[HN Gopher] Show HN: DevClad - A social-workspace platform for d...
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       Show HN: DevClad - A social-workspace platform for developers
        
       DevClad[https://devclad.com] is a social-workspace platform for
       developers to team up on projects and hackathons seamlessly.  It
       functions by matching you 1-on-1 with a compatible developer every
       week :)
        
       Author : tr1ll10nb1ll
       Score  : 63 points
       Date   : 2023-01-16 10:00 UTC (13 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (github.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (github.com)
        
       | WesSouza wrote:
       | The fact that submitting the forms keep them on screen and
       | enabled is confusing, especially given you can submit using
       | return.
        
       | personjerry wrote:
       | Is this like Lunchclub? https://lunchclub.com/
        
         | tr1ll10nb1ll wrote:
         | Similar. I took that as a starting point for the developer
         | niche and I plan on turning it into something where developers
         | can work on ideas together.
         | 
         | I built an even more rough version of that here -
         | https://connectdome.com (but then I realized I was dealing with
         | feature-bloat) so now I'm experimenting a little slower.
        
           | jdthedisciple wrote:
           | is connectdome still up and running or is it a dead project
           | at this point?
           | 
           | might wanna try it and compare to this one
        
           | toyg wrote:
           | *> connectdome.com
           | 
           | OT, but that's an expertsexchange kind of domain...
        
       | progx wrote:
       | Services for developers? Good luck!
        
       | Laaas wrote:
       | When I try logging in with GitHub:                 This
       | application will be able to read and write all user data. This
       | includes the following:              Private email addresses
       | Private profile information         Followers
       | 
       | Seems odd?
        
         | tr1ll10nb1ll wrote:
         | Two things.
         | 
         | 1. The page mentions:                 Github is only for login.
         | To create an account, go to Signup.
         | 
         | 2. It's completely optional to connect it. The reason it asks
         | for all those permissions is because I'm planning to use it to
         | integrate common Github actions in DevClad. Again, you don't
         | need to do any of that. Optional.
        
           | Laaas wrote:
           | Thanks. I was imagining it'd use information from your GitHub
           | account to match you better.
        
       | steele wrote:
       | We all know how this goes from dating websites... just a bunch of
       | non-technical co-founders looking for easy matches or pretending
       | to be developers to keep tabs on their former engineers. Bet
       | there are tons of fake developer accounts too. We are not pieces
       | of meat!
        
       | ripperdoc wrote:
       | Seems nice! I would prefer a twist of this more towards finding
       | other's with an expertise you don't have yourself and having the
       | option to center the conversation around a particular topic, and
       | some expectation of sharing advice and expertise (not just
       | chatting).
       | 
       | There could be a paid model, or you could imagine a credit system
       | where you also offer your own expertise and time to others in
       | equal measure. That could still lead to finding things to work
       | together on, but could also lead to learning, consulting gigs or
       | just networking - with the added benefit of being immediately
       | useful at work. But that maybe already exists somewhere?
        
       | lol768 wrote:
       | > Every week, you are matched with another dev using an ML
       | algorithm for a 1 on 1 call.
       | 
       | I must admit I rolled my eyes when I read "ML algorithm" since
       | it's usually marketing bullshit. Seemingly it's unsupervised knn
       | w/ Scikit Learn, mixing variables like "open to video calls",
       | "location", "openness to ideas" and "timezone".
       | 
       | Fairly neat.
        
         | shultays wrote:
         | What if it used an AI to match you instead? We can even run
         | that AI on blockchain!
        
           | throw1234651234 wrote:
           | I literally can't even, trigger warning! I hope you are using
           | that blockchain on an ethically sourced quantum computer
           | using ethically raised qubits.
        
         | me551ah wrote:
         | Isn't "unsupervised knn w/ Scikit Learn" ML? Yes it's
         | unsupervised and not a lot of effort was put into it, but it is
         | still ML.
        
           | saurik wrote:
           | The usage of "usually" in the comment you are replying to is
           | often paired with a "but/except" that I feel is implied here,
           | and so they actually agree with you.
        
         | tr1ll10nb1ll wrote:
         | It indeed is. I'll try to find someone better at ML than me
         | over time but I think this approach should serve well at least
         | for the first 1k users or so if I'm not wrong.
        
           | swyx wrote:
           | maybe just say "similarity" rather than "ml algorithm" since
           | that is what you are doing
        
             | tr1ll10nb1ll wrote:
             | From the POV of a marketing copy, I don't think that
             | sticks. I could possibly change it on the Github, however.
             | Or, elaborate on what is meant by an ML algorithm in the
             | context of DevClad.
        
               | jamessb wrote:
               | > you are matched with another dev using an ML algorithm
               | 
               | Could be simplified to just:
               | 
               | > you are automatically matched with another dev
        
               | tr1ll10nb1ll wrote:
               | Fair point.
        
       | Oras wrote:
       | It can be a good prescreening recruitment platform where
       | developers try to find other developers to join their team.
       | 
       | With this kind of platform, you need to keep the quality and
       | commitment high all the time, which is quite challenging. For
       | example, I tried LunchClub for a few weeks, it was brilliant
       | initially, but then you get those who canceled last minute or did
       | not show up to the call and then stopped because I saw it as a
       | waste of time.
        
         | tr1ll10nb1ll wrote:
         | This is so on point. I've thought about this a lot and it's
         | definitely something I will aggressively pursue if I manage to
         | have good engagement initially.
         | 
         | The preliminary step before pursuing this would be allowing
         | users to work on projects and hackathons (or at least, showcase
         | projects better) on DevClad.
        
       | juliushuijnk wrote:
       | somewhat related to this https://adplist.org
        
       | karmakaze wrote:
       | I was wondering how you pair devs with similar interests and
       | noticed that it says "using ML" exactly once. Is that the scope
       | of it or are there settings?
       | 
       | Seems I misunderstood completely. The site uses ML to do the
       | matching and devs feed the ML how?
        
       | cssanchez wrote:
       | Just tried it and even though I hit save on step 2, nothing
       | happened and it deleted everything when I went back to step 1...
       | Hope you can figure it out.
        
         | tr1ll10nb1ll wrote:
         | I'll try replicating it.
         | 
         | Update: It's a possibility you didn't hit Save on Step 1.
        
           | selectnull wrote:
           | I also had a problem. Figured it out by submitting with dev
           | console open and reading HTTP response. There were no
           | messages for errors: required fields, pronouns had a min
           | lenght and stuff like that.
           | 
           | Really like the idea and willing to try it out. Hope it works
           | well. Good luck.
        
       | Gys wrote:
       | > you are matched with another dev using an ML algorithm for a 1
       | on 1 call
       | 
       | I was wondering why so complicated and how the model was
       | learned...
       | 
       | > https://github.com/DevClad-Inc/devclad/blob/main/apps/server...
       | 
       | Aha, better indeed to rely on your own human learning ;-)
        
       | geuis wrote:
       | I'll just be honest. One on ones suck. We all mostly have to do
       | it year after year with managers and it's a huge uncomfortable
       | waste of time.
       | 
       | Having to talk to some random person is even more awkward and a
       | waste of time.
       | 
       | Make it useful and group up 3-4 randos at a time. The best
       | conversations happen in small groups.
        
         | dewey wrote:
         | The problem there isn't the tool ("one on one") but the
         | surrounding process in your organization from what it sounds
         | like.
         | 
         | In my experience, having a weekly 1:1 with your manager works
         | really well. If that's a frequent and regular occurrence,
         | there's nothing uncomfortable about it.
         | 
         | It's a weekly block of time where you can discuss the
         | priorities, give feedback, talk about things outside of work or
         | start salary negotiations or role changes. If there's a week
         | where there's nothing new it'll just be 5 minutes long, but
         | having a regular no-pressure event is a lot less stressful than
         | having a scheduled 1:1 come out of nowhere or once or twice a
         | year.
        
           | geuis wrote:
           | You completely missed my point. I'm not talking about
           | managers, I'm talking about how fucking awkward it is to talk
           | to people. We're mostly all a bunch of nerds. Lots of common
           | ground, below average social skills. (I'm intentionally being
           | facetious here.)
           | 
           | Small groups of 3-4 people with similar interests are WAY
           | easier to feel comfortable in and get interesting
           | conversations going.
        
             | dewey wrote:
             | Even for "nerds" there are usually people where they don't
             | feel awkward about talking to them (Friends, family, online
             | regulars,...). My point is that by not making a 1:1 a big
             | event but rather a regular occurrence it'll be just become
             | part of a regular week, and not a big event or something to
             | feel awkward about.
             | 
             | This is very different to meeting an online stranger you
             | have never interacted with every week.
        
               | throwaway4aday wrote:
               | > This is very different to meeting an online stranger
               | you have never interacted with every week.
               | 
               | Isn't that what's happening in this app? From the landing
               | page:
               | 
               | > Every week, you are matched with another dev
               | automatically for a 1 on 1 call.
               | 
               | So it's going to super awkward for people that don't like
               | cold starts with strangers. I agree with the other
               | commenter but I've also seen responses in other comments
               | that say some people prefer 1-on-1s to groups so I say,
               | why not both? Just have a preference that says if you
               | want to do 1-on-1 or a small group and let people choose.
               | That way if you change your mind or want to try out the
               | other type you can switch.
        
       | DoingIsLearning wrote:
       | As a suggestion you could also try and give users some levers on
       | your matching algo.
       | 
       | For example some people might be interested in matching up with
       | someone similar. Some (like me) would like to talk to people
       | doing different things, on different stacks, with different
       | problem domains and find synergies/learning opportunities that
       | way.
        
       | tonnydourado wrote:
       | OP: this is not a direct criticism of your idea or implementation
       | (in fact, by the end, you might notice I'm not sure I even have a
       | valid criticism here), just a general observation on a trend I
       | feel is common on this sort of initiative.
       | 
       | I don't know about y'all, but I hate this idea of random 1-on-1s.
       | Nothing sends my anxiety levels to the freaking roof as the idea
       | of having to talk alone to a complete stranger.
       | 
       | Make it 3+ people, though, and I'm absolutely game for it. This
       | is not about being
       | reclusive/introverted/autistic/antisocial/whatever: I actually
       | like socializing, and meeting new people (well, to a certain
       | extent, but I digress). It's just that, at least for me, 1-on-1
       | interactions are the most intense ones, even with people you
       | know, let alone with strangers. Group interactions put much less
       | pressure in each person, and it increases the chances of having
       | at least one more extroverted person to lead the conversation.
       | 
       | And yet, almost every single instance of this trope of "helping
       | people connect through random pairings" is 1-on-1.
       | 
       | Maybe I'm the exception here, or maybe it's easier to implement
       | 1-on-1 pairings, I don't know. But I'd love to see more things
       | like this, but that didn't promote one of my worst nightmares as
       | a feature.
        
         | brudgers wrote:
         | _Nothing sends my anxiety levels to the freaking roof as the
         | idea of having to talk alone to a complete stranger._
         | 
         | Gaining experiences through the platform might be a useful tool
         | for mitigating that anxiety.
         | 
         | But if you have a therapist, maybe talk to them first. Or not.
         | Or you don't.
         | 
         | My point being that learning as an adult means breaking habits,
         | jumping into situations that you habitually avoid, and
         | generally doing things that you are either bad at or put you at
         | discomfort.
        
         | jdthedisciple wrote:
         | Just to add myself to the contrasting voices: I used to be like
         | you but nowadays I enjoy the idea of 1-on-1s with strangers.
         | 
         | Perhaps what changed for me was accumulating knowledge and
         | experience over the years by simply being very curious about
         | all sorts of things. Thus I found that I don't even have to try
         | anymore, my natural curiosity + experience automatically leads
         | me through such encounters all the while being fully aware of
         | the risk of being confronted with an absolute nutcase which
         | only makes things a little more exciting.
        
         | arcturus17 wrote:
         | To bring a contrasting perspective, I see nothing weird about
         | meeting people one-to-one, and I see it as the most natural and
         | efficient process for discovering opportunities.
         | 
         | I meet with potential co-founders on StartupSchool and
         | customers for my consulting business one-on-one all the time.
         | You shoot the shit for 10min, see if there is common ground,
         | and take it from there. Nothing prevents you from connecting
         | with a third person or more later!
         | 
         | I'm interested in DevClad as it is and have added it to my to-
         | do list to try in the coming weeks.
        
         | monsieurbanana wrote:
         | I'm much more comfortable with a one to one meetings, just to
         | give another anecdata point
        
           | flickster wrote:
           | Same for me. In group situations I always have the pressure
           | to talk so I am not overtalked by other people. This
           | obviously depends on the group, but that's gow I usually
           | feel. I also have a quite high "response latency" and people
           | just tend to answer and share the stories quicker and more
           | eagerly, so I feel often left out in those situations.
        
         | mistrial9 wrote:
         | one way this 1-on-1 evolved in the past was shared culture,
         | aspirations, commitments.. you like the same music, you know
         | you agree on some things, you are on the same (tribal+ sized)
         | team.
         | 
         | 1-on-1 can be a lot of stress - empathy on that
         | 
         | computers attract .. what is the term "neuro-atypical" or
         | something? one of the few times I really lost my patience was
         | with an Ausberger-kind-of-guy.. I thought I was patient, I
         | tried to be patient.. maybe there are some learned skills..
         | 
         | limiting the scope of what the interaction involves, also can
         | be constructive
        
         | fernandotakai wrote:
         | funny enough, i used to have MASSIVE anxiety spikes when i
         | thought about talking to a random stranger 1-on-1, to the point
         | where i would basically lock up.
         | 
         | two things helped: i started taking CBD oil (with a medical
         | prescription) and, more importantly, i started interviewing
         | people at my last job, which meant i had to talk to strangers
         | at least once a week.
         | 
         | nowadays i still have some anxiety, but after making my self go
         | through 1-on-1 interviews i got used to it, and now i actually
         | enjoy it :)
        
         | nicoburns wrote:
         | > This is not about being
         | reclusive/introverted/autistic/antisocial/whatever
         | 
         | Sounds like it might be about being extraverted. It of course
         | depends on the specific scenario, but introverts tend to be
         | more comfortable 1 on 1 or in small groups, whereas extraverts
         | tend to prefer small groups or large groups.
        
           | hnbad wrote:
           | Honestly? I'm not an extrovert at all but a group of 3+
           | people makes it a lot easier to keep my distance and get a
           | feel for how people are before engaging with them. For me
           | this is very much an autism thing.
           | 
           | When going to conferences I've made it a habit to try to talk
           | to new people on every break out of principle (because after
           | all, if I just want to watch the talks, usually there are
           | recordings available afterwards or even a livestream, so
           | they're a waste of money on their own). But approaching
           | strangers standing alone is extremely awkward unless you have
           | a plausible excuse (e.g. queuing) so the "open circle" group
           | of 3+ people (i.e. keeping enough space while facing each
           | other so at least another person can easily join) tends to
           | work best.
           | 
           | Being in a group of 3+ people also reduces the social anxiety
           | of whether it's okay to back out because you're not
           | abandoning the person specifically, while also making it
           | easier for an additional person to join because there's
           | already a conversation going so it's fine if you find that
           | you have nothing to add.
        
           | arcturus17 wrote:
           | Tbh, it sounds like it might be about not wanting to connect
           | _that bad_. Because if you want to connect _really bad_ (for
           | romance, business, friendship, or what have you), you learn
           | very quickly that one-to-one connections are not something
           | you dispense with.
        
             | throwaway4aday wrote:
             | There's an important distinction here between the concepts
             | of "wanting to" and "knowing how to" and how they impact
             | someone's decision to attempt something. For example, your
             | car may break down and you may ultimately decide to have it
             | towed to a garage and repaired by a mechanic even though
             | you may very badly "want to" repair it yourself. You make
             | that decision because you understand that you do not "know
             | how to" fix it yourself. The outcome of that scenario can
             | be very different based on the degree to which you want to
             | or know how to approach it.
             | 
             | Similarly, someone who decides to avoid a one on one
             | interaction with someone may very badly want to make a
             | connection with someone else but they decide not to because
             | they don't know how to appropriately handle such a
             | situation. This may not be entirely anxiety driven since
             | many people will have repeatedly attempted one on one
             | connections and failed badly, leading them to believe
             | perhaps rightly that they don't know how to and so they
             | must lean on some other device such as socializing only in
             | group settings where they can build off of others' social
             | skills.
             | 
             | I'm not saying it's impossible for anyone to learn how to
             | successfully connect one on one with others, I'm just
             | asking that you not assume that everyone has the same
             | learned skills and knowledge that you do.
        
               | arcturus17 wrote:
               | I am getting lost in all these semantic considerations.
               | 
               | How can you build a business or form a romantic
               | relationship or a friendship without one-to-one
               | connections?
        
               | nicoburns wrote:
               | I think the TLDR is that you might WANT to build a
               | business, form romantic relationship or friendships, but
               | not have the skills to do so or else be uncomfortable
               | with the process of getting to that point (despite
               | wanting the end result).
        
         | mensetmanusman wrote:
         | Group chats also reduce the likelihood for abuse, which is why
         | all prevention nowadays requires more than two people present
         | in abuse-prone situations like locker rooms etc.
        
         | mr90210 wrote:
         | I personally don't do well on group chats, I am also an
         | introvert but I feel that I am able to better connect with
         | people on a 1-to-1 capacity.
        
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       (page generated 2023-01-16 23:02 UTC)