I’m in the process of sunsetting a project that I’ve been working on for about a year and a half - Ponder (https://ponder.to/). It was my first experience building software and for better or for worse, it didn’t turn out to be what I’d hoped for.
Today, I emailed our users to let them know we’d be shutting things down. For me, this single activity is the most important aspect of closing out the project. I suppose I feel some kind of responsibility, or accountability, to the people who gave us a try when we stuck our necks out, trying to make something new, not sure how things were going to pan out.
Oddly, I don’t feel like I’ve disappointed our users. But I do feel a connection to them. Many of our users are people I’ve personally met online over the past couple of years. Folks who have been part of my personal growth journey, particularly in figuring out my internet identity.
So sending out the email was bittersweet. While the goal was to build a product that a lot of people love with a team that I love working with - failing in this goal has brought me closer to something else. It’s brought me closer to a larger community of folks who are out there finding their way, just like I am.
The response emails and text messages started trickling in, and I found myself surrounded with support and genuinely feeling the love. Turns out, sometimes when you put yourself out there, shoot for the stars but come up short - even then, especially then, you’ll find yourself connecting with people over the journey, the experience.
What’s most fascinating about this whole experience is my real goal with the project was to meet new people, grow a community. Even as the sun sets on Ponder, I’m still making making new connections as a result of the project. And realizing, that I’ll never fully achieve this goal. Building community is a horizon that I’ll never quite reach, and what a sweet lesson this is. I’m grateful and looking forward to whatever comes next.