At first, I tried to make a newsletter just for my clients. I wanted to bridge the gap between tech-savvy folks like me and those who aren't as familiar with the ins and outs of programming. But then it hit me—why not make it available to everyone who wants to understand the tech world without having to learn how to code? So, I revamped it to cater to anyone who's curious about technology.
Each edition of the newsletter focuses on a specific tech term or concept. We'll break it down, ditch the complicated jargon, and give you real-life examples that make it all crystal clear. My goal isn't to teach you programming (that's a whole different ball game). Instead, I want to give you the knowledge you need to have better conversations and a deeper understanding of the tech that shapes our world.
So, whether you're an entrepreneur who wants to connect better with your tech team, a project manager looking to understand what the developers are talking about, or simply a tech enthusiast who wants to dive into the digital world, hop on board and let's make tech simple together!
Targeting developers who are just starting out is a cute concept but having to decipher the ramblings of a madman, be it in code or documentation, is a pretty standard part of the job.
As a developer, it's always been my job to explain things to non-technical people in as few words as possible during conversations. I'm not sure how a newsletter would fit in that use case.
What differentiates your product from the Simple English wikipedia for example?
Unlike the Simple English Wikipedia, which covers a bunch of topics in a traditional encyclopedia format, we're laser-focused on tech. We dive deep into tech terms, giving you concise explanations that cut through the noise. We're all about keeping it relevant, practical, and accessible to everyone. But the best part is that we're not just sending you information and leaving you hanging. If something isn't clear or you have questions, just hit that reply button in our email. We're here to chat and give you personalized explanations.
If non-techie people are willing to pay you $15 for you to write simplified summaries of programming concepts, so they can glance for 15 seconds at the occasional email they receive, then good on you. I can actually see people paying, but let's be real... ChatGPT can do this.
Your value add is that you're just giving a 'path' for someone to follow along since they won't know where to start. But anyone that 'wants' to learn will quickly find a learning path like javascript.info
The amount of individuals I've come across who don't even have instinct to look up vocabulary they don't know is unbelievable.
> [...] It's more of a LARP where we pretend we have some [...]
> What's a LARP?
> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104515
Lots of folks here with commentary on pricing and chatgpt. I’ll suggest that these folks aren’t your customers - they already know what an API is! From a business perspective the most valuable feedback will be from people who have a need, right now, to get up to speed on technical topics. Take HN with a little grain of salt.
Good luck!
For example,
Q: "What is closure in javascript?"
GPT4.0: A closure in JavaScript is a function that has access to its own scope, the scope of the outer function, and the global scope. This feature enables the function to access variables from an enclosing scope even after that scope has finished execution, providing a sort of "memory" for the function.
Q: "What is closure in javascript? Your task is to explain it to a middle school student."
GPT4.0: "Imagine you're building a magical castle. Inside this castle, you have a special room where you keep all your secret treasures. Normally, once you leave the room, you can't see or use the treasures anymore.
But then, you invent a magical backpack. With this backpack, you can take any treasure from the room, and no matter where you go, you can always see and use the treasure you put into the backpack. Even if the room disappears, the treasures in your backpack stay with you.
In JavaScript land, the "castle" is like your program, the "room" is a function, and the "treasures" are variables or data that the function uses. A closure is like the magical backpack. It's a special kind of function that remembers the variables it saw when it was created, even after the function it was created inside is done running."
We start off with “imagine a magic castle”, then a magical backpack that lets you put things in and take them out in a different location - doesn’t a regular backpack do this already? and a (magical?) room that disappears. None of this makes any sense, it doesn’t relate any of these concepts to something a student might already know about.
I don’t doubt that gpt will continue to improve, but this example makes me feel like the OP will definitely be able to add value for explaining concepts.
But you still have to check with proper ressources and if possible, a real human at the current state of tech. Otherwise you will likely get some things very wrong and that can hurt you later.
The personification of businesses + the personification of AI in this instance frustrates me since it’s clear to myself and most users on HN and possibly not so clear to others, that it’s likely that the “We” who is explaining the projects is not necessarily the “you”, as in the person advertising this service or any other human being that you work with.
The next time you need that same book, the librarian doesn't have to go all the way to the stacks again – they can just grab it from the shelf behind the counter.”
This is missing the step where after you return the book to the librarian, they put it on the shelf behind the counter.
Then if you want you can talk about the shelf only fitting a limited number of books, and the librarian having to decide what to do if the shelf is full.
I would also include an about page with a writeup of your qualifications to be doing this (as specific as you want to get w/o personal info if you don't want it there).
Finally I'd also offer a service that is not a newsletter basically an 'ask me' type where a non tech person can email questions and get short replies.
Once again, I appreciate your advice. It's really helpful, and I'll take it into consideration as I continue to develop and make enhancements.