Evidently, this is my first topic, and even though I have five months of full-time Bubble study under my belt, reader beware, this is an infant’s way of thinking out loud. All the superstars, volunteers, and foot soldiers who have been here for years, I hereby observe all due protocols and ask that you forgive my ignorance in advance.
Shouldn’t most templates on the Bubble marketplace be labeled, “Buyer beware, this is a training wheels template that is not ready for production?” For example, why would someone publish a template that has a follow system feature and design the database in a way that puts follow and following fields under the user data type? If I bought the template to learn how to build my own social network that hopes to have a drop in the ocean 4,000 users, am I not set up for failure every time I query the user data? My seniors in the game, how about someone publishing a social template that is devoid of any scheduling of API workflows? Would this pass a real-world test?
After taking the $29 per month video tutorial of a Bubble superstar who I will not name and investing two weeks of my life (80 hours), I had no knowledge of backend workflows. To my surprise, that instructor uploaded a short YouTube video and revealed that on his platform, his sign-up process has 12 steps that he takes care of with backend workflows. I was furious. You use API workflows to schedule 12 other things after a user signs up, and you did not even mention what scheduling an API workflow is in your tutorials? I am disappointed in all the Udemy and other platform Bubble courses that I have taken.
Why do people publish courses that do not pragmatically imitate real life? Do they fear that explaining backend workflows will be too much for the mental capacity of these newbies or it would be prohibitively too long? I laugh when I see advertisements for boot camps; they sound like jokes to me. I should come and learn how to build the logic of apps that neither can I optimize for speed and performance on a site that I would present to an investor or one that I would deliver to my client only to find out that I was way over my head? Please let’s think of the unintended consequences that will arrive when we supposedly train people to go out there in the real world.
Why are there so many social-related templates that do not care to solve monetization problems like letting the user create an advertisement that will show up in the newsfeed within the repeating groups? Isn’t that a real-world use case? Or $150 to $350 is too little for that? Then charge the amount that you believe is okay but deliver something that is real-world use case ready and is ready for battle. For crying out loud, you can almost never find a social PHP script on codecanyon that does not come with such a solution as default. These scripts cost between $64 and $100, by the way. If you are going to charge between $99 and $350 for templates, shouldn’t you do some market comp? Is the pricing system on Bubble marketplace due for disruption? If a social PHP script that cost $64 let users both create self-serve advertisements (not Google Adsense) and shop exist on codecanyon, then maybe the allure of our no-code might end up not that strong. But what do I know?
@josh and @emmanuel congratulations on your $100 million raise. Thank you for conceiving and slaving for this much-needed disruptor called Bubble. As your huge fan and user, here are my unsolicited two cents: When I am thinking of founding a social community, I will be looking at Bubble (and other no-code platforms), Themeforest (codecanyon) , and WordPress (peepso, for example) on the direct competition side of things to say nothing of your indirect competitors like Upwork and Fiverr. Please let’s put more standardization on the templates and tutorials. I am mindful that you have to be careful so as not to make it illiberal and heavy-handed, but please strive to strike that balance that will make Bubble look great. For example, every time I buy a script on codecanyon, I take it for granted that next to the details tab, I am going to find exhaustive review and comments tabs. If you look at even the bestselling or most installed templates on Bubble, you will be hard-pressed to see anyone who has bothered to leave a comment let alone a review. This forum is amazing in terms of the insights one can glean from it. I think you should try to duplicate whatever execution on your part that made this forum alive in your marketplace in general.
Please correct me if this is a wrong or unethical move: shoutout to @AirDev and @eren for their body of work. @vlad, I know your primary focus is on your agency, which is the golden goose. We your fans with tiny financial pockets would appreciate it if you charitably send some attention our way maybe once every quarter or two. I see that you are trying with your tutorials revamp, but honestly, your tutor could use more simplicity in his approach. Can he also slow down and not assume he is talking to fellow superstars? My seniors, I would like you to give shout-outs to template and plugin authors who are pushing the limits of Bubble that I have definitely missed.
I am open to being enlightened that all I said is trash. I am open to being schooled and educated on these subjects that I clearly know nothing about. I almost forgot, please somebody school me on the relationship between backend workflows and security.
Full disclosure: I am writing this topic in my own enlightened self-interest. I am a Nigerian born American who wants to build a Bubble-centric learning social network for about 4,000 Nigerian undergraduates. As an educator, I have to respect the time-tested values of standardization and simplicity if I want to properly onboard these students onto Bubble.
Simplicity, someone once said, is evidence of the most advanced teachings. I have a vested interest in Bubble making simplicity and standardization gains as the coding world is riddled with a lack of standards. Thanks for reading the writing of a guy who knows not what he is talking about, I beg your pardon for my ignorance.