From my first steps, I found learning Rust to be an enjoyable experience. In this post, I want to share the journey, from learning Rust as a beginner to exploring its open-source ecosystem. If you're curious about Rust or want to start your journey, this guide will help you get on track.

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Why Learn Rust?

Rust is a systems programming language that focuses on performance and memory safety. It’s often compared to languages like C++ due to its ability to handle low-level tasks, but it offers modern features like safe concurrency and great tooling. Rust is known for helping developers avoid common bugs like null pointer dereferencing and data races.

The language is used in a wide range of applications, from web development and game engines to systems programming and beyond. Companies like Mozilla, Dropbox, and Cloudflare use Rust in their tech stacks. Rust's unique combination of performance, safety, and versatility makes it a valuable skill to learn for modern development.

How to Start Learning Rust

When learning a new programming language, having good documentation and resources is essential. Rust shines in this part. Below, I’ll walk you through valuable resources to get started and deepen your understanding of Rust.

1. The Rust Book

The official Rust documentation, known as "The Rust Programming Language", is the first option you need to check to start learning Rust. It’s the best place to start if you already have experience with other programming languages.

The Rust Book explains Rust’s concepts in a clear and structured way. However, if you're new to programming, some later chapters (like chapter 15 and beyond) may be challenging. Focus on understanding the basics first, and don’t hesitate to revisit the more advanced topics once you feel more comfortable with the language.

2. Rust by Example

Once you get through the basics, Rust by Example is another fantastic resource to reinforce your learning. This website allows you to practice with small, hands-on examples. The interactive approach is especially helpful for visual learners who prefer to learn by doing rather than reading alone.

These small examples are ideal for studying while on the go—whether commuting, waiting in line, or just having a few minutes to spare.

3. 100 Exercises to Learn Rust

To solidify what you’ve learned, practicing with exercises is key. The 100 Rust Exercises resource offers exactly that. It's a collection of challenges designed to deepen your knowledge and strengthen your skills.

After completing these exercises, you’ll have a better grasp of Rust’s syntax, memory management, and error handling.

4. Rustlings

After completing the basic resources, you can challenge yourself with Rustlings. This is another set of small coding exercises in a terminal that focuses on teaching you how to read and write Rust effectively. These exercises will prepare you to handle typical errors shown by the compiler.

Other useful Repositories

Apart from the last repositories, there are other useful repositories that I haven’t got deeper into, but they could give you a hand in learning.

1. Comprehensive Rust

This repository offers a complete Rust course used by the Android team at Google. It’s packed with in-depth material and exercises. The course is expected to have a 4-day agenda.

2. Rust by Practice

Rust by Practice is another repository that helps you become skilled in Rust through various exercises. Some exercises are borrowed from Rust by Example, but this repository focuses on filling the gaps and making things work.

3. Rust Web Developer Roadmap

If you're interested in web development, Rust has a growing ecosystem for building web applications. The Rust Web Developer Roadmap is a schema for web development using Rust. It offers insights into the packages, frameworks, and libraries you’ll need to become proficient in this area.

Contributing to Rust’s Open-Source Ecosystem

Once you're familiar with Rust, contributing to open-source projects is a great way to continue learning and give back to the community. GitHub hosts a wide variety of Rust projects, there are around 970 repositories with more than 1k stars, and it certainly has its awesome Rust repository. Exploring these repositories will also give you practical insights into how Rust is used in different domains.

Here are some great open-source Rust projects that I’m planning to look at:

1. Deno

Deno is a modern runtime for JavaScript and TypeScript. While it's primarily focused on these languages, Rust is used under the hood for performance and safety.

2. Tauri

Tauri is a framework for building smaller, secure desktop and mobile applications with a web front-end. If you're interested in building cross-platform apps with a focus on security, this is an excellent project to explore.

3. Rustdesk

Rustdesk is an open-source remote desktop application designed as an alternative to TeamViewer. It’s designed to be self-hosted, giving you full control over your remote desktop environment.

4. Bevy

Bevy is a data-driven game engine built in Rust. If you’re curious about game development, Bevy is a great way to explore how Rust can be used for building games. It’s still in the early stages of development.

5. Sniffnet

Sniffnet is an application to monitor your internet traffic. It’s a practical tool that highlights Rust’s strengths in handling real-time data and network performance.

6. OpenObserve

OpenObserve is an observability platform built for logs, metrics, traces, and analytics. It’s an alternative to Elasticsearch and provides a scalable solution for handling large volumes of data.

7. Burn

Burn is a dynamic deep-learning framework built with flexibility and efficiency in mind. If you're into AI or machine learning, this framework offers the ability to explore how Rust can power complex neural networks.

8. Mullvad VPN App

Mullvad is a privacy-focused VPN client with both desktop and mobile versions.

9. Hickory DNS

Hickory is a DNS client, server, and resolver. This project allows you to see how Rust can be used to handle low-level networking tasks.

10. Vpncloud

Vpncloud is a peer-to-peer VPN. It introduces peer-to-peer communications and is an excellent opportunity to learn about it.

Conclusion

Learning Rust can be a rewarding experience, whether you're new to programming or a seasoned developer looking to explore a new language. With its focus on safety, performance, and concurrency, Rust is well-suited for a wide range of applications, from web development to systems programming.

My first thought while learning was: “Why I didn’t start earlier?” and discovering all these great and open-source projects pushed my motivation further. We’ll see where this motivation reaches.

One thing I liked about Semrush is its feature that shows keyword SEO difficulty. This isn’t something you typically get with Google Keyword Planner (you get SEM difficulty), and from what I’ve read, the keyword difficulty in Ubersuggest isn’t always accurate.

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Analyzing Competitors' Backlinks

The first thing I did was research the backlinks of my competitors. I started with sites like “bestflix.es”, “flixboss.co.uk”, “flixboss.com” (which has over 15 subdomains), and “netflixguiden.se”. Interestingly, these sites all seemed to be part of the same network, with each one focusing on a different language.

Bestflix had around 600 backlinks, many of which were low-quality. However, even though these links are low quality, they still helped boost the domain rank. I also realized that these sites have a clear business model — they include affiliate links to VPN services. The idea is that if a movie isn’t available in your country, you can watch it using a VPN from another country. This seemed a clever way to monetize their traffic.

While digging deeper, I came across various websites that sell backlinks. I noticed they were low-quality links with a domain ranking close to 0. These included:

• www.permanentbacklinks.com (around 200 backlinks)

• classifieddirectoy.com

• pbn.haus

I’m still unsure about the impact these backlink services might have on a site’s ranking, as most appeared to be low-quality links. The consensus is that low-quality backlinks can hurt your site more than they help, but it was interesting to see that services like these exist.

I also looked into the backlink profile of “decine21.com”. I was impressed by their strategy of backlinking more than 5000 actors from Wikidata. Although many of these links were “no-follow,” the sheer volume of linked data could provide a big boost to the website’s authority.

Another interesting trend I noticed was several “blogspot.com” backlinks sites like this one. It’s something I haven’t seen before, but it seems another paid scheme.

Discovering New Keyword Ideas

After diving into the backlinks of my competitors, I shifted focus to low-competition keyword research. One common trend I noticed was that people often search for variations of “MOVIE_TITLE Netflix” to see if a particular movie is available on the platform. For instance, people search “Is MOVIE_TITLE on Netflix?” quite frequently.

With these search insights, I added a new header section to each webpage that answers whether a movie is available on Netflix. This change boosted the impressions on my website almost immediately. But I’m not aware why declined the following month, maybe ranks were still affected by the Bonetflix App removal from Google Play.

In addition to keyword research, I decided to make some tweaks to the actual content on my site. I used AI tools like ChatGPT to rewrite descriptions for about 10 different movies on my website. I was hoping these changes would further boost the ranking of those pages, but interestingly, there weren’t any significant improvements.

Brainstorm for new ideas

I decided to get into new keywords to see if some of these got me ideas for new projects. I searched for generic keywords like: “AI,” “API,” “best,” “buy,”“sell,” and “vs,” etc. These searches gave me the idea to explore affiliate programs. Some of the most searched affiliate programs include:
- Amazon (specific to each country)
- Walmart
- Lulemon
- Home Depot
- Addidas
- Lego
- Sephora
- Temu
- Farfetch
- Nike
- Shein
- Twitch
- Samsung
- Crocs
- Puma
- Expedia
- Shopify
- Canva
- TikTok
- Apple
- eBay
- Etsy
- Under Armour
- Costco
- Disney
- Hubspot
- Rakuten
- Google Workspace
- Tripadvisor
- Semrush
- Zara

The list is a little long, but I felt those were equally important. Affiliate programs can be a good way to monetize your website. However, keep in mind that some programs require you to have a certain amount of traffic before you can join. For example, I tried to apply for the Semrush affiliate program, but I wasn’t accepted because my newsletter didn’t have enough traffic.

As a full stop, I was surprised by the number of keywords related to sex that we search for, nearly every word has a combination of words related to sex.

Trying a new idea

Another discovery I made was related to a Spanish keyword, “viagra comprar,” which means “Viagra buy.” This keyword had a search volume of about 6,600 per month and a very low keyword difficulty score of 9. I decided to test it out by creating a landing page with the domain viagracomprar.com, I put it online & voilà:

The page didn’t show up on Google at all. This taught me an important lesson: even if a keyword has low difficulty, you still need quality backlinks for your site to be visible on search engines. After realizing this, I will delete the website in the following days and move on.

Conclusion

If you’re just starting a website, I recommend trying out Semrush. They offer a 7-day free trial, which is enough time to extract valuable insights for your SEO strategy. However, I wouldn’t suggest paying for the full plan unless your site has a lot of traffic.

Not every idea will work, but each experiment gives you valuable lessons for your future projects.

In 2024, living in the First World, we rely on exchanging resources, with money being the primary medium of exchange. To earn money, the most straightforward and legal method is through work. When we work, we trade our time for money, which we then use to acquire resources. These resources are limited on Earth but could be limitless in the universe. Imagine if we had magical machines that could produce everything we needed without effort; perhaps we wouldn't need to work at all.

However, our time is finite. In life, time is our most precious asset, and without obligations, we can spend it however we wish. But we need to survive.

The Dichotomy of Survival and True Self

In the quest for survival, we often find ourselves living dual lives. There is the 'survivor you' who works to earn a living and the 'true you' who enjoys hobbies, spending time with family, and pursuing passions. This duality can also be seen in companies. For instance, Google might aspire to work on groundbreaking projects, but survival demands they focus on ad revenue, employing numerous people to optimize ads rather than innovating for humanity’s benefit. Similarly, some teams work on making apps addictive to capture attention instead of developing the next big thing. This survival instinct drives them, regardless of the potential drawbacks to humanity.

Embracing the Indie Hacker Path

The indie hacker path for me it’s the intersection between my survivor me and my true self. It represents a journey where you work on your projects, make your own decisions, manage your time, listen to feedback and focus on what you believe is best. It’s about learning what you want, building your own products, and truly being yourself. If your creations are good enough, you can achieve sustainability. This is my ultimate goal on this path. Sustainability here means transcending survival mode and becoming the creator of your life.

After dedicating more than a year to the indie hacker path, I haven’t yet achieved sustainability. This means I need to return to the job market to find a job that allows me to survive.

Finding the Ideal Job

My ideal position would involve research and learning a lot. I once considered pursuing a PhD, but I am not keen on the current system of publications and citations. Additionally, research relies heavily on grants, making it challenging to find a project that aligns with your interests and is worth your time.

I prefer roles similar to what I do as an indie hacker, so I gravitate towards startups. Working at startups allows you to learn about various business and technology aspects.

Exploring the Job Market

I have a list of preferences for things I want to learn. However, since there isn’t a list of companies that match my learning interests, and companies often prioritize specialists, finding the ideal job is tough. If I can’t get my ideal job, I want a job that offers a good quality of life, where I can learn new things and be rewarded well enough for more personal time.

What you learn in a new job depends on your current knowledge. The best insight into potential learning opportunities comes from job descriptions, what the company does, and its scale. You can also ask former colleagues for references, but that’s not always feasible.

The job market it’s not at its best moments, I read Panic! at the Job Market post and liked the relationship between job openings and interest rates. I recommend giving it a light read at least.

Given these challenges, I decided to start by reading job descriptions and researching companies. I focused on companies that could offer me more personal time through better compensation.

Researching High-Paying Companies

A few months ago, I came across a GitHub repository on Hacker News listing the 500 highest-paying companies for software engineers. I decided to get deep into it, searching their career pages for remote software engineering jobs and related roles.

Most of these companies are US-based, and there were fewer remote positions than I expected. Despite this, I applied to 20 companies but only secured one interview, which didn’t go as planned.

I also realized that there is a ranking for high-paying companies depending on country in levels.fyi website if you would like to know rankings in your country.

A gift for you

I compiled a CSV file with the top 100 companies from the list. Initially, I considered creating a webpage about these top jobs, but the SEO keyword difficulty statistics didn’t seem promising. Here is the CSV with the first 100 high-paying software engineering companies. I’m not sure if it will be useful to anyone, but I will appreciate your thoughts.

Conclusion

Navigating the indie hacker path and the job market can be challenging. It requires balancing survival with the pursuit of personal and professional growth. By sharing my journey and resources, I hope to help others who are on a similar path. Whether you are an indie hacker or seeking a job that aligns with your passions, remember that sustainability is the ultimate goal. It’s about creating a life worth your time, not just surviving.

theClubHouse

theClubHouse – Issue 002

Welcome to this week’s ClubHouse gathering: 📈 Dealing with Parabolic Social Media Growth 💸 You Should be Selling at Local Markets 🏠 Coping with “Work from Home Loneliness” 📓 Journal Entry: I finally gave in…

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2 years ago · 6 likes · 5 comments · Alex Pillow

Inspired by Alex’s story, I decided to try TikTok myself. Videos on this platform are handmade, closer to the viewer and aim to entertain.

I created Bonetflix account with the idea to upload trailers of movies available on Netflix so that someone can get inspiration on watching a movie by watching a trailer.

As stated on his issue, when someone sees a video, TikTok algorithm is keen to show this video to more people, and if people promote the video to more people and it surpasses a certain threshold of views, the promotion of TikTok will be bigger.

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Experiments and discoveries

In a past issue, I wrote about how I downloaded YouTube trailers and now I uploaded them to TikTok. But, TikTok can mute your videos if the audio matches copyrighted music. Downloading the first two trailer results on YouTube allowed me to try with two videos if I have problems with the first.

I mixed the random recommendation system I created with Chatgpt API to create a description, using the following prompt: “Create a viral description for TikTok for a movie with the following details and showing IMDb and Filmaffinity ratings if the information is given ‘MOVIE_TEXT’”.

I also used two other TikTok accounts to boost engagement and try out things. These accounts shared the same IP address. I also tried to create more accounts using Surfshark VPN ( from several different countries), but TikTok blocked those IPs. When I used a different type of connection with residential proxies, it worked, but switching back to my regular IP got the account banned.

I noticed that most videos I saw were from Spain. TikTok recommends videos based on your location, so my English trailers weren’t reaching people in the US or UK. I learned that not only do views allow TikTok algorithm to promote videos, likes, favorites and share a video also increases the promotion of your video.

Results and Reflections

I had four trailers with more than 100 views. Interestingly, these were among the first six videos I posted. It seemed like TikTok had a system to rank videos, and my account’s score dropped over time.

With these experiences in my hand, I looked at what TikTok offers. I realized that TikTok might not be the best platform for me right now.

To monetize a TikTok channel, you need to join the Creativity Program which today requires at least 10,000 followers and at least 100,000 views in the last 30 days, which I see is far from what I can achieve with little time and offering movie trailers.

I hope this information helped you to start or not start a TikTok account.

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Wedding and Honeymoon Highlights

The wedding day flew by in a whirlwind of activity, it was one of the fastest days of my life. Peru, our honeymoon destination, was a good experience. The country's stunning landscapes and nature left me in awe. The people were incredibly attentive and helpful, more so than I expected, even compared to Spain. The food was delicious when we found good restaurants. However, the older cars in Peru contribute to pollution, and the water has different bacteria that can make you sick if you're not careful. Luckily, I had medicine, so I could enjoy the trip without any major issues.

Books I Read

During my travels, I found time to read some interesting books. I finished "Freakonomics" by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. It's a fascinating book that explores the connections between different data points and how they influence our world. I highly recommend it!

I also started reading "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable" by Nassim Taleb. This book discusses how unpredictable events can have huge impacts. I’m not ready to recommend it yet, at least from what I have read, but I will finish it and see if my opinion changes.

Updates on Cur2Url

Now, let's talk about Curl2Url, my ongoing project. Two major events happened recently. First, a security researcher found some vulnerabilities in the system. He discovered issues with email spoofing and session invalidation during password changes. I fixed these problems, even though I can't offer him rewards for now. If the project becomes profitable, I’ll consider it.

The second piece of news is exciting—I got my first paying customer! This is a small step but it was a great milestone for me. It’s great to know someone else shares the same needs and finds value in what I’ve created ( A mistake from the past, I should have validated this first and checked if it could have enough traction).

With these events, I updated Curl2Url's main webpage with all the feedback I received.

My reality

With everything ongoing this last month I felt I needed to pause my indie hacker journey. Now I’m ready to start looking for a job, brainstorm new ideas, and try them out.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing more updates with you soon!

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Google second assault

Picture this: it’s 2019, and I’m building Tintodo, an events App with scrapped events from Facebook and Eventbrite. But just as I launch the app into the wild, fate intervenes in the form of COVID-19. I innocuously reference the pandemic in Tintodo’s description, just to give a warning about the situation. COVID-19 Apps with misinformation appear in the App Store and Google decides to remove all Apps referencing COVID-19. Et voilà! Another App removed from Google Play Store.

I decided to post what happened to Hacker News, to see if shouting about Google's bad decisions led to suspension removal.

While I can’t say for certain if it was my outcry that spurred action, a few days later, Tintodo was republished. Thankfully I didn’t lose this assault.

Google knockout

Fast forward to the present day, and Bonetflix finds itself thrust into the eye of the storm. I lost access to my Google Play Console. This means Bonetflix Android App is no longer available on Google Play Store.

Google's stringent policies have become increasingly unforgiving, particularly for developers who fail to engage with their accounts regularly. Despite receiving email warnings (to an unused email), the absence of any recent activity left me vulnerable to account deletion. I don’t even remember the last time I accessed my developer account.

Play Store's new deletion policy

This policy was introduced on 5th April 2023 in Giving Users More Transparency and Control Over Account Data where they claim that developers will need to provide an option to initiate account and data deletion from within the app and online.

It’s funny that my account is marked as inactive, and I can’t access it nor delete my information. I don’t have a background in legal, but I have read GDPR rights, and we, EU citizens have the right to access and erase our data. I will try to complain to DPOs before complaining to the European Data Protection Supervisor and see if I can get any further.

SEO Impact

Bonetflix Android App barely had users, but it had backlinks to Bonetflix's website. Even though the linking text was not relevant, the rankings suffered a lot. The average Google Ranking position increased by approximately three positions.

When I first published Bonetflix App, there were no significant changes in SEO statistics but this fact means they have a relevant impact on its rankings. If I ever publish an App again, I will publish it on several App stores to maximize backlinks and minimize Google dependency.

Future steps

This incident allowed me to forget about an App that was getting a spot in my mind and didn’t generate much revenue.

Although I hadn’t updated the App in more than a year, I was updating Bonetflix database. I will try other small bets with this database and see how things work.

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Even so, I would like to thank all the launch supporters.

As a novice to the Product Hunt realm, this marked my inaugural product launch. I diligently absorbed insights from guides like "The Product Hunt Launch Guide" and Marc Lou's "How to Launch a Startup" (Jan. 24th, 2024), the latter securing the accolade of Maker of the Year at the Golden Kitty Awards. However, my immersion in success narratives inadvertently overshadowed other realities. That’s how I fall into the survivor bias.

Guided by the belief that Monday to Thursday are good days if you want to get more traction, I chose Tuesday for Curl2Url's debut. Conversely, Friday to Sunday are your day targets if you want to launch the product just to get the Product Hunt badge. But if you don’t get featured, you barely have traction.

Yet, amidst my immersion in triumph tales, I overlooked reads such as How Product Hunt really works ( Dec. 15th, 2015), How do you get featured on Product Hunt? (Sep. 19th, 2019) alongside insightful Hacker News comments on this post.

Digging deeper into the purported algorithmic nuances dictating featured eligibility, I analyzed featured and non-featured products from the preceding month.

Checking out outlier days featured chances, I didn’t see a variable related to being featured or not.

From my point of view, I saw products that needed improvements being featured and good products not being featured. Consequently, while intrigued by the inner workings of the algorithm I don’t want to spend more time checking how it works when the conclusion I extract from it is that it needs to improve.

Conclusions and future

Last week I took fresh holidays that helped me to think about the experience and my future steps.

While the experience thus far has been enriching, my focus moving forward lies in achieving sustainability. Having left my conventional job in January 2023, I have been living from savings. My goal is to find a job that gives me time for my projects, where I can learn from subjects I would like to delve into, with difficult challenges that keep me motivated and give me a good income.

In light of this, I am committed to diversifying my approach and not relying solely on the prospects of a single platform. While Product Hunt holds promise, it is imperative to acknowledge the inherent unpredictability of such endeavors.

I will continue working with Curl2Url at least until August, it’s useful for me, there are several features I would like to add and I always can relaunch it on Product Hunt.

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As a seasoned software engineer with years of experience in extracting and parsing data from various web sources, my passion for harvesting insights from the web has only grown since completing my bachelor's degree. Yet, amidst the thrill of extracting data lies the repetitive nature of the process. While certain websites pose intriguing challenges with their security measures, today's discussion will focus on simplifying this process.

Numerous factors fuel my drive for data extraction, ranging from leveraging data for product development to monitoring responses and optimizing the efficiency of accessing specific website information. However, I've often found the process of copying a curl command, tweaking its format if necessary, and executing it in a terminal to be cumbersome. From my point of view, there should be a simpler solution, one that could be streamlined through the sharing of URLs.

Curl2Url is the culmination of addressing my pain points and streamlining cumbersome processes into a product.

Curl2Url future

Looking ahead, my vision for Curl2Url encompasses continuous enhancements to its curl-to-code feature. This includes expanding programming language support, offering customization options, and implementing response serialization, akin to the curl to Python code implementation. Additionally, I aim to introduce features enabling users to track requests and receive alerts for any changes in the response.

With a plethora of ideas aimed at simplifying web data extraction, my ultimate goal is to garner sustainable active users to support the longevity of this project. While Curl2Url has some free users, the transition to a paid model remains a pivotal milestone. Product Hunt launch will serve as a litmus test, gauging user interest and validating the project's viability.

However, should the outcome deviate from expectations and I can’t achieve something sustainable, Curl2Url will stand as a valuable tool in my arsenal, empowering me to navigate the labor market with a newfound perspective on indie hacker ventures. This journey has not only equipped me with different skills to grow possible future products but also instilled a mindset primed for future entrepreneurial endeavors while balancing traditional employment.

Acknowledgments

Even though I built Curl2Url, it is inspired by curlconverter project, and it also uses several open-source libraries. If it wasn’t for all the people who contributed to these projects, it would take me much more time to build Curl2Url, I’m very grateful to them.

I also appreciate the invaluable feedback received from the Small Bets community and my friends and ex-coworkers, especially Alex, Thibault, Máté and Sergiu.

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Let me take you back to 2019, when I embarked on my most profitable indie hacking adventure - creating a Spanish online course on Docker hosted on Udemy. Inspired by my ex-coworker Alex Lora's success in teaching JavaScript, Kotlin and Flutter (I’m glad he is nowadays undertaking Kekomo, an online restaurant menu), I decided to explore the world of Docker. My mission was clear - simplify developers' lives through an engaging Spanish online course hosted on Udemy.

The course creation process was a rich learning experience, offering insights into the course environment and tools. Udemy, being a key partner in this venture, shared valuable resources and guidance, forming a symbiotic relationship that not only involved them taking a share of the revenue (50%) but also promoting the course to their extensive user base of over 57 million potential learners.

The course creation process unfolded over a month, peppered with subsequent updates. Drawing inspiration from Udemy's guidance on crafting the perfect promotional video, I crafted my promotional video, ensuring it resonated with potential learners.

As the course progressed, my engagement with students grew, albeit with only 15 questions received since its inception. Although Docker is receiving updates, I haven't dedicated efforts to update the content.

Udemy has a tool to provide insights into their marketplace. These are the insights provided by Udemy today on Spanish courses on Docker. At the time of building the video, the number of courses was low.

Despite the 3.93/5 course rating and initial positive engagement, the course gradually faded into obscurity within Udemy's vast course catalog. The revenue generated fell short of expectations, yet the venture was not in vain. The experience garnered, resources acquired, learning how to create a course, and deepening in Docker became invaluable takeaways.

While I may not have immediate plans for another course, the experience has left me with a clear catalyst. When the passion to deeply explore a subject meets the motivation to share that knowledge, the intention to create a course becomes a natural progression.

Today's promotional video

Fast forward to today, where my focus is on the development of Curl2Url – a utility designed to convert curl commands to URLs seamlessly. The half-year journey invested in this project has culminated in a new promotional video, crafted using tools such as Camtasia and OBS. Reflecting on the Udemy course experience, I can't help but acknowledge how pivotal that prior venture was in shaping my current endeavors.

I'm thrilled to share the latest promotional video. It took me more than expected to produce this video. The procrastination was real, primarily fueled by dissatisfaction with the initial plot. Multiple iterations later, I found a storyline that resonated with the essence of Curl2Url.

In this video, I aim to showcase the practical use cases and features of Curl2Url, offering a glimpse into its functionality and highlighting the value it brings to developers.

As an indie hacker navigating the vast digital landscape, the power of promotional videos is undeniable. They are not just tools for marketing; they are storytelling devices that can captivate your audience, convey your message effectively, and elevate your brand. The journey may be filled with challenges, but each venture contributes to a wealth of experience that fuels future successes.

Tomorrow Tuesday 19th I will launch Curl2Url on Product Hunt, we will see how this experience goes. See you around!

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As the process of building with instructions is usually easy, I decided to add another dimension by incorporating live streaming into the building process. Armed with just a webcam and my trusty smartphone, I found a creative solution to enhance the experience. I transformed an old phone into a streaming camera by using adb ( a tool used to communicate with Android devices, integrated inside Android SDK Platform Tools) and scrcpy ( a tool used to display and control Android devices). I connected to my computer phones via USB and with the following commands you can get the phone screen on your computer via wifi:

# Display devices list
adb devices -l
# Enable tcpip connection on port 5555
adb -s $DEVICE_ID tcpip 5555
# Now you can disconnect your phone from USB
# You can obtain your device ip accessing your router
# Display phone screen
scrcpy --tcpip=$DEVICE_IP

With these simple commands, I was able to seamlessly integrate phones into my setup, broadcasting the entire process with OBS on platforms like Twitch, Kick, and YouTube.

This first streaming with this setup wasn’t without its hiccups - bad phone positions and screen disconnections. Determined to tackle these challenges head-on, I set out to create a solution: a 3D-printed phone stand.

After scouring for designs, I stumbled upon the Planetary Phone Stand by Clockspring. Impressed by his craftsmanship, I decided to support him on Patreon to access the design and explore his other creations.

With the design in hand, I needed a Slicer, a piece of 3D printing software that bridges the gap between the digital model and the physical object constructed by the 3D printer. Opting for PrusaSlicer, a versatile option recommended byAnycubic and compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, I set out to bring the design to life.

Though I initially attempted a two-color approach using white and black filament to add visual flair, my efforts to print the parts separately ended in frustration, resulting in a messy outcome.

I persevered, learning valuable lessons along the way. It became apparent that some designs are meant to be printed and assembled simultaneously. After multiple attempts, adjustments, and a shift to printing the model in one piece, the final result aligned with my vision.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, 3D printing presents an exciting avenue for exploration and creativity. Whether crafting artwork, replacing broken parts, or designing innovative tools, the possibilities are truly endless. While I've only just scratched the surface of this fascinating field, I'm eager to delve deeper into the future. However, for now, other projects will take precedence as I continue my indie hacker journey.

The current state of the Bonetflix search console is illustrated in the image below:

This image highlights the creation of numerous backlinks through strategic placements, contributing to a modest improvement in Bonetflix's rankings. While not a revolutionary change, it signifies progress.

In the realm of indexing, Google Search API doesn’t index web pages when dealing with problematic web pages. Here is a summary of my indexed pages and identified issues:

I will work on fixing those issues before trying again Google indexing API.

Bot problems on X

A previous installment, “Updates on My Recent Ventures and Discoveries” chronicled my progress on X. But it turns out part of Bonetflix followers are not real. Around February 14th, X took action against bot/followers associated with Bonetflix and Bonetflix US, unveiling the prevalence of fake engagement. My engagement was fake and the problem is that other bots keep following Bonetflix accounts. Regrettably, other bots persist in following Bonetflix accounts, displaying common characteristics:

• Accounts were created in 2023.

• Followings ranging from 2000 to 5000.

• Limited followers.

• Profile picture featuring an attractive woman.

• Typically devoid of posts or featuring posts with links to external websites.

Addressing this persistent issue is crucial, and while there are market solutions, none are foolproof, as there could always be ways to bypass them.

If X gathers the following data, it could perform actions to protect better against bots:

• Fingerprint user agent and environment.

• Track user actions within X.

• Check user IP’s reputations and locations.

Utilizing this data, a model could be trained to detect the likelihood of a user being a bot. If the probability is moderate, implementing randomized challenges at various points and steps could deter bots. These challenges can be influenced by time, complexity and required resources. Ideally, challenges should remain dynamic and not repeat. In instances of high bot probability, blacklist the user and prompt contact via email. If bots attempt to circumvent challenges, leverage these challenges for X's benefit, using them for data labeling purposes, similar to Google's approach.

Next Strategy to Explore

Recently, I came across the concept of Parasite SEO. This strategy involves leveraging the authority and traffic of established websites to enhance the ranking of another site. I will relate this journey in future issues.

Setting up my Twitch stream proved to be a more intricate process than anticipated, involving considerations such as microphone setup, choosing the right streaming application and application setup. I plan to delve into these technical aspects in upcoming posts, sharing insights and tips for those interested.

For my inaugural stream, I opted to play the video game Palworld, reminiscent of Pokemon but with a unique twist involving guns. While there were initial nerves, once immersed in the flow, the awareness of being live on camera faded away. A highlight from my first day of streaming was receiving a sudden "raid" on my channel, with around 20 people joining and engaging in lively chat to promote my content.

On the second day, I decided to share a different aspect of my life by streaming myself as a student. I like to learn, and this was a perfect occasion to use streaming as a tool. I undertook the "ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers" course on the deeplearning.ai website. Given the course's content and my admiration for Andrew Ng's teachings from past experiences, I wanted to document my learning journey. Adhering to the website's Terms of Use, which discouraged streaming without prior written consent, I took a calculated risk. I blurred the screen and added ambient music to maintain compliance while sharing my educational experience.

Although the audience for this stream was limited, I found joy in combining my educational pursuits with the unique experience of live streaming. Even though there are always chances to get to a DMCA takedown when you use other’s content, I was lucky to not get into it.

Reflecting on a Past DMCA Takedown

In July 2016, six months after completing my master's degree in Computer Vision and venturing into my first indie hacker journey, the popular game app Pokemon Go made its debut. There was a lot of hype around the release, and the first web apps that gathered information about Pokemon locations started to appear. Those were my first steps in reverse engineering APIs on web apps but I wasn’t able to reverse engineer the Pokemon GO game. One of those web apps became the basis for my Android App, "Live PokeMap for Pokemon Go."

To prevent a potential DMCA takedown, I removed the content inside Pokemon images from the App.

I also incorporated Google AdMob ads to generate revenue, and the app gained traction quickly. The initial excitement culminated in a revenue of $43.03 on the first full day. That day I remember I couldn’t sleep from excitement, my brain was thinking about improvements and new features. I even fantasized about living off the app. However, my elation was short-lived as, on the fifth day, Google removed all Android apps revealing Pokemon locations from the Play Store.

Despite reaching over 20K downloads in the first days, the app's removal from the Play Store meant AdMob stopped displaying ads, resulting in no income. Nowadays, the app is still present on app crawlers like APKCombo, even though the app is not working.

This experience heightened my determination to continue building innovative projects while considering alternatives to relying solely on major platforms like Google or Apple.

Curl2Url Enhancements

I have been working with Curl2Url and I have added two features that I believe are game-changers. Now, you can easily convert a curl request into Python code and even serialize the response if it’s in JSON format. Additionally, I've added the ability to edit a curl request. While these are the last two features I wanted to implement, there's still more to come. I'm currently addressing a few bugs, adding terms of service, creating an About webpage, and working on a promotional video.

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I've already crafted two simple videos demonstrating how to get curls from different browsers, and I'm considering a YouTube marketing plan for more engaging content. Here is an example of the simplicity of the video.

Exploring Google Indexing API

Some weeks ago I saw that Tej from the Small Bets community is building Supacrawl, a product for fast indexing websites on Google. This discovery led me to learn about Google's Indexing API. Next week reading X tweets I discovered that Guilherme was sharing a script that used this API. This has been the perfect excuse to get deep into it. I tested it on Bonetflix, a site where I've encountered issues with pages not being indexed. Here is the relation between indexed web pages and non-indexed ones.

I suspect this might be linked to the multiple localizations on the site, including Spanish and English languages with Spain, UK, and US localizations. We will see if indexing makes a difference in this graphic.

The API has a 200-request quota per day (you can check if that changes here). This means I will need some days to index all remaining pages.

X evolution

In December, I began dedicating time to X, and although I haven't been very active, I've been sharing my Substack publications.

After two months on X, I saw that the number of followers or people that want to extract value from you is related to the result of success or the credibility you have gained doing “X”, literally and figuratively. This aligns with the perspective shared by in his insightful newsletter.

Solopreneur on the road to freedom

Do you need a big Twitter following to be a successful solopreneur?

On Twitter, there’s the most exciting indie hacking community I’ve ever seen. I enjoyed the platform back in 2009 / 2010, then I abandoned it for years. But since 2021, when I discovered the indie hacking movement. I’ve been active on Twitter daily…

Read more

2 years ago · 3 likes · 9 comments · Luca Restagno

It's noteworthy that individuals often seek guidance from those who have triumphed on a similar path. In my case, I've found inspiration in top solopreneurs who have traversed the indie hacker path for several years. However, their strategies may not be universally applicable, especially for those, like me, who are still in the early stages of building an audience. Hence, I find greater resonance and relevance in learning from peers who share a similar situation or are a few steps ahead in their journey.

While the followers on my personal account have remained relatively stable, the evolution of Bonetflix accounts has been quite promising. From December to today, here is a snapshot of the growth:

• Bonetflix: 20 Followers to 46.

• Bonetflix UK: 0 to 3 followers.

• Bonetflix Spain: 0 to 2 followers.

• Bonetflix US: 0 to 20 followers.

It's important to note that Bonetflix follows country-related accounts, and the most substantial progress is evident in the main account and the US account. Additionally, Trim, a competitor offering an extension that displays movie ratings on Netflix and Prime Video, has started following all my Bonetflix accounts. Their strategy seems to involve following all relevant Netflix-related accounts, anticipating reciprocal follows, given their limited content sharing.

While I like their use of an extension, I am cautious about pivoting Bonetflix in the same direction, as I believe profitability might be challenging without resorting to tracking user data extensively, akin to having a spy on your browser.

Movie trailers

In the pursuit of enhancing movie recommendations, I considered the option of incorporating trailers to provide a more engaging viewing experience. To have that option up my sleeve, I first needed to download the trailers. I took Playwright to gather YouTube URLs and YouTube-dl to download YouTube videos. This method allowed me to amass a collection of trailers for various movies.

However, it's essential to approach the use of these trailers with caution, as they are subject to copyright regulations. Having delved into different sources on copyright issues, such as a relevant Quora question and a thread on Reddit, I am aware of the potential legal implications. While trailers serve as promotional tools for movies, they are protected by copyrights, making it necessary to navigate this terrain carefully.

Potential risks include facing DMCA takedown notices, depending on the copyright owner or their legal representatives. While I anticipate minimal issues, it's essential to recognize the possibility of having the account where the videos are posted removed as the most severe consequence.

Here's the recap of a week with a sense of accomplishment. We will see how things evolve.

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In January 2023, I made a big decision - I left my job. While I enjoyed my work, I wanted to focus more on my projects and improve my health. Sitting for long hours in front of the computer had taken a toll on my back, leading to a cervical issue in September 2022. This became a significant factor in my choice to take a break, focus on my well-being, and embark on a journey of self-discovery.

During the early months of the year, I invested my time in Bonetflix and embarked on a new project, Bmoat, short for "Best Movies Of All Time" (I will write more about it in future issues). I used the data extracted from Bonetflix to build a similar website, shifting the focus away from a specific streaming platform. As my back health improved, I reintroduced exercise, joining the gym and incorporating swimming into my routine. By February, I was pain-free but committed to strengthening my back further.

From January to May, I dedicated myself to technical aspects and code improvement for Bonetflix and Bmoat. I even ran Google ads for Bonetflix from 18th February to 22nd April ( You can read more about it in my past issue). In June, I took a break, contemplating new ideas for the next chapter of my journey.

July brought the inception of Curl2Url, a project born out of a desire to create something simple yet useful—enabling users to share curl commands without the need to open a terminal and run them. Saving approximately 8 seconds each time someone accesses a curl. This allows an easy way to run curl commands from phones. I saw that there wasn’t something similar online and decided to go for it.

August marked another milestone as my girlfriend and I adopted our dog. Despite initial skepticism led by the time it could require, I saw the benefits of having a dog, especially in promoting a healthier lifestyle away from the computer screen. Today I’m grateful for this experience I never had, even though I admit the investment in time is considerable.

From September to November, I worked on Curl2Url, encountering challenges in the final stages of development. Even now, I’m tweaking the last beta features (I will write more about Curl2Url in future issues). As the year concluded, I realized the need to shift my focus to marketing.

In December, I became a member of the Small Bets community, a network supporting solopreneurs in achieving their first small wins. The insights I gained and the experiences shared by fellow community members not only inspired me but also provided the necessary encouragement to kickstart my Substack newsletter and X. I consider these first two months inside the community worth it and made me realize I approached my indie hacker journey with two significant errors.

Lessons Learned

Firstly, every action is a form of marketing, and building projects publicly could have cultivated an audience from the start. Secondly, my projects may have been too ambitious, leading to a longer-than-expected investment of time. Looking forward, I plan to adopt a more minimalistic approach, creating projects with shorter timelines for quicker feedback and adjustments.

emphasizes a crucial aspect: the inevitability of failure. Our world is filled with uncertainties, and every project we undertake carries the potential for setbacks. To navigate this unpredictable journey, one effective strategy is to embrace the concept of "Small Bets." Instead of putting all your resources into a single endeavor, diversify your efforts by exploring various opportunities.

By taking smaller, calculated risks in different areas, you can spread out the chances of both success and failure. This approach ensures that you're not putting all your eggs in one basket, reducing the overall risk associated with any one project. This diversification allows you to allocate your time more efficiently, focusing on initiatives that yield positive outcomes. In essence, the Small Bets strategy becomes a valuable tool for managing uncertainties and maximizing your chances of success across multiple endeavors.

Growing up in Catalonia, Spain, during the 1990s and 2000s, my experience with school was quite traditional. Private school meant attending classes, sitting in your chair, listening to the teacher, doing exercises, and answering questions. The routine continued with homework once classes ended, intensifying as exams entered the picture. If you flunked a subject meant repeating the course the following year. I repeated two years at ages 16 and 18, stuck in a system that didn't resonate with me.

During my educational journey, I realized the disconnect between this traditional approach and real-world application. Memorizing historical events or philosophical concepts seemed disconnected from reality. This rote memorization without interest, didn’t last beyond exams. At some point, I adopted the law of least effort, doing the minimum to pass while spending the least amount of time. This attitude channeled my interest in video games—an engaging realm where you can enjoy, face challenges, discover, and explore exciting worlds. Unfortunately, this approach, combined with a lack of motivation, led to my first significant failure.

Education, as a societal tool, aims to create a stable society by equipping individuals with basic skills. However, this scalable process focuses more on control than on increasing children’s motivation or curiosity, hoping to shape a workforce that sustains the economic environment. Public education gained importance only 200 years ago, yet in 2023, only 87% of children complete primary education, indicating we are still in the early stages of educational evolution.

The Internet, a significant catalyst for change, has connected over 5.3 billion people globally as of October 2023, 65% of the global population. While this marks substantial progress, there is much work ahead to ensure universal connectivity and the ability to learn online. We are still in the early stages of the internet's potential.

Change of attitude

My perspective changed when I entered university to study Network Engineering. The freedom to choose my path fueled my motivation, and there I discovered that I like programming—it opens a whole world of possibilities to create.

I consider myself lucky to have found something that motivates and impassions me. I know people who haven’t found their passion yet, and this is something education should focus on.

About halfway through my university life, I shifted my attitude from the law of least effort to “learn as much as you can.” I got rid of the lazy attitude by looking at my life as if I were an external observer. If an effort doesn’t kill you and you are doing what you want, it doesn’t matter how big is this effort because you will be enjoying the path.

This “learn as much as you can” attitude makes sense when you desire to build something yourself. The learnings you do today will be the tools you will use in your future. I also got inspired by Robert T. Kiyosaki and his book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”. It wasn’t easy at first, but when you’re in the dynamic, things start to fall into place.

In my uni days, I found alignment with the hacker attitude outlined by Eric S. Raymond in 1997. The five principles he shared continue to resonate:

1. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.

2. Nobody should ever have to solve a problem twice.

3. Boredom and drudgery are evil.

4. Freedom is good.

5. Attitude is no substitute for competence.

These principles guide my journey and remain relevant in today's context. The hacker mindset, rooted in curiosity, problem-solving, and the desire to learn more, inspires a lifelong learning journey—one that transcends traditional educational boundaries.

As I landed on X last month, I encountered a dynamic community of entrepreneurs sharing content, exchanging insights, narrating their experiences, and marketing their products. The sheer volume of activities made it challenging to stay abreast of everyone's endeavors and the content they shared.

Unlocking X’s Potential

Viewed through the lens of an independent entrepreneur, the platform offers the distinct advantage of a rich learning environment. Despite the varying degrees of relevance in the shared content, a noteworthy aspect is the "Give vs. Ask" ethos, expounded upon in the insightful piece titled "Promoting on Reddit (or Anywhere) By Giving Before Asking" penned by. Here, the act of entrepreneurs sharing their learnings, data, or product statistics represents a 'Give', while the promotion of their product is an 'Ask'. The true value of time spent on X hinges on the prevalence of 'Give' content. But, the reality is that the recurrence of similar ideas dilutes the impact of the platform.

The Double-Edged Sword of X

If this is the benefit of X, the downside is that you become one among many entrepreneurs. If you want people to notice your stuff, you have to do a lot of giving and always be honest. I don't mind being honest and giving, but the thing is, it takes up a lot of time. said in one of the promotional videos that he spends 5 hours a day on X.

I’m pretty sure this can be a valid approximation and I don’t want to spend that much time on X. I decided to add Webtime tracker extension on Google Chrome and Firefox. This tool aims to provide insights into my time spent on browsers, helping me make informed decisions to maximize my productivity.

Strategic Spots for Startup Promotion

In this X journey, I stumbled upon this tweet:

Guess what? Some entrepreneurs out there are selling lists of places to promote your startup. I did some detective work on Google and found a bunch of websites sharing these lists. Check out the ones I looked into:

• 500+ Places to Promote Your Startup

• 75+ Places to Promote Your Startup for Free

• Top 20 Sites to Submit Your Startup to Promote It in 2024

• Top 14 Sites to Promote Your Startup

• 89 Places to Promote Your Startup

My goal throughout this journey was to amplify the reach of my projects without breaking the bank. While paid promotion options exist, I decided to steer clear, considering my budget constraints. These lists I found have a mix of everything—some duplicates, some websites that aren't around anymore, and some with dark patterns like making you fill out a bunch of info and then springing a surprise payment on you.

I spent quite a few hours sorting through all of this to figure out which websites let you submit your startup. I hope that I can save some time for folks who want to get their app out there. I've even included the ones that want you to pay for a speedy listing or make you wait for months before they showcase your startup. Here's the list:

https://alternativeto.net/
https://apprater.net/
https://appsumo.com/
https://awesomeindie.com/
https://betalist.com/
https://crazyaboutstartups.com/
https://ctrlalt.cc/
https://fazier.com/
https://feedmystartup.com/
https://financesonline.com/
https://launched.io/
https://lazyhunt.com/
https://microlaunch.net/
https://owwly.com/
https://peerlist.io/
https://pitchwall.co/
https://portal.10words.io/
https://sell.g2.com/create-a-profile
https://startupbase.io/
https://startupbuffer.com/
https://startupinspire.com/
https://startupstash.com/
https://wellfound.com/
https://www.affordhunt.com/
https://www.allstartups.info/
https://www.betabound.com/
https://www.betafy.co/
https://www.crunchbase.com/
https://www.f6s.com/
https://www.feedough.com/
https://www.gartner.com/en/digital-markets/basic-listing
https://www.indiehackers.com/
https://www.insanelycooltools.com/
https://www.launchingnext.com/
https://www.producthunt.com/
https://www.saasprojects.com/
https://www.sideprojectors.com/#/
https://www.slant.co/
https://www.startupranking.com/
https://www.startups.fyi/
https://www.trustpilot.com/
https://www.uneed.best/

Those lists also include Reddits, but heads up, all links posted on Reddit are "no follow" (here is a perfect article on why is this important). But since recommends starting to promote on Reddit, I'm thinking of giving it a shot sometime soon. Here's the list of reddits:

r/advancedentrepreneurr/advertising
r/alphaandbetausers
r/announcementsr/AskMarketing
r/Business_Ideas
r/Businessideasr/coupons
r/CrazyIdeasr/digitalnomad
r/Emailmarketing
r/Entrepreneur
r/EntrepreneurRideAlong
r/growinpublic
r/growmybusiness
r/GrowthHackingr/ideasr/indiebizr/indiehackers
r/InternetIsBeautiful
r/Lightbulbr/MadeThis
r/marketing
r/microsaasr/NicheWebsites
r/Plugyourproduct
r/ProductHunters
r/programming
r/projects
r/roastmystartup
r/SaaS
r/salesr/SideProjectr/smallbusinessr/socialmedia
r/startup
r/startups
r/startups_promotion
r/sweatystartupr/webmarketing

There are also Facebook groups and communities, but for now, as I decided to stay away from Facebook, there's no plan to check those out, for now.

Tracking Success with Bonetflix

Implementing this strategy, I've promoted my project Bonetflix on all these platforms. In a past issue, I shared some metrics about it, and I expect these numbers to evolve in the following weeks. Stay tuned to witness positive transformations in this journey.

Bonetflix stands as an online platform dedicated to curating and ranking the finest movies available on Netflix, a subject I recently delved in my preceding issue. In December, I resolved to elevate marketing Bonetflix by increasing my commitment to online marketing, acknowledging that my current level of dedication falls short of the optimal as I’m only relying on SEO.  The realization that there exist numerous areas for enhancement and a plethora of lessons to assimilate fueled my decision to embark on this endeavor more earnestly.

I’m planning to focus on X initially. After years of avoiding this social network, I feel that I missed an important community of indie hackers creating value and sharing content and knowledge.

X Strategy

With the @bonetflix account, created in January 2021, I initially shared some random movie recommendations alongside their IMDB and Filmaffinity ratings. However, a critical issue surfaced – the disparate availability of movies and shows across different countries. To address this, I instituted three distinct accounts, @bonetflix_US, @bonetflix_UK and @bonetflix_ES.

To streamline the process of generating random movie recommendations within the available Netflix content, I created a template to fill with movie information. This template is used for automated posts, ensuring that recommendations align with the viewer's geographical accessibility. Here is an example:

These posts generated between 1 and 15 impressions, creating a maximum of 1 engagement.

I had some issues building the automatic publishing of this template (check it in this tweet) using X API. So I have decided to use Playwright to make this automatic posting:

Navigating the challenges of implementing automated publishing via X API, I opted for Playwright to facilitate seamless posting (check it in this tweet). With this approach, if X changes their UI, Playwright code might stop working, but it can evade possible penalties for content created by bots. This is the Playwright flow:

While the current tweet lacks an optimal level of engagement. I plan to refine its content, contemplating the incorporation of OpenAI API if time permits.

In a bid to augment our online presence, I tracked and engaged with @Netflix. Specifically, I respond to Netflix's posts about movies or shows, incorporating IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes and/or Filmaffinity rankings in my comments.

This English tweet got 334 impressions, the most at the moment:

The growth trajectory of the main Bonetflix account is indicative of progress, I have commented on 13 posts, with a modest increase from 20 followers on December 1st to 28 as of December 31st. The following section outlines key statistics pertinent to the X account, underscoring the evolution of our digital footprint.

Even though I’m not focused on this task full-time, I try to make one tweet like this a day. Those tweets generated the following engagement:

Future unlocks

According to a study conducted by Stacy Jo Dixon, a researcher from the United Kingdom, X currently holds the 12h position among social networks in terms of user base. As of October 2023, X boasts 666 million active monthly users.

To enhance engagement and tap into a larger user base, I am strategizing to incorporate movie and show trailers into the content strategy. This involves exploring opportunities to publish such content on prominent platforms like YouTube and TikTok. YouTube stands as the second most utilized social network, boasting a staggering 2.5 billion users, while TikTok, ranking sixth, has approximately 1.2 billion users. Targeting these platforms has the potential to amplify our user base by a factor of seven, making it a strategic move well worth considering.

Three years ago I started Bonetflix, the acronym for Best on Netflix, a website with information about movies available on Netflix ( in US, UK, ES) with IMDB and Filmaffinity rankings.

This is how the website looks today on Google Search Console in the last 12 months.

I’m thrilled to share my journey on this project from inception to future.

Start

Everything originated from a confluence of compelling reasons. As a dedicated enthusiast of movies and series, I embarked on this venture prompted by the challenge of finding a ranking for the available Netflix titles in Spain.

I researched keywords related to Netflix on Keyword Planner. I identified a substantial volume of searches incorporating the query "$movie_name Netflix". At that juncture, Netflix lacked the public movie pages that characterize its user experience.

This is the first project I did targeting web as the main platform, a departure from my usual terrain of Android Apps. Despite the existence of competitors in the field, I decided to embark on this project with a focused objective: to establish a robust online presence.

Build

In developing the website, I opted to utilize HTML, CSS, and minimal Javascript to ensure optimal speed and performance. Everything is static content following some of the principles of “Manifesto for Preserving Content on the Web”. The current Lighthouse score for the website is as follows:

In the data phase, information was sourced from various outlets such as Netflix, Filmaffinity, and IMDB. Addressing website modifications and circumventing captchas were integral aspects of this endeavor. I also had to match these data between those different data sources, converting text to a vector, clustering, and identifying the most proximate vectors. A challenging aspect was discerning movies with identical names in the same or different years, as well as identifying similar actors in distinct films.

With the amassed data, I decided not to make a copy-paste about the text extracted from different sources. So I used the pre-ChatGPT trick to generate data, translated English movie overviews to Spanish to get Spanish overviews and vice versa. Subsequently, I also read and reviewed the translations, recognizing that they were not consistently accurate and might also include errors today.

Marketing / SEO

The first year was hard, I felt like Google didn’t trust my website and didn’t rank the keywords. However, as time progressed, there was a discernible shift, indicating a gradual gain in trust. I don’t have data from the start as Google Search Console doesn’t allow me to get data older than 16 months ( with this newsletter, things won’t be lost).

The top linking sites contributing to website visibility are the following:

Furthermore, I built Bonetflix App to explore the potential impact on results through website referencing ( I will not delve into the Android app, maybe in another issue). That’s why I have Google as a top linking site. This initiative faced initial setbacks, as Google penalized the behavior in the early weeks, resulting in diminished site visits. Subsequently, however, normalcy was restored.

Another experimentation involved referencing select movies from Wikipedia, even with the inclusion of a "no follow" backlink. While there was a transient surge in website ranking, this effect did not endure over the long term.

As the website continues to mature and solidify its standing, I focused on effective monetization strategies. The following paragraphs are my experience.

Monetization

Seeking the viability of the project, I decided to add ads. I chose to add Google Adsense Auto ads and Amazon Prime Video Affiliate Program.

Adsense Auto ads choose the best place on a webpage to place ads based on different elements such as the page layout and the amount of content on the page. Everything to increase your revenue, and Google’s revenue, for sure. However, the ad experience was not very pleasant and hurt the user experience. I ran the experiment in March and these are the results:

I was far away from sustainability with Auto ads, but Amazon Prime Video didn’t go better. I placed an Amazon Prime Video subscription banner near the “Watch on Netflix” button, here is The Godfather example. But it resulted in 0 Prime Video subscriptions.

With these results and the harm to user experience. I decided to remove Google Ads and set up Prime Video ads seeking any conversion (€3 per subscribed user). But I saw that with this traffic I wouldn’t be able to achieve sustainability as I’d need x500 more traffic.

Costs

I used Route 53, S3, and Cloudfront services from AWS  for website infrastructure. These are the costs of this last year:

I’m gathering available movie and show data from Netflix. To gather this data I need to be a Netflix user and Netflix’s Standard plan is €12,99/month in Spain.

A total of $197.01 a year.

Future

I devoted a substantial timeframe, specifically three years, to the development of this project, with two of those years being concurrently managed alongside my full-time employment. What began as a small bet evolved into a considerable bet in terms of time. My ambitions for the project extend to the integration of a movie search function, enhanced movie rankings, and the inclusion of trailers to augment the overall user experience. However, achieving these objectives necessitates a more dedicated allocation of time on my part.

Nowadays, there are movie rankings platforms with their filter of movies available on Netflix, even Google shows its results in the first search position. Sometimes I have thoughts of forgetting the project and dedicating my time to something else. While the work brings me joy, its financial returns have yet to reach a limit that can provide a sustainable livelihood, and I doubt they will be able to in the future.

I have other projects in mind and that would benefit from my time dedicated to Bonetflix. However, I find value in maintaining this project. It serves as a valuable instrument for the exploration of new concepts and ideas, building an audience and enhancing search engine optimization (SEO). In essence, the project holds the potential to significantly contribute to my ongoing learning curve and overall skill development.

I quit all social media over the last few years.

LinkedIn is okay for finding jobs, but that's about it. Facebook might've been fun for connecting with people from the past. Seeing others enjoying their lives was great, but I felt like it was robbing me of time from living my own life.

So, I prioritized time with my loved ones over cheap dopamine. But then, why am I starting with Twitter and Substack?

Let's work backward from the end: Life expectancy in Spain for men is 81 years old. Retirement is at 67. If everything goes well, I'll be here for 46 more years, 32 of them working. That's 32 years, working 8 hours a day for other people and on other people's ideas.

But I also have my own ideas, and I want to work on them.

Even though my ideas may fail, I feel the happiest when I try them and sad when I don't. I'd love to succeed enough on some of those ideas to the point where they allow me to keep trying more ideas. If I get to focus on the things I want so I can live "my life" my way, that's the dream.

My desire to succeed in this journey pushed me to gather all the ingredients to reach my goals. I left my job in December 2022, continued working on some projects, and created a new project.

But the final ingredient I need to increase my odds of succeeding on the dream is an audience. And that's why I am back on social media but this time with a purpose.

Things I learned exploring Daniel Vassallo resources

Following the quest to understand audience expansion, Tony Dinh (I wrote about him in the last issue)  credits part of his learning journey in increasing his audience to insights gleaned from Daniel Vassallo. Intrigued by this connection, my curiosity led me to explore what knowledge Daniel Vassallo imparts.

I saw that he distilled some of his learning into an online course titled “Everyone Can Build a Twitter Audience” and also created a small community known as Small Bets. Eager to unravel what’s within, I started researching the course.

Course research

This course has prompted some participants to express their thoughts through reviews or course summaries. So I started reading them by the order Google displays the results on December 2023 on my user.

1. Hassan Osman lessons learned.

2. Summary of the course by Christopher Samiullah - I especially liked this one.

3. Review of the course by Pete Codes.

4. Review by Michael Lin.

5. Review and Key Lessons by Nicolás Cerdeira.

6. Summary by Anita.

7. Strategies that helped Grow My Twitter account by Sunil Kumar.

Learnings of the course

From the first three posts, I extracted much of the information. After that, the same ideas started to repeat. We can summarize the course with the following:

• Quality over quantity: Twitter followers don’t matter, engagement does, a key metric will be the engagement (measured in comments, likes or retweets) per follower ratio metric.

• Think about your Twitter funnel. Users will find your Profile > Read your bio > Scroll your timeline > Follow you > Not unfollow you > Get value from you > Get to know you. Optimize this funnel to give people credibility on why they should follow you.

• Give more than you ask, give value in every tweet.

There are also smaller do’s and don’ts on this course, like threads are better than links, don’t chase retweets, etc. I won’t explain the whole list, I will recommend reading Christopher Samiullah’s summary for a good overview.

After delving into this content, I decided it was worth giving a try to the Small Bets community.

First Impressions of Small Bets

The community provides members with access to all live events (where an expert shares knowledge on his subject) and access to past and future recordings and you can give and receive feedback on your projects.

While I have yet to delve into the recorded past events, my live event experiences thus far have been rewarding. I have been to the “Emerging from the void on X” event by which allowed me to have a clear approach to how to build an audience on X depending on the actual state of your X account. I’m currently attending “The Newsletter Launchpad” by and , which is helping me improve my writing and learn about the newsletter ecosystem.

The events themselves allow you to learn about the different channels to extend your audience. Upcoming events will talk about LinkedIn by Justin Welsh, Substack by and Confident Speaking & Storytelling by . I hope to learn and discover new fields that could get me ideas.

Every day I read Hacker News and on 23rd September, 2023, this post reached #1 on Hacker News: My Solopreneur Story.

It talks about Tony Dinh’s story where he went from zero to $45K/mo in 2 years in his journey as a full-time indie hacker. He created four small but successful products, failed on six, built an audience of 97K followers on Twitter, and created a newsletter with 6K subscribers, all with his ups and downs.

First contact with marketing failure

As an indie hacker, I faced challenges with my developed products, I attribute the setbacks to a lack of audience. I always depended on SEO and ASO, and even though I’m no expert, I researched and applied the principles I came across. I also reached out to my family and friends to promote my products but their reach was insufficient. I emphasise the crucial role distribution plays in the success of any venture, at least from my perspective of failure.

In 2017, two years after ending university, I developed an Android App named Behnow, a geolocation social network. To promote it, I designed promotional materials such as flyers and T-shirts. I distributed flyers at my university, although it's worth noting that this practice is illegal in Spain without proper authorization—resulting in the removal of all flyers shortly afterward. Despite facing this challenge, the marketing effort yielded only two downloads without any registered accounts, a resounding success. Reflecting on the situation now, I realise that I should have approached the marketing strategy differently.

Learns from Tony Dinh

Returning to the present and immersing myself in Tony Dinh’s narrative, I delved into his entire newsletter, Twitter feed, and many interviews. Through this exploration, I documented insights on audience-building strategies.

His discourse encapsulates updates on applications, recounting his experiences, app statistics, and the valuable lessons acquired along the way. Summarised in four pivotal points, he advocates:

• Engage with people

• Do cool/creative stuff, make noise

• Build products in public and fail in public

• Be genuine, be nice to people, and spread positivity.

In his product launch strategy, he relies on Product Hunt and imparts several key recommendations for a successful launch:

• Read the Product Hunt Launch Guide: Equip yourself with the essential insights provided in the Product Hunt Launch Guide.

• Prepare Launch Materials: Craft tailored materials designed for the launch to captivate the audience.

• Inform Your Audience in Advance: Notify your audience 24-48 hours before the launch, creating anticipation and ensuring engagement.

• Re-launch with Major Features: Don't hesitate to relaunch with significant updates or new features for the same product.

• Engage with Feedback: Respond to every comment and feedback on the launch post, fostering a dialogue with the audience.

He attributes part of his learning to Daniel Vassallo, a source worth exploring further.

I also noticed the Gumroad platform, a marketplace where you can sell digital products, which can be useful to test if a product has potential.

Furthermore, he sold a side project on acquire.com, an online marketplace dedicated to buying and selling startups. I wasn't familiar with this site before, and it seems like a viable avenue to conclude specific projects and ease marketing.

Conclusion

Establishing a robust online presence and promoting your products requires a strategic approach. This is why I've embarked on a journey to cultivate my audience on platforms like Twitter and Substack. This initiative aims to navigate new opportunities, breaking away from past setbacks. I'm excited to delve further into the invaluable insights I've acquired from Tony. The marketing journey holds plenty of untapped potential, and I am dedicated to the ongoing process of growth and exploration. Over the next few weeks, my focus will be on acquiring expertise in Twitter and Substack platforms, initiating audience growth, and formulating a well-defined marketing strategy.