Day 799 - Platform risk on Carrd - https://golifelog.com/posts/platform-risk-on-carrd-1678417360475
It finally happened to me. I always knew there's platform risk on Carrd. I mean, any platform has risk. When you build a house on someone else's land, there's always a chance they can rug pull you in unexpected ways.
For me, building plugins on Carrd had these risks:
- The platform might have a change of mind and no longer allow plugins
- They decide that my plugins infringe on their trademark
- Site gets deleted or lost somehow (like Heroku)
- They build new features that effectively make my plugin(s) obsolete
The fourth risk is the most real and probable. And it just happened. One of my best selling plugins—the mobile navbar plugin—became obsolete because recent new features on Carrd meant people can now make their own mobile responsive navbar using available Carrd components. No custom code required no more. It doesn't do it perfectly, but good enough. Good enough that my plugin no longer makes sense. The real kicker is realising that if I was the customer, I wouldn't buy my own navbar plugin.
Sigh...
I always expected it would happen, sooner if not later. But encountering it in real life just hits different, over pondering a theoretical possibility. I mean, it's not like I'm upset with the platform or founders in any way. I'm still grateful that they're open minded and cool about my plugins. I guess this is just grieving over that eventuality that now became reality.
That's why I was in a conundrum about my [new free Carrd template](https://mobilenavbar.carrd.co/) and [tutorial](https://mobilenavbar.carrd.co/#tutorial) about the new way to create a responsive navbar in Carrd. It felt like by launching it, I'm also killing my older plugin. But do I really have a choice?
Stay with the times, or be left behind, they say.
The tough choices of an entrepreneur. Kill your baby to give birth to a new one. Who can do that without hesitation?
For me, building plugins on Carrd had these risks:
- The platform might have a change of mind and no longer allow plugins
- They decide that my plugins infringe on their trademark
- Site gets deleted or lost somehow (like Heroku)
- They build new features that effectively make my plugin(s) obsolete
The fourth risk is the most real and probable. And it just happened. One of my best selling plugins—the mobile navbar plugin—became obsolete because recent new features on Carrd meant people can now make their own mobile responsive navbar using available Carrd components. No custom code required no more. It doesn't do it perfectly, but good enough. Good enough that my plugin no longer makes sense. The real kicker is realising that if I was the customer, I wouldn't buy my own navbar plugin.
Sigh...
I always expected it would happen, sooner if not later. But encountering it in real life just hits different, over pondering a theoretical possibility. I mean, it's not like I'm upset with the platform or founders in any way. I'm still grateful that they're open minded and cool about my plugins. I guess this is just grieving over that eventuality that now became reality.
That's why I was in a conundrum about my [new free Carrd template](https://mobilenavbar.carrd.co/) and [tutorial](https://mobilenavbar.carrd.co/#tutorial) about the new way to create a responsive navbar in Carrd. It felt like by launching it, I'm also killing my older plugin. But do I really have a choice?
Stay with the times, or be left behind, they say.
The tough choices of an entrepreneur. Kill your baby to give birth to a new one. Who can do that without hesitation?