nefarioustim

Hey all,

So I've single-handedly built a progressive web app that's designed to sit somewhere in between traditional ecommerce (like Shopify, Etsy, Ebay etc.) and the social networks that are pushing shop features (like Instagram, Pinterest, and FB Marketplace). Really, it's designed to help makers and "microbusinesses" get their products online and selling quickly, without having to build a website, pay extortionate fees, and navigate the minefield of SEO, SEM, and social media advertising.

I've just launched it and am attempting to attract small merchants from anywhere to sign-up and list a few products. Similarly, I'm trying to ramp up some attention from folks that just want to browse products in an Instagram-like feed.

Ultimately, I'm going to need scale if I really want to start solving the problems I'm setting out to, but I figured showing it off to HN was a good way to start getting thoughts and feedback. :)

Hope you like it.

Seconded.

Having been a Senior Engineering Manager in an Amazon business, I can confirm that the stack ranking process is the single worse treatment of employees I have ever experienced. Furthermore, it is not based on an honest and truthful assessment of individuals, but rather who is best at standing up in a room full of managers across one division and arguing that their developers are better than someone else's, even if they've never met or seen the output of the developers they are arguing against. In fact, I've even seen people judged on the _amount_ of commits they've made (not the quality) and the _amount_ of wiki edits they have published.

It was the single worst employment period of my life, resulting in depression and stress that was off any scale you'd care to mention. I cannot recommend enough that you avoid at all costs.

Isn't it the case that employees who have worked in open plan are likely vote against and employees that have worked in cubicle farms are likely to vote _for_ open plan?

The grass is always greener…

As you can see from the other comments above; the jury is firmly out on that one, but it's still an interesting story considering the "secret" test customer (which Wired UK says was DARPA[1]).

[1] http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-10/29/rossi-success