HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

bdehaaff

1,299 karma · joined May 3, 2013

Co-founder and CEO of Aha! The new way to create brilliant product strategy and visual roadmaps (www.aha.io) Has been a founder or early employee of six cloud-based software companies. Sold two as CEO to public companies Aruba Networks and Citrix.

@bdehaaff @aha_io

submissionscomments
bdehaaff··on The Product Manager vs. The Engineering Manager
This is always a no win situation. I am actually a male product leader and it was written by a female product leader. It is much easier to write (and read) with a "he" of "she" vs "they." We are sensitive to this issue and do our best to mix the pronouns in posts. Thanks for the comment.
bdehaaff··on How Women ‘Dressed for Success’ [1991]
Indeed. The guide contains many ridiculous "insights" like a budget and target selection of clothes for your wardrobe.
bdehaaff··on So You Are A Non-Technical Product Manager
Yes, I totally agree. It is important for it to be a collaborative effort, but the PM must surface the customer and market feedback and suggest what new functionality is required. After that, a deeper team discussion benefits everyone -- including the customers. Good comment.
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Goodbye my.yahoo after 15 years – what should I use?
I have a gmail account for email too. I am talking more specifically about a news portal. Any thoughts there?
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Which SaaS apps have the best UI?
If you are looking for an Enterprise SaaS app -- you might want to check out Aha.io

We put a lot of thought into it and sourced the best design talent we could find. Originally, we were going to go with a totally flat design, but ended up with a hybrid approach. We found that a semi-flat design improved usability in our early tests with customers.

bdehaaff··on Ask HN: why are we fighting our kids' "screen time"
I am not so sure. Playing a game on the TV is equivalent to what my kids do on their smartphones. Now, because their smartphones are Internet connected they do end up discovering new ways to entertain themselves and more importantly research topics they are interested in. However, most of the time spent is still for entertainment.
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: why are we fighting our kids' "screen time"
I was referring to myself. I want to be online and know who has signed up, who needs support, how the next project is progressing. I am not selling pixels or chips.
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Do you read Medium.com
Ok, so you actually are a reader. I think your point is true for all news sites. And just fyi, Marshalls is also on the West Coast.
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Do you read Medium.com
It's interesting that you think they are manufactured. I find the non technical content on par with what is posted to HN. Can you share more about why you have this opinion?
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Do you read Medium.com
Ok, so you perceive it to be more spammy with lower quality content than HN or other sites. What other sites are at the top of your pyramid? Also, are you a dev?
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Do you read Medium.com
Can you tell me more about why you avoid it? What is it about Medium that turns you off?
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Do you read Medium.com
Interesting. I just noticed today, while posting an article, that they now have additional categories which further splinter the news. It allows for more specific tagging of content but makes it harder for posters and readers to hone in on what they are interested in.
bdehaaff··on Ask HN: Do you read Medium.com
I wonder if that is a common theme. I am curious to hear what others say. It might also just be the nature of "news" sites.
bdehaaff··on Blame Your Product Manager
Are you referring to Aha.io? If yes, various aspects of it have been, but we welcome your thoughts and anything that you would want to Show HN.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
I agree. It would be helpful to be notified that you did something wrong and what it was. The rule was not published, so I had no idea that I needed to diversify my posts.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Don't we all know bad players though who misbehave every so often, so even invite only would work for so long (and that assumes there would be enough interesting content in the first place to keep people coming back.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
That seems a big harsh. I am not sure it is that black and white.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
I agree with you. I think folks react to the fact that there are a set of rules that are unknown, but the penalties for violating them are harsh.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
I ask this with kindness and no ill will -- because I am curious. If that is true, than why are you still using the site and contributing comments? There are tons of great places to read newsworthy and interesting articles.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Did you try to email and ask? I bet you would get a response. The email address is listed in the blog post.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
You are more kind than most. I think the cruel part is that everything appears normal - but your are totally invisible. Google analytics was key to seeing an issue immediately.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Yes, very true. But sometimes banning is analog as well. I am just glad that the problem was admitted/resolved and I am back posting stories and comments.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Thanks for the additional details on why the slowness might have been experienced.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Me too. That's why I write them.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
That might be true. But typically no one steps in to correct a wrong so quickly.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Based on your point, I actually just added a line to the beginning of the post (second paragraph) with the alternative headline. Thanks.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Thanks for pointing that out. I am working for better balance now that I understand the guideline.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
And many other too. Lesson learned.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Yes, good point. The banning based on posting links to the same url is the interesting part.
bdehaaff··on How I was unbanned from Hacker News
Good point. It always makes sense to ask. I was just surprised that I heard back so quickly.
Page 1 of 4Next →