Pin garden
Bookmark manager for minimalists.
One of the goals of Pin Garden is to create a website and community that doesn’t feel urgent.
That’s why (somewhat playfully) the aesthetic evokes a time when communication was slower and less synchronous.
Beyond the visuals, there’s also the question of how users interact with the app. I’m experimenting with pseudos: a fictional currency used to share public links.
Each user starts with a limited number of pseudos. Once they run out, they can’t post new bookmarks. This encourages thoughtful sharing, only what truly feels worth posting. Users earn a new pseudo the next day when they log in, or immediately if their link is appreciated by the community.
This isn’t just a whim. It’s an indirect way to introduce scarcity in a world (the digital, social one) that works the opposite way: the more you post, the more successful you become.
I want to see how a community evolves when limits are imposed. I believe constraints are a powerful driver of a platform’s identity.
A classic example is early Twitter, where the 140-character limit helped shape its brand and culture.
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P.S. The term pseudo was borrowed from a beautiful Italian fantasy comic (highly recommended!): Golem by LRNZ.
I think I’ve found the right font, but I’m still doing some visual research.
I’m particularly interested in the early ’90s tech aesthetic and retro-futurism.
Overall, though, the interface will remain mostly text-based.
I want the web app to load extremely fast.
In terms of functionality, the “classic” bookmark saving is already working, though it still needs improvement.
To do:
When a URL is entered, automatically fetch the page title (and favicon?).
Make it possible to save a URL by simply adding “pin.garden/” in front of it (as in the current version), to make saving new URLs easier from mobile.
Next steps:
Account management
Ability to choose whether a link is public or private
“Coins” system, which will be used for posting and as a way to reward quality content
Personal user page with their public links
After several years, I decided to take an active role in the project again, but with a few changes to the game.
Even though the product as it is remains useful for me (and a couple of friends), I realized that I don’t enjoy working on it. The reason is simple: I chose a technology I’m not 100% comfortable with.
Since this is and will remain a side project, I decided that the most important thing is to make it fun to develop, and to allow myself to release more updates without stress.
With beta.pin.garden, I made the same mistake: a different stack (Go + Svelte instead of Laravel + React) but the same outcome—before working on it, I’d think about it a hundred times.
The project’s scope is also changing a bit. It’s no longer just a personal bookmark manager, but also includes discussions, rooms, and upvotes—all wrapped in a retro 8-bit aesthetic.
Right now I’m looking for inspiration for the design, because it will be a very important part of the experience.
I've had several people test the product in these first few weeks, and have gotten some interesting feedback from it.
I've had confirmation that Pin Garden is designed for a niche market (which I knew) and primarily for business use (which I didn't fully realize).
I'll have to evolve the communication a bit based on these considerations.
I was surprised to receive few complaints about the strict limits on the number of spaces.
The last missing piece before expanding the circle of users is the integration of a search engine.
The first version is still very bare bones, but the main functionality won't change much from what's currently online.
One of the strengths of the project is the minimalist design and the focus on privacy. These two features will also be the first ones I will try to communicate.
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