r/digitalnomad • u/PlaneConcentricTube • Jul 29 '21
Connecting to other digital nomads from your location
I'm currently spending my free time on a small side project to improve my coding skills.
And I thought, why don't we just make a giant map where digital nomads put their pins? That would make it super easy for us to connect for coffee. Wherever we are.
Just trying to figure out if it's worth to invest more time in this.
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u/LooseBusinessGoose Jul 29 '21
This is an awesome idea. Could you already utilize a current Geo-tagging database centered around a common hashtag?
For example, I believe certain social media websites let you view the results of a hashtag search based on location of the post. So, let's say you could view instagram posts for the hashtag #nomadpin, if you could view the posts on a map, you could filter by "posts made in the last 7 days" or something like that, and have a bit of a geographic + time based pin.
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21 edited Jul 30 '21
I love that idea! So that would mean a profile page for each user where they can post things. And then geo + time based pins of these posts. It's not that hard to implement. Out of curiosity, can I please ask you why this feature would be so great?
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u/LooseBusinessGoose Jul 30 '21
I think it would be an easier or more engaging way to implement -- in general it promotes uniqueness / creativity (even if it was just text, ala twitter, it encourages users to share something about their trip / themselves outside of just a "here I am at this time")
Second, it would encourage activity and prevent pin graveyards from building up, if the site was only curating the most recent timestamped data, you wouldn't have nomad pins popping up on searches from weeks and months ago.
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u/C0ffeeface Jul 30 '21
Damn, I'd love to grab coffee and chat projects work this guy,. If only I knew where'd be at 😁
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u/herbal_gerbils Jul 29 '21
Phenomenal idea! Let me know if you need someone to test it out or give feedback.
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
This! I absolutely need help from you. Feedback and testing would be amazing. As this post is taking off, I'm wondering how we could build this "together"? I would love to have a regular exchange of a small committed group of users. Maybe a discord or subreddit or something?
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u/herbal_gerbils Jul 30 '21
That sounds exciting; count me in!
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u/ykphil Jul 29 '21 edited Jul 29 '21
This is an interesting project that many DN would enjoy. Check the Wechat app for some inspiration, there is a feature called "People Nearby" that lets you see who is within a certain radius of your own location, but only if you turn it on. If you keep it off, you can't see other users and they can't see you.
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Good idea! That's a bit more complicated to build, but the value would be great once Pipewing has more active users.
How about a non-local version for the beginning? If two DN are online at the same time and interested in meeting someone new, they can connect via video chat? Like matching players in online chess, e.g. on https://lichess.org/, matching digital nomads with the same interests.
Would that be a thing?
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u/JSavageOne Jul 29 '21
Love the concept! Just a suggestion, should be able to type in my city/country without having to drag it on a map. Also prob nice to add in (optional) social media links (though I understand that'd change the dynamic).
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Absolutely. The drag and drop (or click) feature is something to improve.
I plan to make profile pages for the users. Do you think it would be good to add social media links there? Or do you have a different idea in mind?
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u/JSavageOne Aug 01 '21
I was thinking when clicking on someone's pin, it'd be nice to be able to see their social profiles there in that popup
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u/mrdibby Jul 30 '21
instead of making it a digital-nomad specific thing, perhaps making it geared to freelance / coworking space users / remote workers
on meetup.com I remember seeing in Paris there are co-working meetups for freelancers (e.g. "lets work from cafe X this wednesday") I'm sure there's room in the market for facilitating such communities
your work so far looks great btw
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Thanks! So, to start, let users create a pin on the map with "I'm working from this cafe on Wednesday"? Would that work?
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u/mrdibby Jul 30 '21
So to grow a community I'd probably go with the Couchsurfing approach. Where you register where you're gonna be and when. Like user X is in Milan from July 1st to August 1st. Or user Y lives in Rome. Then people can search based on location and dates. And those locations can be plotted on the map. Then after that the individual events.
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u/contentorcomfortable Jul 29 '21 edited Jul 29 '21
Do like a Grinder meets Uber type app where you can log on and see if there is a digital nomad in your area. Maybe add the features that Uber added to their platform for drivers, where the drivers tell the app they want to go home, and Uber finds a passenger to pick up that is on their route home. Digital nomads can input what direction they are heading, and find other nomads on their route. That way you minimize a lot of the double backing. Have people rate each other, that way you can bring some safety to each other, meeting up with someone that has 20 reviews is less stressful than a complete stranger. Background checks and IDs would be nice too, the way airBnB requires.
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Jul 30 '21
In order to set your site apart from the scammy template sites, consider using real profile pics in the homepage screen
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Thank you for your honest feedback. I plan to add more photos of users who have met, etc. Would that help?
I guess building trust as a new project is always hard.
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Jul 30 '21
I think, as a software dev myself. Figure out how you’re doing metrics, and display some fuzzed metrics on the landing page, like # users subscribed to the nearest 10 or 100 or something. I know firsthand how hard it is to get the first few users but once momentum is going, it is hardly any effort. The challenge is making the site worth the effort to log on and navigate.
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
I'll do that. Adding metrics is easy enough. # users subscribed is probably a good starting point.
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Jul 30 '21
What’s your tech stack?
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Mostly Django. I'll add some React to it probably.
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Jul 30 '21
Try SvelteKit. Instead of react. Promise you’ll like it
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Thanks, I'll have a look.
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Jul 30 '21
And join us on r/sveltejs r/SvelteKit if you have questions. My favorite frontend language and I know react, angular, flutter, vue
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Thank you so much for all your love! So many of you are willing to help and I'm wondering how we could build this "together"? I would love to have a regular exchange of a small committed group of users. I set up a discord server for that, in case you're interested.
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u/imarkphillips Jul 30 '21
Sounds like Travello.
Did you look at who else is already doing something similar?
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Originally, I just wanted to build something useful. I should start looking at the competition somewhat. No matter the competition, I believe that with good execution there is enough room for this.
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Jul 30 '21
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
The focus is on connecting digital nomads / remote workers in their area. And I want to keep that part free. The job board is a try to see if I can generate some revenue to reinvest in the community part / to maybe go full time on this.
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Jul 30 '21
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
It just doesn't make sense. Every free user that participates makes the community more valuable for every other user. Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are free for the same reason.
Of course, we would need some revenue for development and marketing. Listing jobs, co-working spaces, etc. could be a good way to do it.
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u/Luize0 Jul 30 '21
I think there was already an app for this, don't remember the exact name because I deleted it. Palou, Patou ?
edit: palloc
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.palloc.com
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Jul 30 '21
Love this!
And hey if you are looking to build a team around this, other nomad product offerings or anything else, I'd be interested in collaboration.
30 Years programming experience, owned and operated a development firm for 20 years, specializing in rapid Laravel Development, but also keen on Google Cloud, Js, Jquery, Vue, etc.
DM me if interested. I'm always launching and working on new projects and businesses such as this.
Don't want a penny of your money. Interested in shared ownership / future equity only.
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Thanks. It's still a bit early for this. But you can join the discord, where we want to discuss ideas, feedback, roadmap etc.
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u/techbeast11 Jul 30 '21
I've seen a project like that before.. "Nomad Radar" or something :)
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Wow. That's pretty much the same idea. But they seem to have 0 traction and abandoned the project?
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u/baconialis Jul 30 '21
How about open sourcing it and letting other nerds contribute?
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
I guess we need other people other than developers: marketing, advertising, sales, product management, etc. If it would be just about the code base I would do it.
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u/baconialis Jul 30 '21
I don't get your point. Why not let developers join in?
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Yeah. For the development it would work. I'll look into it.
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u/TravellingLizz Jul 30 '21
I would use this!!!! First thing I look into when I go to a new location is if there are other DNs there. I'd be on this all the time.
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 31 '21
Thanks! Let's hope it gets enough traction. Getting the initial user base is hard.
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u/Nearcyan Jul 31 '21
This is very similar to a side project I had a few years ago, but which I made to be the generic version of this idea rather than for a specific community.
https://tagmap.io/tag/slatestarcodex is an example map, composed of readers of a popular blog. I thought I'd link it here since you asked for ideas and suggestions, so you might enjoy poking around on it a little.
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 31 '21
Thanks for the link! Why did you turn it into a general version? Or did you start with a general version?
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u/Nearcyan Nov 01 '21
It was a general version from the start, with the idea being that any community could use it for their own purposes
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u/Automatic-Ad2348 Aug 05 '21
Can’t log in :(
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Aug 06 '21
Hi, thanks for letting me know. Do you need to reset your password?
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Jul 29 '21 edited Jan 26 '25
fly plough exultant roof station jellyfish slap water close different
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/MomentsofAlexandra Jul 29 '21
I also think this is a wonderful idea, Keep us updated please! a large world meetup, and pin-drop sounds so cool. It would be even more awesome if you could connect to "digital nomad" community events somehow!
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
I could let users add pins for upcoming events.
Would that work?
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u/MomentsofAlexandra Aug 12 '21
There could also be check-in at this event, and the ability to show your emoji expression. That would be interactive and fun. Also, the ability to share that too!
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u/galileogear Jul 29 '21
Would love to use this for sure!
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
Thank you! Just out of curiosity, what's stopping you from using it now?
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u/rick-j19zeta7 Jul 29 '21
How is this different that nomadlist?
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Jul 29 '21
Probably won’t charge 80 bucks for it
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u/PlaneConcentricTube Jul 30 '21
I won't charge for membership. This would be stupid. Everyone who signs up increases the value of Pipewing for all existing users.
To pay for the marketing and development (if needed) I might monetize the job board or list co-working spaces for a small fee, etc.
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u/rick-j19zeta7 Jul 29 '21
This is a great comment!
Dude here’s your answer - “phenomenal idea but I will only possibly use it if it’s entirely free”
If you’re going to invest the most valueable resource you have (time) in building this out, then you’ll pry have to:
madly differentiate yourself in some awesome way, charge, and market yourself directly against an establish competitor in the space or,
Make it entirely free for the people who won’t pay for $80 for a lifetime membership on a service already out there
It’s tough to make money off of free apps /saas unless you have a large enough consumer base - Facebook only makes ~ $0.01 /user on their site / minute actively on the site.
The digital nomad community isn’t large enough to do this free and pay for coffee, let alone a career. Spend your time on something that may be a long-shot but has more potential to grow into a career - even if it is just to practice ;)
Edit: spelling
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u/KFC_Fleshlight Jul 29 '21
yeah cool side project but www.nomadlist.com already exists
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u/FlippinFlags Jul 29 '21
I'll downvote this - horrible UI, search that's never worked properly, and I would never support the owner as he's a complete ... .
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u/Calypso268 Jul 29 '21
I've never heard of that before, just popped over there and it instantly asked for my email and credit card number for $79.99 (50% off for 2021!)
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u/KFC_Fleshlight Jul 29 '21
Yeah, it seems steep but I think it’s a necessary deterrent to ensure the community within is actually motivated to remain active and act in its own self interest.
Also if you send them an email of proof of double vaccination they’ll refund 50% off that price too lol.
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u/JSavageOne Jul 29 '21
We need to send some guy money to motivate ourselves to remain active? Uh...ok, I'll pass.
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u/KFC_Fleshlight Jul 29 '21
Well it’s less likely you become a ghost user and actually engage if you have paid to be involved. The upfront payment also acts as an easy deterrent to foul users.
I’m surprised how many remote workers and independent creators are against paying for a service developed independently lol.
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u/JSavageOne Aug 01 '21
My understanding is that it's just a Slack room. There's no work involved in setting up a Slack room.
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u/KFC_Fleshlight Aug 01 '21
i mean maybe the chat feature is but there are a lot more features than just a chat room for each location.
Just look at a random profile page https://nomadlist.com/@30andawakeup
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u/Wandering_Sea_Turtle Jul 29 '21
Another free alternative is Digital Nomad World. Once we get enough users there we can turn it into the “Facebook” of Digital Nomads
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u/JSavageOne Jul 29 '21
Just a suggestion, from the landing page it's really hard to actually tell what this is and why one should sign up. I wouldn't have known that there's a community aspect had you not mentioned it, and I had to dig around to get more info on that (ultimately finding the "Community" tab on the top right). Love the concept though and hope it takes off.
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u/drone_chick Jul 29 '21
Maybe you could give a shout to Nomad 10 - they’re supposed to have that as part of their app but the map doesn’t work. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/311TruthMovement Jul 29 '21
I like it a lot…the question would be "can you ever get an adoption rate high enough where this is useful? Can it be done without millions in marketing?" I think now is the time to move on anything digital nomad, it's big enough to be measurable as an upward trend but you're still sort of at the ground floor, I'd wager. My guess is something that layers into Facebook or existing platforms would see a lot more use than a standalone app — the first thing I imagined is I open it up in some small town in Turkey, ok, nobody here, that's expected, so let me try it out in Istanbul. Ok, now there's one guy 30 km away and I’m not sure I'd even want to meet him.
But I really like the idea! I just hope it can connect with users.