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177 points davnicwil | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source

Hey HN! Like most here regular meetings have always been a big part of my work.

Over the years I've learned the value of active note taking in these meetings. Meaning: not minutes, not transcriptions or AI summaries, but me using my brain to actively pull out the key points in short form bullet-like notes, as the meeting is going on, as I'm talking and listening (and probably typing with one hand). This could be agenda points to cover, any interesting sidebars raised, insights gotten to in a discussion, actions agreed to (and a way to track whether they got done next time!).

It's both useful just to track what's going on in all these different meetings week to week (at one point I was doing about a dozen 1-1s per week, and it just becomes impossible to hold it in RAM) but also really valuable over time when you can look back and see the full history of a particular meeting, what was discussed when, how themes and structure are changing, is the meetings effective, etc.

Anyway, I've tried a bunch of different tools for taking these notes over the years. All the obvious ones you've probably used too. And I've always just been not quite satisfied with the experience. They work, obviously (it's just text based notes at the end of the day) but nothing is first-class for this usecase.

So, I decided to build the tool I've always felt I want to use, specifically for regular 1-1s and other types of regular meetings. I've been using it myself and with friends for a while already now, and I think it's got to that point where I actually prefer to reach for it over other general purpose note taking tools now, and I want to share it more widely.

There's a free tier so you can use it right away, in fact without even signing up.

If you've also been wanting a better system to manage your notes for regular meetings, give it a go and let me know what you think!

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raw_anon_1111 ◴[] No.46202268[source]
Well to address the elephant in the room. There is no world that I wouldn’t or shouldn’t be automatically fired for putting notes between myself and my employer in a none approved website I found on the web.
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davnicwil ◴[] No.46202289[source]
It won't be today but my goal is to earn a place on your org's approved list one day and win you as a customer :-)

Relatedly, I've had a few requests for a self hosted version already and will be offering this very soon as a priority. If that'd solve the issue also, please email me at davnicwil at gmail and I will update you when it's available.

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raw_anon_1111 ◴[] No.46202384[source]
I hate to be mean. But you never will earn a place as a one man unknown developer to be an offering at my company and be a place where we put all of our information for both confidentially reasons and we wouldn’t trust the long term viability of your company.

We already use Lattice for performance notes, peer to peer feedback and it’s a place where we put notes for our 1:1s. It integrates with Slack to remind us to enter topics before the meeting, etc.

Even with all of those objections, you won’t get anywhere in corporate America with your product unless you offer SSO. It’s not that hard to do.

I have recommended a one man SaaS once in my career to something that was critical to what I needed for a large company critical initiative. But we got lawyers involved and negotiated our own instance and the code be put in escrow with a third party that we would get access to under certain circumstances. We were going to be 70% of his post sign in revenue and growing.

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ktallett ◴[] No.46202998[source]
You do realise the internet vastly surpasses the reach of corporate america. There are another 7.5 billion people out there that aren't American that would possibly use this. You don't need American users to be a big company. If it is a good idea, it is a good idea.
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raw_anon_1111 ◴[] No.46204161[source]
The submission in question is targeting corporate America.

But that take is cliched founder take. “X is a $10 billion industry. If we just get 1% we will be a great investment”.

If someone doesn’t more narrowly target their market to something more realistic than the entire population in the world. They have already lost

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ktallett ◴[] No.46204877[source]
I see absolutely zero mention of corporate America or any nation. It just states a way to improve meetings.

There are many people that don't have regular meetings so I'm guessing he is focusing on those that do which is a market. I wouldn't use it as personally I prefer to avoid the meetings.

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raw_anon_1111 ◴[] No.46205012[source]
It’s in the very title of the submission that its purpose is to improve note taking during 1 on 1s and he mentions that he is in plenty. Where else do you have 1 on 1s except at work?

How often do you have meetings except at work?

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ad_hockey ◴[] No.46205194[source]
Corporate, yes. But why do you think the OP is specifically targeting America?
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1. raw_anon_1111 ◴[] No.46205466[source]
You think a business in any other country - especially the EU where data protection requirements are even more strict - are going to allow their proprietary information to be in a random website?
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2. IAmBroom ◴[] No.46205771[source]
Yes.

I don't live in your head.

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3. raw_anon_1111 ◴[] No.46206344[source]
You don’t have to “live in my head”. Companies value their intellectual property enough not to just put it in random websites.

Would you post your companies secrets to HN?

See what happens if he goes to let’s say Coca Cola. I’m sure they will be glad to tell their employees to put notes about the Coke formula and the discussions they had with their manager