Itay Dreyfus

In a moment of randomness, I've came across this newsletter issue by @tomcritchlow on getting more client work. Now that I'm refocusing on indie-ness, I realize this is something I do whenever I seek work: posting on socials, emailing former colleagues, and texting friends. https://t.co/JjwBEFGI3G

So, small is good but doesn’t scale and can be overwhelmed by changes, and big is powerful, but ugly.

One mistake I often used to make at Justin.tv was offering a potpourri of business models (virtual goods, product placement, chat ads, contests, etc..). I was embarrassed to say Justin.tv would monetize with advertising when clearly that was the only answer. Own the simple business model.

The site feels like a chaotic newsroom with the cutting room floor exposed. I think that’s part of the excitement — and good design.

We are shifting from the mode of “surging” on Tumblr with tons of people to get it to exciting growth, to working on how we can run Tumblr in the most smooth and efficient manner. Pretty amazing things in the social and messaging space have been accomplished with small teams, so I’m actually quite curious to see a smaller and more focused Tumblr’s... See more

Along those lines, I believe that mechanics design is a distinct discipline separate from both interface design and product management. I believe it deserves its own terminology, principles, processes, deliverables, and bodies of knowledge.

A “small giant” is a company that chooses to optimize for mojo instead of growth.