Today I will be retiring @Dad Reply from active development.
With the latest feature of @Gmail being a "reaction button" it, to me, now seems redundant. This was never a long term goal of mine, I spun the idea up because I thought it would be funny, not realising the impact it would have.
A friend once told me, and I am paraphrasing here. "If you build on top of a platform you're beholden to that platform.", so I always knew that this could happen.
It was only because I couldn't post it to @Reddit that I jokingly launched it on Product Hunt, which, in turn, lead it to being 4th for the day, granted me a meeting with @jakecrump and his PA @catt_marroll to discuss my experience, got a shoutout from @rrhoover and was chosen to lead the daily Product Hunt email list.
In the coming days I will push a final update to remove any restrictions. Including the pro-version (which I never charged for).
This whole experience has been so valuable to me. And as much as I don't want to sound like a bot, it's true.
It gave me the confidence to build my ideas and ship them (something I have been helping other people do for 15+ years).
I did this for me, and just because of how ridiculous it is. Since then I have been continuing to push things out under workingon.studio, a new playground for me to explore my ideas. Creating products that shine a mirror on the ridiculousness of the world, and how we see it.
I've also been focusing on building tools for those that are switching back to @Sketch , including a powerful icon plugin. Which they have recognised, and have supported me in doing so.
Most of these things, like with @Dad Reply have been for me. They are my itches to scratch. And trust me, after 15+ years of doing nothing about it I'm itching all over.
My next little thing is launching on Monday. So keep an eye out for that. And there are many more in the cannon.

According to some sources, Black Friday is the 2nd most profitable holiday for marketers.

People are so used to getting deals/discounts on this day.

We ve got a big update: after ten years, we re officially sunsetting the Golden Kitty Awards.

I've noticed that more and more founders are building their personal brand and prioritising it over building their company's brand (the company account then just reposts the founder's thoughts).

I notice this especially with solo founders.

Hey PH family.

Been part of this community for years now, and if there's one place to talk with builders, this is it.

I ve noticed two main narratives in how companies view their competitors.

Either it s a fight to the death approach exactly like what we see between Replit and Lovable (though it seems Replit does more of the provoking ) basically: We speak badly about our competition.

Today, I read 2 messages that are contradictory in nature, and it seems like one branch is rebelling against the other.

• Meta and other big tech companies are replacing human workers with AI.

• Heineken, Aerie, Polaroid, and even Cadbury are riding the anti-AI wave, mocking Big Tech and positioning human-made creativity as the ultimate authenticity flex.

How do you think that these pro and anti streams can affect the evolution of AI and our perception of its use?

I have been a Product Hunt user for 5 years now, and it's been amazing to see how much the platform has evolved.

That said, I sometimes feel the absence of AI-native features. Things like smart filtering of fake profiles during the signup stage, automated link health checks on launch pages, or even an AI-driven support assistant (remember the old chat widget?).

We're not going to lie. One of the key places people ask you for help with a PH launch is in LinkedIn DMs (followed by X and email).

Most connections I got were people from Product Hunt, so it is a pity not to use that platform.
I am trying to grow LinkedIn and play with many strategies, among:

• posting several pieces of content per day

• actively comment on other people's posts

• send a certain number of connection requests per day

• do collaborative posts with other creators

• writing LinkedIn articles/newsletters (native feature)

Hey, Dad's back!

I said I was popping out for some cigarettes and a paper some time ago, but it was no abandon. The queue at the shop was massive. And of course being British, I wasn't going to leave it. So with a copy of last month's paper under my arm, and a freshly lit hot stick perched between my lips. I am here.

Hello Daddies,

Oh god...maybe not, if the same person that came up with Swifties can get in touch that would be great.

Firstly, a huge thank you to anyone that voted for Dad Reply. I honestly wasn't expecting the response I got.