe a 🗝
you're right, thanks!
Nice !!
I started my second project.
https://www.wickedtemplates.com
I have been mote more than a year waiting for the right moment to have time.
But is with code....
Every solution has its own merits, either with code or without.
I am going to explore your templates when I get to serious web development soon enough!
Add Wicked Templates here if you want https://lockdownshowcase.com/#add-project
Wow, how kind. Thank you so much Shimon. Well, they are only made with HTML and a CSS Framework without Custom CSS...
I have added them thanks a lot !!
Awesome! 🎉
Excellent idea and execution (site looks great). I've been busy as well in lockdown, still learning. Only request would be I'd love to see what tools/sites people used to create each product.
Thank you for the feedback, I like that idea a lot!
Looking forward to seeing what you create.
Added my project: Better Sheets: Google Sheet tutorials
Stack
I like your site a lot. Thank you for adding it 🎉
How was it like to sell a course with a landing page? Do you know if you are getting more conversion through the site itself or through other channels, such as your social media or gumroad?
I'm building a nocode tool that turns google sheets into listing or directory websites.
More powerful, customisable and blazing fast than present alternatives.
which alternatives? Sheet2site?
Yes. Sheet2site has done quite a good job.
However, I felt there is still so much to improve, especially upon the page loading speed, customisability and price.
So l started it as a hobby project and it is gradually becoming big.
Awesome @o2!
Awesome! Gonna add my lockdown project as well: https://daily-dev-tips.com/
Very cool, nice job man.
Thanks for adding your product @DailyDevTips and thanks for the feedback :)
p.s. you can probably also add a favicon to your site (it looks cool and I bet there are a lot of gems in the list)
Oh wow, thanks there is one that changes based on the color, but somehow it got broken so thanks for the head ups will fix that :| haha
You're welcome :)
Great idea Shimon! Added mine.
https://before90s.substack.com - Newsletter talking about pre-internet era companies (how they started, got their first customers, growth)
Suggestion on tags: I couldn't find a "newsletter" tag. Have you thought of adding it?
Just added Newsletter as a tag (and added it to your before90s card). Thanks for the suggestion!
What a great idea with before90s! How is it like to market a newsletter? Did you just start or have you been doing it for a while?
Hi Shimon, I just started. Not marketing it yet, but I need to figure out the value proposition first. It's been a bit hard
Whoa @Leo just read https://before90s.substack.com/p/i-sold-my-b2b-business-i-achieved/comments
What a great story, and got me to think. I would also want to have a job I love while making things that people would love and would find useful. Thank you for sharing your story. Looking forward to hear more.
Thanks Shimon. That's something I was hesitant for a while, but definitely worth sharing and making people aware of the problems
Great idea @ShimonMazor. I created Startup Sanctuary during the lockdown period.
There has never been a better opportunity to create online projects and businesses. We want to equip creators and entrepreneurs with the tools and processes to start, grow and monetize their businesses.
The Passion Economy is ushering in a new host of no-code tools that allow anyone to build their business without the need for technical skills.
Very excited about what the future holds for all Indie Hackers. Best of luck with Lockdown Showcase. I look forward to seeing it evolve.
I 100% agree. Thanks for sharing your project here, would love to get it on Lockdown Showcase. Also, if you're looking to add some no-code content onto Startup Sanctuary, then let's talk :)
Thanks very much @ShimonMazor. Keep up the great work
Made 80% of my progress on Imprint, a social blogging platform since quarantine started. I'm getting prepared to launch soon!
Nice @CrossoverTime Looking forward to see it when it's done.
Changed the UI for rentersvoices.com, Updated the landing page and started working on another side project about an ebook that I am writing.
I like it! You should look at https://joinery.nyc they are also capitalizing on renter first market
Interesting company....thanks for that info.
99 Remote Jobs - A job board focused on remote work and the tech industry.
I know, it's not something super exciting, but given the increased demand and offering of remote work, it might actually work in the long run. I don't expect overnight success here but I more like betting on the long run - a year or two, before it starts making any real money. Also, I can use it as an additional revenue stream of two of my other projects - SaaSHub & LibHunt.
p.s. the little side project devoured about a month of my time instead of the anticipated one week :D. I will post the entire story later this or next week.
What's the revenue model for something like SaaSHub? Paid ads or something else? Also a cool idea because I always search for "alternative to x".
I also like the concept of 99 remote jobs, hope it works out well!
How do you keep focused with many projects?
p.s. I have been working on mindfulstimulus.com for a month and a half now and haven't launched yet, while Lockdown Showcase was created and launched in 1 day. With that said, I think of Lockdown Showcase as more of fluke, and not quite sure where to take it from here. Any advice?
thanks, mate! The revenue model is premium listings/subscriptions.
Cool, I'll be following along :) and good luck
Love the idea!
Thanks @edance 👍
Building a user feedback tool that allows toy to collect and organize feedback from users, and create product roadmaps. That way, you only build features that you know that your users want.
If anyone is interested in getting free early access and testing the beta, let me know and I’ll be happy to give you an invite!
Nice work being productive during these times @rickfiyah ⚙️ Good luck!
Sounds like you need to know @hosshams that is building Formito.com
website: tractific.com
Nice work! Thanks @emiratli248
Me:
Redesign and refactoring an existing side project. Does it count? 😛
Feedback for your site:
Can you make the airtable iframe larger? On mobile it's too narrow..
Also, if possible, filtering by tags and/or a fast search
It counts if you've made it! 😃
Great feedback.
✅ I made the table a bit wider for mobile
The non-mobile version has filtering and searching, I am going to check why do mobiles not have it.
Good then! No problem!
I've added the project - https://mowned.com/
Thanks!
Cool product @zergione. What was your inspiration behind creating https://mowned.com/ ?
Thank you
Well it was a while ago, when forums were more popular. All started with a tool that generates images with owned phones that can be used as forum signatures. The people were so passinated about tweaking / modding the phones..
I lost 9 kg :)
(and was working on Pinger...)
Most people probably gained a few kgs.. Good work!
Wow Pinger sounds super useful! I sure would have wanted to know if my site is down during launch.
Thanks @Akcium!
Thanks! :)
Yeah, most people gained, it was my motivation to lose weight during lockdown, because after everyone returns to office I'll be a star :D haha
If you want, drop me a line on twitter or email, I can give you prolonged subscription since it's in beta test. I'm gathering feedback and testing it =)
Would love to. Just pm'd you.
This comment was deleted 2 years ago.
Thanks @botvader! And great for using code. Code or no-code as long as you're creating, that's what's important.
This comment was deleted 2 years ago.