It started as a personal need. During my master’s, I felt I needed a note-taking tool that helped me explicitly visualize connections between different topics, something like a graph view. (I wasn’t aware of Obsidian at the time.)
Then I became a bit obsessed with creating something visual and compelling (like Miro) but also deep in content, behaving more like a knowledge base.
Miro is also very expensive (at least here in Brazil), so maybe NodeLand can become a more affordable alternative for individuals and small teams.
Toucan is the main competitor. The advantage is that it's free. The disadvantage is that the reason it's free is that it uses a dictionary to translate individual words, rather than Nuenki's method of using Deepl+Claude to include context and translate the sentence properly.
It's a matter of tradeoffs. Trying to translate single words doesn't work particularly well; single word "sentences" are actually disabled by default for Nuenki because the translations are so frequently incorrect.
Proper translation costs money, but the quality is a lot higher.
our thoughts are not linear. This is why I prefer to express ideas and even take notes using a mind map (graph) structure. Like the one provided by https://nodeland.io
At the end of 2023, I started doing #buildinpublic
In 2024, I will share all discoveries and insights from this process as a way to perform regular 'checkpoints' and organize my learning.
Here are my notes for Sprint 1:
1. Analytics
Google Analytics (or similar) has been a must-have tool since day one. It's crucial for understanding patterns and the impact of actions you take. After my Product Hunt launch and a HackerNews post, I noticed traffic spikes. An interesting insight from Google Analytics is that over 50% of my users are from India
2. Distribution Channels
"Building is the easy part," someone once told me, a sentiment I only understood recently. Post-launch, I was at a loss - my website was invisible to search engines, and traffic from Hacker News and Product Hunt had dried up. My target audience isn't the tech crowd frequenting these platforms. My product enhances study methods and note-taking, aimed at high school students and universities. How to reach them? SEO is one avenue, and maybe the best in the long run, but as a beginner, climbing Google's ranks will take time.
Social media seemed like another good bet. Despite growing my X profile and posting about my product, there was no significant traffic change. I believe I've found a potential solution, which I'm currently testing. I will talk about it in the next bullet point.
3. Networking with Other Indie Hackers
I've been networking with numerous indie hackers. One, in particular, caught my attention with his success in selling a browser extension. How was he attracting users? I messaged him DM, and his response was enlightening:
- Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Reels
TikTok! Why hadn't I considered this before? It's likely the best platform to find my audience. I've spent the last couple of days learning about TikTok strategies and just published my first video. I plan to post 1-2 videos weekly to quickly establish my niche with the algorithm. Will it work? Don't know. But is the best alternative right now.
4. Marketplaces: A Distribution Channel I didn't know
An interesting development since my launch: I've received invitations to sell my CMAPS subscriptions on marketplaces. My first annual subscription sale happened on DealFuel. Next week, I'll start selling through AppSumo.
