Time: 22:08 | 02/16/2010 | Download MP3
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Jason and David answer your questions
We recently asked, “What topics would you like to see us address?” And you answered with a bunch of good ideas. In this episode, Jason and David run down the list and answer in rapid fire style.
Related links and previous episodes available at 37signals.com/podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS.
Bryan Johnson
on 16 Feb 10David – thank you for your kind words. We’ve really enjoyed working with 37signals.
One point of clarification. We do now work with merchants of any size.
Michael
on 16 Feb 10Bryan, there is a typo here: http://www.braintreepaymentsolutions.com/pci-dss-compliance/merchant-case-study/
“rouge employees.”
37S – very enjoyable episode.
Bryan Johnson
on 16 Feb 10Thanks Michael. We fixed the spelling error.
Victor
on 16 Feb 10Can’t see it in iTunes yet :(
Anson Parker
on 17 Feb 10Like the format. Nice and snappy. David needs to relocate from his subway tunnel though—some wicked reverb going on.
Daniel
on 17 Feb 10Thanks for the answers! Apologies that the question was a bit long. Obviously didn’t know you’d do the rapid-fire thing (which works great, I think).
Interesting to hear that Answers evolved from something else. My question was meant to suss out how much stuff you had going in to the 2-week project, i.e. how long had it brewing, before you really started/how rough was the idea at the outset. I figured a 2-week cycle would be more difficult if you sat down day 1 with no idea whatsoever, and first had to come up with that from scratch, and then go build it. Maybe I’m wrong there; it might well be possible to do it all in 10 days.
In any case, hearing that it sort of evolved from some other idea that’d been brewing made a lot of sense.
So thank you, Jason, og mange tak til dig, David – meget interessant. (that last bit was Danish, if anyone is wondering)
JF
on 17 Feb 10how long had it brewing, before you really started/how rough was the idea at the outset. I figured a 2-week cycle would be more difficult if you sat down day 1 with no idea whatsoever, and first had to come up with that from scratch, and then go build it. Maybe I’m wrong there; it might well be possible to do it all in 10 days.
We hadn’t really thought about a solution until we started the two week iteration. We knew we had a problem but we’d had that problem for a while. We went from knowing a problem to coming up with a solution and executing on that solution in two weeks.
David
on 17 Feb 10Hi guys,
Just a heads-up: episode #8 is showing up here on your blog, but it’s not in iTunes! :)
Daniel
on 17 Feb 10@JF: Thanks for the clarification. I should have been clearer too, though. What I meant by “no idea whatsoever” would also cover not knowing the problem; a total cold start. Knowing the problem is obviously a big part of it (not to diminish the work you did in the 2 weeks in any way). Again, I was just curious as to the amount of thought that’d gone into it beforehand. The answer seems to be “barely any at all” so you can mark my question as “answered” (in full). Very cool.
Thanks again!
Magazin
on 17 Feb 10Hi, thank you very much.
ML
on 17 Feb 10episode #8 is showing up here on your blog, but it’s not in iTunes!
Thanks. We’re looking into it.
ML
on 17 Feb 10Podcast is now showing up in iTunes too.
qwerty
on 18 Feb 10I like your series of podcasts except for the sound quality when members of 37S get interviewed. Especially David sounds like he is speaking from the bathroom. Please invest in more professional equipment. The sound quality of the host is fine, though.
Sean McCambridge
on 18 Feb 10Hey, thanks for answering my topic suggestions. :)
Regarding the “chicken/egg” problem, your answer (that it just takes time) creates a gray area for me when I let this problem overlap with the “is it a viable app” problem. How long before you say to yourself, M.F., this just isn’t going to fly?
If it is just a matter of spreading the word and reaching a certain level of fans/buzz/whatever where the product takes on its own momentum, then what can you do to accelerate that process?
I didn’t know about you in the pre-Basecamp days, but it seems like because of your blog 37s had the reach before it had an app. I remember you saying you were just going to be happy hitting the $60K mark or whatever for the year, and that happened in 6 weeks.
Were you just in the right position at the right time? What’s your advice to newcomers about building an audience in an atmosphere where everybody is trying to build an audience?
Thanks again.
Sean McCambridge
on 18 Feb 10@qwerty – While I think you’re right that David didn’t sound great, to me it’s more about the message than the presentation. Actually seems more real to me with bad audio and reminds me this is business, not just entertainment.
qwerty
on 18 Feb 10@Sean – David in this episode said that it’s more about execution than mindset and previously referred to something not being rocket surgery. I’d like to see this applied here, too. Obviously it is possible as the host sounds much betters. 37S lose credibility in my eyes when they talk smart but settle for something totally unprofessional given the size of the audience.
(I do like impromptu formats, like NYT’s blogginheads conversation of what seems like a skype video conversation, showing two people side by side as seen by their on-board camera. But please maintain some standards.)
Greg Laws
on 19 Feb 10Really enjoyed this episode. You answered a lot of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves as we just completed our first project and released it. And, finishing the product hasn’t been the hardest part so far. What’s been harder is working to build a community genuinely interested in our product. We’d love instant success, but we know it’s going to take time to earn it.
BTW, David, you cracked me up at the 9:25 mark. It is SO true that bosses who’ve never been in an employee’s shoes before do suck!!
This discussion is closed.