Rec
I've been thinking about this over the last week of using pi.fyi:
one of the many things that makes this platform special is that the mode of interaction is totally built around giving to and serving others.
Givings recs — a gift to others
Asking for recs — giving others the chance to give us something
Re-recing — giving honor to recs from others / giving others something good that we didn't create
Truly beautiful.
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...so since this is a feedback thread, I guess my feedback would be: even as features and enhancements are added, please keep it simple — don't stray from this basic framework.
one of the many things that makes this platform special is that the mode of interaction is totally built around giving to and serving others.
Givings recs — a gift to others
Asking for recs — giving others the chance to give us something
Re-recing — giving honor to recs from others / giving others something good that we didn't create
Truly beautiful.
--
...so since this is a feedback thread, I guess my feedback would be: even as features and enhancements are added, please keep it simple — don't stray from this basic framework.
Sep 26, 2024
Related Recs
Rec
I virtually spend all my time on this app using the "asks" function. It's fun and satisfying to help others out with specific prompts and tasks — and I know when I have a question they'll be there for me as well!
Great to build sense of community and 1 love to offer what I can!
On the other hand, I have my criticisms of the "recs" function (if you would like to hear, i’d be happy to talk about potential feedback) but I'm fine with chilling on the "asks" for now😎
Great to build sense of community and 1 love to offer what I can!
On the other hand, I have my criticisms of the "recs" function (if you would like to hear, i’d be happy to talk about potential feedback) but I'm fine with chilling on the "asks" for now😎
Jan 20, 2025
Rec
💡First the Caveat:
I do think that the innovator is best situated to see beyond the horizon and define the products of the future.
As Henry Ford said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'"
And feedback needs to be balanced with many other factors that the user, me, isn't necessarily thinking about, such as the roadmap, optimal use case, business model, etc.
--
But since this is a feedback thread, here goes:
I see a big area of opportunity in the space of community and social.
If PI.FYI wants to be more than recommendation engine but also a network for people to connect, which really helps build a platform, then there is so much growth potential.
I like parts of the redesign and appreciate the willingness to break things in pursuit of innovation. (I'm along for the ride!) But at the same time the redesign kneecapped the community/social aspect of things.
The activity feed is no longer as easy to view — making it hard to really engage with where others are engaging and go to where the energy is.
The loss of the leaderboard means that we no longer have visibility into the leadership provided by the most engaged users. Don't have to bring back the same style leaderboard, but there needs to be some sort of gamification or positive feedback for the most loyal voices on the platform.
Rising Users — I love the idea of amplifying new voices, but why does a user rise? Initially the rising users board was populated by the newsletter celebrity recs, who aren't even active or present on the site.
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Again, it is very possible that the community/network features that I want to see don't actually fit with the vision or the business model, which isn't at all based on engagement (ads) but depends on subscriptions.
— One option: add layers of community features that are only available for paying users — like groups, forum threads, leaderboard access, etc.
Bottom line: PI.FYI is special. Keep taking bold moves—breaking, pivoting, and trying new stuff. But don't leave the users behind.
--
This rec exposes—to me, at least—that I care a lot about the platform, so I've decided to make it official and becoming a paying user.
I do think that the innovator is best situated to see beyond the horizon and define the products of the future.
As Henry Ford said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'"
And feedback needs to be balanced with many other factors that the user, me, isn't necessarily thinking about, such as the roadmap, optimal use case, business model, etc.
--
But since this is a feedback thread, here goes:
I see a big area of opportunity in the space of community and social.
If PI.FYI wants to be more than recommendation engine but also a network for people to connect, which really helps build a platform, then there is so much growth potential.
I like parts of the redesign and appreciate the willingness to break things in pursuit of innovation. (I'm along for the ride!) But at the same time the redesign kneecapped the community/social aspect of things.
The activity feed is no longer as easy to view — making it hard to really engage with where others are engaging and go to where the energy is.
The loss of the leaderboard means that we no longer have visibility into the leadership provided by the most engaged users. Don't have to bring back the same style leaderboard, but there needs to be some sort of gamification or positive feedback for the most loyal voices on the platform.
Rising Users — I love the idea of amplifying new voices, but why does a user rise? Initially the rising users board was populated by the newsletter celebrity recs, who aren't even active or present on the site.
--
Again, it is very possible that the community/network features that I want to see don't actually fit with the vision or the business model, which isn't at all based on engagement (ads) but depends on subscriptions.
— One option: add layers of community features that are only available for paying users — like groups, forum threads, leaderboard access, etc.
Bottom line: PI.FYI is special. Keep taking bold moves—breaking, pivoting, and trying new stuff. But don't leave the users behind.
--
This rec exposes—to me, at least—that I care a lot about the platform, so I've decided to make it official and becoming a paying user.
Nov 5, 2024
Rec
✍️I don't think it's quite there yet, but I do think it's in the process of, as I notice increasing recs from people who aren't featured on the PI newsletter, get on the main page the day famous / recognized people are being featured. This tells me organic recs are being valued more than what people in the newsletter have to say. Sometimes the people who get a feature without being members of the community don't even make it in the What's Hot section, or they take too long to get there, or only one to a few recs of theirs get on the main page.
Instead, people prioritize something that they can relate to, coming from a typically old profile that knows the platform. I've also seen a rise in people actually recommending stuff, which is great to see. Most of the time, what makes it on the main page is an abstract thought, but more and more people are leaning into the nature of the site, which is making recommendations. Love.
Instead, people prioritize something that they can relate to, coming from a typically old profile that knows the platform. I've also seen a rise in people actually recommending stuff, which is great to see. Most of the time, what makes it on the main page is an abstract thought, but more and more people are leaning into the nature of the site, which is making recommendations. Love.
Jun 24, 2025
Top Recs from @mattshawsome
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🛑this is worthy of celebration: the lack of video—autoplay video, noisy inane video, panicky video, algorithmic, dumb video, rabbit hole video, any video—on pi.fyi is a good thing
Oct 5, 2024
Rec
🥾this is going to hurt — A LOT — but it's getting to the point where there's no other option
Mar 11, 2025