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How to Make Ideas Real: Readit1st.com

2011-09-14 (said on 2011-09-15 — implied: date said in the video; uploaded -1 days later) · letter vlog · Hank · 3:52 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Projects · mode: Advice & reviews · tags: self promotion, community lore

Using the launch of ReadIt1st as a case study, Hank argues that making ideas real takes deciding instead of perfecting (escaping 'brain crack'), asking for help, and not fearing failure, since you never know if an idea is good until you make it real.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; people like making things real, which is hard; Hank shares his process as a case study: readit1st.com, launched last night

  • ★★ Hank says he very much enjoys making things and thinks most people do, from songs and scarves to video blogs and books; making what is in your head real is hard. — 00:00:01
  • ★★ Hank says making things is hard but he is getting better at it, he thinks because of a combination of attitudes and resources he now has. — 00:00:14
  • ★★★ Hank says that, for others who struggle to make things, he will share his process as a case study: readit1st.com, which he launched last night. — 00:00:21

00:00:29 — Having the idea a year ago; why it was a good idea (promotes reading, could employ a writer, nerdfightastic); testing it on Katherine

  • ★ Hank says he had the idea over a year ago; having an idea is a process that just has to happen. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Hank liked the idea because it promotes reading, could through advertising actually employ a writer, which he would love, and seemed nerdfightastic. (hedged) — 00:00:33 · nerdfightastic
  • ★★ Before Nerdfighteria, Hank tested the idea on Katherine, his wife and number one wall to throw ideas at; she is smart and loving enough to be quick and entirely merciless. — 00:00:49 · Katherine Green

00:01:02 — Sitting on the idea: brain crack (Ze Frank); a year of it, then LeakyCon re-inspires him

  • ★★★ Hank says he then sat with the idea, perfecting it in his head while it never became real; Ze Frank calls this brain crack and freed him from it. — 00:01:02 · brain crack

    “the idea is not actually becoming real. It's just becoming cooler inside of your brain.”

  • ★★ Hank says he brain-cracked ReadIt1st for about a year until LeakyCon re-inspired him about books, adaptations and how people should read the book first. — 00:01:20 · brain crack

00:01:27 — Making decisions: domain name, logo critiqued on Tumblr, ignoring feature ideas for a newsletter only, website design, PSD2HTML, Sam Rudge's code, John writing the first newsletters

  • ★★★ Hank settled on a domain from bustaname.com with a number in it; maybe not the best choice, but a decision, and an imperfect decision is far better than none, the worst possible decision. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Hank made a logo in Fireworks and shared it on Twitter and Tumblr; he got many genius ideas for ReadIt1st and ignored them all, because it needs just one thing to do its job: a newsletter. — 00:01:43 · Tumblr
  • ★★ Hank says about a dozen logo versions on Tumblr made a rewarding critique, then he made an executive decision on a logo they are stuck with, not the best but needed to move on. — 00:02:00 · Tumblr
  • ★★ Hank designed the site himself, had PSD2HTML turn it into a web page, got his friend Sam Rudge to write the code, and got John to write the first few newsletters. — 00:02:13 · John Green
  • ★★ Hank announces the first ReadIt1st newsletter, written by John, goes out Friday morning. — 00:02:32 · John Green

00:02:40 — Ask people for favours, and reward them with money if money comes

  • ★★ Hank advises never worrying about asking for favours that aren't huge amounts of time, but if money comes to a project, reward the people who helped, with money. — 00:02:40

00:02:54 — You never know if an idea is good until you make it real; failure feels much worse than it is

  • ★★★ Hank does not know whether ReadIt1st is a good idea: you never know if an idea is good until you make it real. — 00:02:54
  • ★★★ Hank says when the world dislikes an idea that is failure, which sounds and feels much worse than it is; with many failures behind him he minds less, and fearing failure so much you never try makes success impossible. — 00:03:00

00:03:17 — Sign up for ReadIt1st; made for the world but with Nerdfighters; thanks; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank wants all of Nerdfighteria to sign up for ReadIt1st at readit1st.com and to tell their friends. — 00:03:17 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ Hank says he created ReadIt1st for the world but with Nerdfighters, a resource only he and John have, and thanks them for everything they have created together. — 00:03:20 · Nerdfighteria, John Green, made of awesome

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: brain crack · ReadIt1st

Also: Adobe Fireworks · Bustaname · Katherine Green · LeakyCon · made of awesome · nerdfightastic · PSD2HTML · Tumblr

Only in the description or credits: Sam Rudge · Ze Frank

Also centred on brain crack: Dr. Manhattan's Dangle and Brain Crack

Also centred on ReadIt1st: The Fair: Testacular!

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