9 ms·

Show HN: Daybook – A new take on personal journaling

15 points by daybook 12y ago

daybook 12y ago
This is side project I undertook this past winter-break. It's far from finished, but I though it would be great to show HN what I am currently working on. The app was more of scratching personal itch, rather than trying to bring order to the dozen blogging platforms. The app is just an attempt to give a different take on what could be if the intimacy of journaling and the power of the web where to come together.
- aepearson 12y ago
  I just spend a couple minutes on the site - and I have no idea what it does. After reading the FAQ I kinda get it...but it would be EXTREMELY helpful to show some sort of example. That said, I totally get that it's a work in progress - I'm guessing you already know what I'm telling you :)
  - daybook 12y ago
    Yeah, it's something I've been meaning to get too. To be honest I just keep putting it off, as I've been more worried about tackling the writing experience. Anyway thanks for the feedback, Ill be sure to make this quick fix soon. By the way, you can check out privacy.daybook.io for an example of what daybook does.
    - aepearson 12y ago
      Nice, thanks for the example. A couple issues I noticed - in Chrome, on my laptop, I cannot scroll down on overflow text pages...also, the hamburger menu isn't clickable - it triggers a page turn. The design is slick as hell though.
- felixgallo 12y ago
  It rankles me a little that you want to be a trusted voice in journaling, but can't be bothered to proofread or spell-check the very first descriptive paragraph anyone sees.
  - daybook 12y ago
    I apologize for any errors made in the copy of the website, please understand that these were made unintentionally and will be corrected promptly. That being said, I do want to clarify that my goal with daybook is not to be a voice in journaling, but to provide consumers with a platform where they can log their lives just as they would with a diary.
    - hissworks 12y ago
      Are you using Daybook?
  - heyalexej 12y ago
    Ever considered the possibility that not everyone who writes on the Internet had the fate to be born Anglophone? To some, believe it or not, English might even be their tertiary language. A quick Whois lookup might have made you reconsider your phrasing on that one. And while we're at it, how is your French?
    - felixgallo 12y ago
      c'est terrible. Mais, je ne producer un anglais web site du journaling pas. If I ever do the converse, I promise I'll make sure my French copy is comprehensible.
  - bbissoon 12y ago
    He's showing his project, it's best to keep condescending comments about the person to yourself. Just focus on what is needed to make the project better. @Daybooks - Kudos for actually launching something. Done is better than perfect. Now on with comments that actually help the project. Writing copy is always a pain - I still have issues with grammar and spelling, however my code is flawless :) It's a pain to proofread when you're heavily invested in the code. The presentation is neat and clean. Until you get buzz that will do the explaining for you, it's best to put something on the front page for those who don't get what you have already. It feels intimate because you have to be in the know to have a good gist of what it does. However, it's all about your audience. I like UI but for users with IE or older browsers, your dependence on HTML5 and CSS3 might pose a problem with adoption. Always have graceful fallback. The images you're loading are sized way too large and take time to load. Kill the image sizes at 1080P and let responsive CSS do the rest. Faster load times and better presentation. On the landing page or about page - show an actual example of what the daybook entry looks like. Is there a link or a screenshot? It looks promising - is this public or private posting?
- listic 12y ago
  The app was more of scratching personal itch And what was that? I mean, really, what does daybook do that, say, a Tumblr or your favourite blogging platform doesn't? By the way, the green button says "Publish post", reaffirming my intuition... that it's just a blog, all along? the intimacy of a book Exactly what features of a book is daybook sharing? Will it be my own, and only my private own, unless I will explicitly share it, and only then, with one or two persons at a time? Will it will always be there for me to add notes to, even when my cell phone runs out of its data plan or out of coverage in the subway? Something else?
kingnothing 12y ago
You need a landing page, not a signup form. I'm not going to blindly input my name and email address in a form without any sort of context about the service.
- kingnothing 12y ago
  SSL is needed, too. Transmitting passwords via plaintext is a gaping security problem.
taco_emoji 12y ago
This is beautifully designed, but otherwise I don't see how it differentiates from other personal journaling apps (e.g. 750words, or even Evernote, or even Notepad), and I'm not about to sign up to find out. I think you should wait until things are further along and then share this again with HN. I imagine you have a significant vision for this thing, but that's still opaque at this point. Also: > Daybook was built with the idea of providing a foundation where people can write about their lives and save it for days to come, for generations to see. I'd be wary of putting any writing that I wanted to preserve "for generations" on a website that--no offense--might disappear in two months.
- daybook 12y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. As of right now the main difference would be the writing experience, and the way platform transforms the post into book-like form. There are still a few key features which I have yet to implement, but I thought it would be a good idea to show HN the site early so I could grow the platform from the outside in.
  - taco_emoji 12y ago
    > way platform transforms the post into book-like form OK, well... there's a reason mice have wheels now. If you're committed to a page-turning UX, you might want to think about this as an iPad app.
  - ocfx 12y ago
    I like the background images for each post, good job.
prawn 12y ago
Bit rushed this morning so no time to sugar coat this - hopefully it helps you get on track: I think it might've been worth a bit more time before showing it off. The front page tells me nothing and the About page is waffly. Put in some screenshots of a nice example - that wouldn't take long. Saves me reading the text. I tried the privacy.daybook.io link you provided, but that had a fancy pageturn, then two incomplete page promos (little point providing the first three words - not enough) and a burger menu that didn't do anything. I clicked through to the Privacy Policy, then tried to use my back button and the page didn't change. The pageturning swipe introduced earlier doesn't seem to do anything here, but I can click the burger menu now. There are also loads of typos in the copy. In some places it's "daybook", others it's "Daybook". Get a friend to proofread for you and standardise your product name. Where's your Daybook? Make that one great and use that as the demo.
ngokevin 12y ago
I suggest if showing something off, don't force user registration to be able to see what it is. It's shallow, but I don't want to spend time to register and possibly be subscribed to emails to see what it is.
- taco_emoji 12y ago
  I don't think it's shallow to not want to give my e-mail address out as a favor to someone I do not know. I would love to see something like this in the HN guidelines (not that anybody reads those, but...)
  - bramgg 12y ago
    It is already. From the Show HN Guidelines[0]: > Show HN is for something you've made that other people can play with. HN users can try it out, give you feedback, and ask questions in the thread. > A Show HN needn't be complicated or look slick. HN users are comfortable with work that's at an early stage. > If your work isn't ready for people to try out yet, please don't put "Show HN" in the title. Once it's ready, come back and share it then. > For example, blog posts, email signups, and fundraisers can't be tried out, so they don't count as Show HNs. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
    - taco_emoji 12y ago
      It doesn't sound like that's proscribing user registration (account creation), more just stuff like e-mail newsletters.
brianliou91 12y ago
I signed up blindly out of curiosity! Agree that some context on the service needs to be added. I love the simplicity and feel. Reminds me a lot of medium and I've actually often caught myself journaling on medium by accident because it's so easy to do. - The publish post button is weird though because I don't know what you mean by publish, is it being published to the public? Published as in like it's a finished entry?
Arun2009 12y ago
From your site I couldn't readily figure out what this offers that a private blog on an established site like wordpress.com or blogspot.com doesn't. At least we know that these players will not vanish anytime soon, and if they do, they're likely to do so "responsibly". I recall another attempt in this space called ohlife.com which has shut down apparently.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
DevFactor 12y ago
Check your typos (http://testtest.daybook.io/ http://testtest.daybook.io/). Otherwise, its very pretty and easy to use. I like the pop-up profile editor.
brudgers 12y ago
I see a lot of care in the site. But I had to be curious enough about why Daybook was a highly rated Show HN to get past my first reaction. The All your email are belong to us. of the link is, for me a complete turnoff. I haven't even seen what the Hell you're offering in return. Why would I use it? If Daybook is for writers sell it that way. If it's more social media then pitch it that way. If it's a journal then pitch that. If it's all these things then come up with some sensible stories illustrating why a social media mavens would want an intimate journal. Big suggestion. Make the writing/journaling tool standalone and make the product social media tooling and hosting. This better addresses the issue of what happens if Daybook becomes abandonware. Let me run the basis without shooting my intimate thoughts onto your server...unless I see a benefit from it. Giving away the tool and monetizing the platform means the tool has to be good for writing and journaling But if it isn't a pure SaaS is dead anyway. Good luck.

15 points by daybook 12y ago

This is side project I undertook this past winter-break. It's far from finished, but I though it would be great to show HN what I am currently working on. The app was more of scratching personal itch, rather than trying to bring order to the dozen blogging platforms. The app is just an attempt to give a different take on what could be if the intimacy of journaling and the power of the web where to come together.

aepearson 12y ago
I just spend a couple minutes on the site - and I have no idea what it does. After reading the FAQ I kinda get it...but it would be EXTREMELY helpful to show some sort of example. That said, I totally get that it's a work in progress - I'm guessing you already know what I'm telling you :)
- daybook 12y ago
  Yeah, it's something I've been meaning to get too. To be honest I just keep putting it off, as I've been more worried about tackling the writing experience. Anyway thanks for the feedback, Ill be sure to make this quick fix soon. By the way, you can check out privacy.daybook.io for an example of what daybook does.
  - aepearson 12y ago
    Nice, thanks for the example. A couple issues I noticed - in Chrome, on my laptop, I cannot scroll down on overflow text pages...also, the hamburger menu isn't clickable - it triggers a page turn. The design is slick as hell though.
felixgallo 12y ago
It rankles me a little that you want to be a trusted voice in journaling, but can't be bothered to proofread or spell-check the very first descriptive paragraph anyone sees.
- daybook 12y ago
  I apologize for any errors made in the copy of the website, please understand that these were made unintentionally and will be corrected promptly. That being said, I do want to clarify that my goal with daybook is not to be a voice in journaling, but to provide consumers with a platform where they can log their lives just as they would with a diary.
  - hissworks 12y ago
    Are you using Daybook?
- heyalexej 12y ago
  Ever considered the possibility that not everyone who writes on the Internet had the fate to be born Anglophone? To some, believe it or not, English might even be their tertiary language. A quick Whois lookup might have made you reconsider your phrasing on that one. And while we're at it, how is your French?
  - felixgallo 12y ago
    c'est terrible. Mais, je ne producer un anglais web site du journaling pas. If I ever do the converse, I promise I'll make sure my French copy is comprehensible.
- bbissoon 12y ago
  He's showing his project, it's best to keep condescending comments about the person to yourself. Just focus on what is needed to make the project better. @Daybooks - Kudos for actually launching something. Done is better than perfect. Now on with comments that actually help the project. Writing copy is always a pain - I still have issues with grammar and spelling, however my code is flawless :) It's a pain to proofread when you're heavily invested in the code. The presentation is neat and clean. Until you get buzz that will do the explaining for you, it's best to put something on the front page for those who don't get what you have already. It feels intimate because you have to be in the know to have a good gist of what it does. However, it's all about your audience. I like UI but for users with IE or older browsers, your dependence on HTML5 and CSS3 might pose a problem with adoption. Always have graceful fallback. The images you're loading are sized way too large and take time to load. Kill the image sizes at 1080P and let responsive CSS do the rest. Faster load times and better presentation. On the landing page or about page - show an actual example of what the daybook entry looks like. Is there a link or a screenshot? It looks promising - is this public or private posting?
listic 12y ago
The app was more of scratching personal itch And what was that? I mean, really, what does daybook do that, say, a Tumblr or your favourite blogging platform doesn't? By the way, the green button says "Publish post", reaffirming my intuition... that it's just a blog, all along? the intimacy of a book Exactly what features of a book is daybook sharing? Will it be my own, and only my private own, unless I will explicitly share it, and only then, with one or two persons at a time? Will it will always be there for me to add notes to, even when my cell phone runs out of its data plan or out of coverage in the subway? Something else?

kingnothing 12y ago

You need a landing page, not a signup form. I'm not going to blindly input my name and email address in a form without any sort of context about the service.

kingnothing 12y ago
SSL is needed, too. Transmitting passwords via plaintext is a gaping security problem.

taco_emoji 12y ago

This is beautifully designed, but otherwise I don't see how it differentiates from other personal journaling apps (e.g. 750words, or even Evernote, or even Notepad), and I'm not about to sign up to find out. I think you should wait until things are further along and then share this again with HN. I imagine you have a significant vision for this thing, but that's still opaque at this point. Also: > Daybook was built with the idea of providing a foundation where people can write about their lives and save it for days to come, for generations to see. I'd be wary of putting any writing that I wanted to preserve "for generations" on a website that--no offense--might disappear in two months.

daybook 12y ago
Thanks for the feedback. As of right now the main difference would be the writing experience, and the way platform transforms the post into book-like form. There are still a few key features which I have yet to implement, but I thought it would be a good idea to show HN the site early so I could grow the platform from the outside in.
- taco_emoji 12y ago
  > way platform transforms the post into book-like form OK, well... there's a reason mice have wheels now. If you're committed to a page-turning UX, you might want to think about this as an iPad app.
- ocfx 12y ago
  I like the background images for each post, good job.

prawn 12y ago

Bit rushed this morning so no time to sugar coat this - hopefully it helps you get on track: I think it might've been worth a bit more time before showing it off. The front page tells me nothing and the About page is waffly. Put in some screenshots of a nice example - that wouldn't take long. Saves me reading the text. I tried the privacy.daybook.io link you provided, but that had a fancy pageturn, then two incomplete page promos (little point providing the first three words - not enough) and a burger menu that didn't do anything. I clicked through to the Privacy Policy, then tried to use my back button and the page didn't change. The pageturning swipe introduced earlier doesn't seem to do anything here, but I can click the burger menu now. There are also loads of typos in the copy. In some places it's "daybook", others it's "Daybook". Get a friend to proofread for you and standardise your product name. Where's your Daybook? Make that one great and use that as the demo.

ngokevin 12y ago

I suggest if showing something off, don't force user registration to be able to see what it is. It's shallow, but I don't want to spend time to register and possibly be subscribed to emails to see what it is.

taco_emoji 12y ago
I don't think it's shallow to not want to give my e-mail address out as a favor to someone I do not know. I would love to see something like this in the HN guidelines (not that anybody reads those, but...)
- bramgg 12y ago
  It is already. From the Show HN Guidelines[0]: > Show HN is for something you've made that other people can play with. HN users can try it out, give you feedback, and ask questions in the thread. > A Show HN needn't be complicated or look slick. HN users are comfortable with work that's at an early stage. > If your work isn't ready for people to try out yet, please don't put "Show HN" in the title. Once it's ready, come back and share it then. > For example, blog posts, email signups, and fundraisers can't be tried out, so they don't count as Show HNs. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
  - taco_emoji 12y ago
    It doesn't sound like that's proscribing user registration (account creation), more just stuff like e-mail newsletters.

brianliou91 12y ago

I signed up blindly out of curiosity! Agree that some context on the service needs to be added. I love the simplicity and feel. Reminds me a lot of medium and I've actually often caught myself journaling on medium by accident because it's so easy to do. - The publish post button is weird though because I don't know what you mean by publish, is it being published to the public? Published as in like it's a finished entry?

Arun2009 12y ago

From your site I couldn't readily figure out what this offers that a private blog on an established site like wordpress.com or blogspot.com doesn't. At least we know that these players will not vanish anytime soon, and if they do, they're likely to do so "responsibly". I recall another attempt in this space called ohlife.com which has shut down apparently.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

DevFactor 12y ago

Check your typos (http://testtest.daybook.io/ http://testtest.daybook.io/). Otherwise, its very pretty and easy to use. I like the pop-up profile editor.

brudgers 12y ago

I see a lot of care in the site. But I had to be curious enough about why Daybook was a highly rated Show HN to get past my first reaction. The All your email are belong to us. of the link is, for me a complete turnoff. I haven't even seen what the Hell you're offering in return. Why would I use it? If Daybook is for writers sell it that way. If it's more social media then pitch it that way. If it's a journal then pitch that. If it's all these things then come up with some sensible stories illustrating why a social media mavens would want an intimate journal. Big suggestion. Make the writing/journaling tool standalone and make the product social media tooling and hosting. This better addresses the issue of what happens if Daybook becomes abandonware. Let me run the basis without shooting my intimate thoughts onto your server...unless I see a benefit from it. Giving away the tool and monetizing the platform means the tool has to be good for writing and journaling But if it isn't a pure SaaS is dead anyway. Good luck.