BetaBud

Blogging about creating a blog. Posting a new post tomorrow about creating BetaBud's blog using Next.js with Markdown. This will go into the implementation in detail to allow you to understand how I implemented it. Definitely not a fully polished gem but its a raw, authentic version of my approach.
Using Next.js has never made it easier to create a blog and hopefully this will help others with creating theirs.

Just posted the latest article on BetaBud's blog about the structuring of the data store. As always trying to be as transparent as possible with this blog, perhaps detail that you would usually only find in a tutorial scenario rather than a MVP.
I really enjoy thinking about how data should be structured, it shouldn't always be thought of as an immutable, single database. Yet given correct consideration, it will also offer great longevity and speed up development.

Hopefully this insight will help you.

Finding it very difficult to beat the paralysis caused by having so many different tasks to achieve at once. Develop new features, test, reach out, further research, blog. Getting the right balance is a skill I am yet to perfect.
Trying to be as efficient with time as possible is crucial, especially when solo. I am trying not to fall into the trap of false productivity. Therefore I am setting myself 3 goals for each day that will help distinguish those small successes, rather than trying to achieve everything at once. Hopefully this will help me focus better, and even free up time.

Started out with Next-Auth in tandem with AWS Cognito - hosted UI. However, noticing that users often sign up, yet fail to create a form on doing so. I believe this is due to a cumbersome user experience when signing up, that can feel disjointed from the application itself. This onboarding experience is critical, especially when starting with so few users. Therefore I am going to start work on changing this implementation, and making it custom.
It will continue to use AWS Cognito, yet, I hope to remove both Next-Auth (Auth.js) and also remove the Hosted UI dependency. This will be a fair amount of work. It is very easy to reduce Auth down to just Sign Up and Sign In, but there is so much more: Confirm Account, Reset Password, Forgotten Password, et al.
I intend to write about this on BetaBud's own blog, and will link here. Should it prove successful I will consider creating it as a template, as I have found AWS Cognito options a little lacking for something so boilerplate.

Just posted an article on how I designed the technology stack of BetaBud from a blank canvas. Discussing the motivations for using the particular approach. Using diagrams to explain the step by step approach from a holistic perspective.
This is both one of the most challenging parts of starting a new project, but also perhaps the most exciting, particularly as a Software Engineer.

If you would like to check it out take a look here: https://betabud.io/blog/initial-technical-architecture
Also what are you thoughts on the diagrams, personally I love Mermaid.js for these.

Yesterday, I had the notifications on the back end working. Today, I have implemented the loading and clearing on the front end. Notifications are one of those features that you don't necessarily think about when designing the application, however, they can be so pivotal to retaining users.
I also decided to make a manual clear or "mark all as read" if you will, rather than clearing upon viewing. I believe this creates a far cleaner user experience when checking them.
At the moment the notifications are purely an in application function. Further down the line, perhaps outbound email or push notifications may add value.
Trying to continue with the MVP mantra and not over complicate each feature as it is implemented.

Just wired up and deployed the notifications back end for BetaBud. Will be writing a blog post specifically how I implemented this. The same pattern I have used before in the corporate world, however, always a little trickier when starting out with the blank canvas. Heads up, further use of AWS Lambda.
Now that this is set up, it should help speed up any back end processes/scheduling that needs to be done in future. Developing is always easier when you have a template to refer back to.
Hoping that the feature of notifications should drive up engagement further, rather than users have to manually check back in to see if there are any recent results.

Created my MVP on AWS with limited trouble. I was pretty impressed with the outcome. Started reaching out to others and gaining a little bit of traction to gain some users and feedback.
Then boom, AWS take down my Lambdas as they suspect that my account has been compromised - it hasn't. As I have been using a VPN with different territories it must have flagged as suspicious.
As the back end is hosted in AWS Lambda, this has taken out the whole site itself. I guess the struggles of starting out, these small pitfalls that in a large enterprise would have a dedicated team to resolving.

Created my MVP on AWS with limited trouble. I was pretty impressed with the outcome. Started reaching out to others and gaining a little bit of traction to gain some users and feedback.
Then boom, AWS take down my Lambdas as they suspect that my account has been compromised - it hasn't. As I have been using a VPN with different territories it must have flagged as suspicious.
As the back end is hosted in AWS Lambda, this has taken out the whole site itself. I guess the struggles of starting out, these small pitfalls that in a large enterprise would have a dedicated team to resolving.

Going to begin writing long form blog posts for BetaBud. These posts will cover many different areas of building a startup, including:
Technology
Marketing
Finance
Business

As a software engineer, my expertise will definitely will be within the technology field. With all posts oriented towards the product and the startup sector.

My main motivations for this are:

Drives traffic through SEO. As BetaBud was a bland canvas, creating a blog increases the domain authority and its internet footprint. Improving the likelihood someone should land on the site. Also, builds an audience to connect with.

Improves documentation for the product. A blog is an open space outside the product itself to be able to create announcements of new features, provide documentation and inform users of the latest developments. Also, it helps for internal feedback of the site; if you can't articulate in a blog post, how are your users meant to understand?

Learn how to write. Writing in different styles is a great skill that is often underestimated. Pushing myself to write more will ensure that I am constantly learning in different areas. Learning to write also requires you to understand the subject matter fully. The mantra of you don't know a topic until you can teach it.

Finally, it diversifies the product offering. As much faith as I have in making BetaBud work, you have to be realistic with a self funded startup. There is a high chance of failure. And if you can compliment your site with a blog, why not? Granted it takes up time and resource but then you have two offerings.