Content Summary
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream View: The dominant opinion is that these repetitive "What are you working on?" posts are spam, likely bot-driven, and degrade the quality of the subreddit. Users advocate downvoting, blocking, and stricter moderation.
Contrasting View: A minority (u/aweesip, u/alicia93moore) argue that without these posts the sub would be "dead" and that some legitimate, useful startups are discovered this way. They suggest the problem is not promotion itself but low-quality, clickbait-style promotion.
Underlying Debate: The community is divided between (1) zero-tolerance for any unsolicited promotion and (2) allowing promotion if it provides genuine value and transparency. The compromise proposed is centralized, moderated weekly threads.
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Not mentioned] | [Not mentioned] | [Not mentioned] | [Not mentioned] |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Daily flood of low-quality "What are you working on?" posts
- Posts from brand-new or zero-karma accounts
- Lack of credibility from posters who offer reviews without showing their own work
- Suspected bot activity and AI-generated content
- Difficulty finding genuine advice and real projects among the noise
Problems to Solve:
- How to keep the subreddit valuable and free of spam
- How to verify the authenticity of posts and accounts
- How to promote legitimate startups without resorting to spam tactics
- How to balance promotion with quality content
Potential Solutions:
- Weekly moderated threads for project sharing (mentioned by u/dogweather)
- Stricter moderation and bot detection
- Requirement for posters to disclose their own projects/experience
- Community downvoting and blocking of spam accounts
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Genuine value-first posts that share insights rather than pure promotion
- Building credibility by showcasing your own work before offering critiques
- Community-driven discovery through authentic engagement
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Reddit as a channel for startup discovery when done transparently
- Word-of-mouth via useful tools shared in comments
- Avoiding clickbait and bot-like behavior to maintain trust
Monetization & Product:
- Focus on solving real workflow problems to gain organic mentions
- Transparency in promotion increases user trust and adoption
User Engagement:
- Moderated weekly threads to centralize promotion and reduce spam
- Community downvoting/upvoting to surface quality content
- Encouraging posters to provide context and credibility